Q acoustics Concept 500

[DearSX]

Just plugged my QA C50s after listening to the A10s the last few months and wow, these speakers have great sound stage and clarity. I'm not missing the bass extensjon of the A10 on romantic music the C50 have a much more expansive sound stage in my room. I'm playing them on axis a lot more now, I usually point them into the room, but I'm only 6 ft from them.

I'm going to keep these a little longer and listen to them. Going to get a WiiM Ultra.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

Just plugged my QA C50s after listening to the A10s the last few months and wow, these speakers have great sound stage and clarity. I'm not missing the bass extensjon of the A10 on romantic music the C50 have a much more expansive sound stage in my room. I'm playing them on axis a lot more now, I usually point them into the room, but I'm only 6 ft from them.

I'm going to keep these a little longer and listen to them. Going to get a WiiM Ultra.

Sorry but what speaker is '' a10 '' ?

 

[DearSX]

Sorry but what speaker is '' a10 '' ?

Buchardt A10 speakers

 

[dogmamann]

To be honest i don't get why this extremely well design and extremely great measurements line don't make a lot of noise. In room measurements from concept 500 tend to be flat up to 30hz which is very nice with the 112dB max output, and 42kg cabinet.

End to end is a well design speaker, i'd say better than Revels, and if u want to destroy the salon 2 just add dual subwoofers, the revel beam early than the Q acoustics in it's wide dispersion, the WTW from the 5040 start to beam at 12khz unlike the revel who beam at the typical 7khz:
View attachment 369705

And the cabinet it's on another whole level, the concept cabinet is much better than any jbl or revel cabinet:

Salon n2, flagship vs flagship

Concept 500:

Concept just won in it's dispersion and cabinet, wanna more bass and imd(Funny enough, the distortion and IMD from Q acoustics is so great that works like a 3way, when crossed at 80hz is just a very good low imd, plus the advengate of being 2.5 way, the step response is better like a 2 way bookshelf)? add dual subwoofers with the difference in price and get a killer system better than any Revel (?), Q acoustics deserve more. Clearly.




Seeying the whitepaper, i see the Q acoustics concept series with the better curve cabinet, unlike the 5040, the concept beam at 15khz, which is extremely nice, so it's very wide in the entire Highs range. I see why audiophiles report the concepts as '' 3d sound '' or '' very holographic sound '' or the typical, very wide soundstage

I think now here we have a speaker which destroys the Kef and revel territory. Very underrated. And you are now very qualified to say this as you had a Kef R Series which is kind of the fan favorite here.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

Buchardt A10 speakers

Ah i see, QA must be doing some good stuff if you like that soundstage and clarity, overall i think QA make a very brutal inner cabinets, in spcial effects this is audible imho. The c500's has a very quiet background, you can easily pick anything in the space.. is very accurate in how render the sound in the space for the money.

I think now here we have a speaker which destroys the Kef and revel territory. Very underrated. And you are now very qualified to say this as you had a Kef R Series which is kind of the fan favorite here.

I still think KEF makes good speakers, the KEF REF3 with eq may sound great to my ears, i noticed the new reference 3 meta change 3 important stuff:
-Wider stage
-More accurate sound... for example the tunning is more balanced now, the highs are more tamed and the result is having more body to the sound
-The top end dispersion is better
The c500 flahsghip while is not a gorilla bass, it has a good quality.


its a good speaker, a subwoofer will make this speaker full range / HiEnd sound.
This speakers give a good sensation of space arround the instruments, its like a dark background that let you peak any sound easily, i think the cabinet do this spacial effect.
Not perfect in everything because of LFE.. it coud be a Litte bit more, but very good SQ.

Of course the room can make a good speaker sound bad, i think this speaker might sound a Litte bit too smooth or dark in some rooms, i guess its because of having wide directivity?, anyway in-room correction can fix that. I havent hear any recent room ''aLive'', my room is on the dead side more than the aLive side.

With space or room correction this speaker sounds very natural in the entire FR, i used EQ in the mids and highs with the R7, 0 eq needed for the C500 because i Like what i hear now, good weight and definition to the sound.

 

[DearSX]

Ywah I'm surprised how well they render everything and how much stuff I seem to be missing compared to other speakers and even headphones. I will need to do some A/B testing.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

Ywah I'm surprised how well they render everything and how much stuff I seem to be missing compared to other speakers and even headphones. I will need to do some A/B testing.

The concept 50 has been recibe a very good reviews, there is a lot of youtube hype. Lol.

 

[dogmamann]

Ah i see, QA must be doing some good stuff if you like that soundstage and clarity, overall i think QA make a very brutal inner cabinets, in spcial effects this is audible imho. The c500's has a very quiet background, you can easily pick anything in the space.. is very accurate in how render the sound in the space for the money.

I still think KEF makes good speakers, the KEF REF3 with eq may sound great to my ears, i noticed the new reference 3 meta change 3 important stuff:
-Wider stage
-More accurate sound... for example the tunning is more balanced now, the highs are more tamed and the result is having more body to the sound
-The top end dispersion is better
The c500 flahsghip while is not a gorilla bass, it has a good quality.


its a good speaker, a subwoofer will make this speaker full range / HiEnd sound.
This speakers give a good sensation of space arround the instruments, its like a dark background that let you peak any sound easily, i think the cabinet do this spacial effect.
Not perfect in everything because of LFE.. it coud be a Litte bit more, but very good SQ.

Of course the room can make a good speaker sound bad, i think this speaker might sound a Litte bit too smooth or dark in some rooms, i guess its because of having wide directivity?, anyway in-room correction can fix that. I havent hear any recent room ''aLive'', my room is on the dead side more than the aLive side.

With space or room correction this speaker sounds very natural in the entire FR, i used EQ in the mids and highs with the R7, 0 eq needed for the C500 because i Like what i hear now, good weight and definition to the sound.

I had heard c500 before and I can vouch that they are absolutely on tv leagues of Kef blades. Blades use too much sveie

Ah i see, QA must be doing some good stuff if you like that soundstage and clarity, overall i think QA make a very brutal inner cabinets, in spcial effects this is audible imho. The c500's has a very quiet background, you can easily pick anything in the space.. is very accurate in how render the sound in the space for the money.

I still think KEF makes good speakers, the KEF REF3 with eq may sound great to my ears, i noticed the new reference 3 meta change 3 important stuff:
-Wider stage
-More accurate sound... for example the tunning is more balanced now, the highs are more tamed and the result is having more body to the sound
-The top end dispersion is better
The c500 flahsghip while is not a gorilla bass, it has a good quality.


its a good speaker, a subwoofer will make this speaker full range / HiEnd sound.
This speakers give a good sensation of space arround the instruments, its like a dark background that let you peak any sound easily, i think the cabinet do this spacial effect.
Not perfect in everything because of LFE.. it coud be a Litte bit more, but very good SQ.

Of course the room can make a good speaker sound bad, i think this speaker might sound a Litte bit too smooth or dark in some rooms, i guess its because of having wide directivity?, anyway in-room correction can fix that. I havent hear any recent room ''aLive'', my room is on the dead side more than the aLive side.

With space or room correction this speaker sounds very natural in the entire FR, i used EQ in the mids and highs with the R7, 0 eq needed for the C500 because i Like what i hear now, good weight and definition to the sound.

Is there a directivity plot comparison available for ref and ref meta ?

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

I had heard c500 before and I can vouch that they are absolutely on tv leagues of Kef blades. Blades use too much sveie

Is there a directivity plot comparison available for ref and ref meta ?

But the bIades make good Ife unIike my speaker, ur REFERENCE 3 make more Ife too ;(
---

We have the measurements from the center channeI which in the end can be used since its coaxiaI
You see, the tweeter whie is kind of constant, its 70° mids to 40° the whoIe tweeter

Amir draw the 50° Iine but to me he was too nice.. the mids are 70° and the tweeter is 40° Iike the R series. there is not 50°.

WhiIe the new reference META are 70° to 50°..., is better

Apparenty this aIIowed a new tunning, more body to the sound and Iess HF

 

[dogmamann]

But the bIades make good Ife unIike my speaker, ur REFERENCE 3 make more Ife too ;(
---

We have the measurements from the center channeI which in the end can be used since its coaxiaI
You see, the tweeter whie is kind of constant, its 70° mids to 40° the whoIe tweeter
View attachment 383652
Amir draw the 50° Iine but to me he was too nice.. the mids are 70° and the tweeter is 40° Iike the R series. there is not 50°.
View attachment 383654
WhiIe the new reference META are 70° to 50°..., is better
View attachment 383653

Apparenty this aIIowed a new tunning, more body to the sound and Iess HF
View attachment 383655

I think the meta version has the treble region at +40/-40 degree at -6db from Erin’s plot. 84-78=6

They beam to 50 degrees but at -9db. A corresponding measurement is not available in Amir’s plot. Probably it’s slightly wider, but with these meaurements it’s hard to judge.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

I think the meta version has the treble region at +40/-40 degree at -6db from Erin’s plot. 84-78=6

They beam to 50 degrees but at -9db. A corresponding measurement is not available in Amir’s plot. Probably it’s slightly wider, but with these meaurements it’s hard to judge.

The meta is 50° even it gets 55° and kind of 45° at the very top end which is nice at 15khz~+. while i would prefer a 60° it's not -9db
84dB is the reference and 78 is the red line, as you pointed -6dB.
I didn't understand why did you pointed -9dB, it's -6dB the red line, the yellow line is 9dB and it's 60°~

And i still think even this cheap QA has better directivity.

What i heard in my R7s is the highs sounded small vs the bass/mids, with my QA Concept 500 sounds more natural the overall size of the things, while being bigger. This directivity thing can't be change a bit with EQ. I also noticed the C500's has better image, better than the coaxial from KEF. Im allowed to play with this speaker Call of duty, playing with speakers is almost impossible, headphones are mandatory in multiplayer (if you play decent enough ). This is the first speaker i have that let me play COD and identify any foot in the ground or instantly identify the location of the bullets.

 

[dogmamann]

The meta is 50° even it gets 55° and kind of 45° at the very top end which is nice at 15khz~+. while i would prefer a 60° it's not -9db
84dB is the reference and 78 is the red line, as you pointed -6dB.
I didn't understand why did you pointed -9dB, it's -6dB the red line, the yellow line is 9dB and it's 60°~
View attachment 383811

The deep red is at 84 db, and the light red you highlighted here is 75db. It’s -9db from reference.

However Amir has only -6db and -12db plots, these two plots are not comparable. I heard the metas and while I could hear the improvement in highs(it’s somehow more clear, and less “boxy”) I didn’t feel like they were any wider than how I heard it at my home. Both are “narrow” compared to my previous 7k. But the tone of the meta to my ears is way better and to me but if you like more thicker vocals you might like the older one more. I like the metas more as they sound more like the cantons now than the kefs, but with the coherence of the uniqs.

By the way, I got a chance to listen to the canton 5k recently as they were on clearance sale and now I feel the Kef reference 3 are a better speaker than them in many ways. What caught me immediately now was how much of a step down it was in terms of vertical dispersion. I had to sit in the exact same spot with my head kept at the same position to get that tonality I liked on them. I ignored this fact when I had the 7k and in that regards now Kef grew on me a lot

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

The deep red is at 84 db, and the light red you highlighted here is 75db. It’s -9db from reference.

However Amir has only -6db and -12db plots, these two plots are not comparable. I heard the metas and while I could hear the improvement in highs(it’s somehow more clear, and less “boxy”) I didn’t feel like they were any wider than how I heard it at my home. Both are “narrow” compared to my previous 7k. But the tone of the meta to my ears is way better and to me but if you like more thicker vocals you might like the older one more. I like the metas more as they sound more like the cantons now than the kefs, but with the coherence of the uniqs.

By the way, I got a chance to listen to the canton 5k recently as they were on clearance sale and now I feel the Kef reference 3 are a better speaker than them in many ways. What caught me immediately now was how much of a step down it was in terms of vertical dispersion. I had to sit in the exact same spot with my head kept at the same position to get that tonality I liked on them. I ignored this fact when I had the 7k and in that regards now Kef grew on me a lot

Ah i didnt notice... but you can compare these anyway
Erin draw the line at -3dB, but for example, the 5040 It's 75° at -6dB while the kef is 60 and then 50°

i see the tweeter at -6dB is kind of 40°

Im not sure if only a listening can be the final word about the soundstage in the highs, but being honest i don't think vertical is a problem.... but when im walking i noticed the r7 managed to sound more coherent, but in my chair thats the 100% listening time i noticed no difference vs d'appolito, in fact i noticed better coherency... but thats 3 drivers... not 4 like the typical 3-way

im also thinking in a second hand KEF REERENCE 3, i will won vs my C500's
Better LFE
vertical sweet spot will be wider, but i 100% dont care how it sounds while im walking in the room
Better looking
I will loss:
Spacial effects
Wider soudstage and much more wider highs
I like how the mids to highs sound more in the C500's

I guess the KEF REF3M might sound better in the mids to hf im still lossing the spacial and soundstage thing.
I also like a lot having LFE...
--
The MA PL200 3G is a strong option, i just think the overall image is worse than the c500's at close distances, i don't think there is much of a difference when you are in the sweet spot (in your chair or whatever) and you are at like 3 meters~ or 2.5m meters ~, but i noticed the HF are a tad bright, while being very good quality, the off-axis dispersion is wide on the PL. What im not sure if the PL200 3G give that subwoofer like LFE, the 300 3G does easily... the LFE is very good on PL300 3G while having that wide highs just a tad brighter than i like, but maybe i can live with that little brightness, is a lean brightness is not a peak or something. If the crossover would have a -1dB switch it would be textbook imho, for my ears.

I think a strong option is the PL200 3G.. with a lot of foam in the vertical sweet spot. Lol. But dont get me wrong, is like 1db? maybe in the listening test you wouldn't even notice... and maybe im too young? idk. But certanly is a good speaker, very pricy too.

Im still not listened the KEF REFERENCE 3 META, but now you like your KEF?

 

[dogmamann]

Ah i didnt notice... but you can compare these anyway
Erin draw the line at -3dB, but for example, the 5040 It's 75° at -6dB while the kef is 60 and then 50°
View attachment 383903
i see the tweeter at -6dB is kind of 40°
View attachment 383904
Im not sure if only a listening can be the final word about the soundstage in the highs, but being honest i don't think vertical is a problem.... but when im walking i noticed the r7 managed to sound more coherent, but in my chair thats the 100% listening time i noticed no difference vs d'appolito, in fact i noticed better coherency... but thats 3 drivers... not 4 like the typical 3-way

im also thinking in a second hand KEF REERENCE 3, i will won vs my C500's
Better LFE
vertical sweet spot will be wider, but i 100% dont care how it sounds while im walking in the room
Better looking
I will loss:
Spacial effects
Wider soudstage and much more wider highs
I like how the mids to highs sound more in the C500's

I guess the KEF REF3M might sound better in the mids to hf im still lossing the spacial and soundstage thing.
I also like a lot having LFE...
--
The MA PL200 3G is a strong option, i just think the overall image is worse than the c500's at close distances, i don't think there is much of a difference when you are in the sweet spot (in your chair or whatever) and you are at like 3 meters~ or 2.5m meters ~, but i noticed the HF are a tad bright, while being very good quality, the off-axis dispersion is wide on the PL. What im not sure if the PL200 3G give that subwoofer like LFE, the 300 3G does easily... the LFE is very good on PL300 3G while having that wide highs just a tad brighter than i like, but maybe i can live with that little brightness, is a lean brightness is not a peak or something. If the crossover would have a -1dB switch it would be textbook imho, for my ears.

I think a strong option is the PL200 3G.. with a lot of foam in the vertical sweet spot. Lol. But dont get me wrong, is like 1db? maybe in the listening test you wouldn't even notice... and maybe im too young? idk. But certanly is a good speaker, very pricy too.

Im still not listened the KEF REFERENCE 3 META, but now you like your KEF?

In some aspects yes, but not in every ways. To me, irrespective of how they measure, the Quadral aurum titan or Vulkans are better than the kefs in terms of smoothness on the top, and extension on the low. Kef are tad bit faster in bass in my room. We will never get satisfied with one speaker, but we all need more than one. If you liked an acoustics this much then you should listen to more FINK team speakers. To me, they were perfect but unfortunately out of my reach. I still regretting selling my ALR note 1 speaker, asked the buyer if he wanted to sell it, and he said “never”

 

[dogmamann]

In some aspects yes, but not in every ways. To me, irrespective of how they measure, the Quadral aurum titan or Vulkans are better than the kefs in terms of smoothness on the top, and extension on the low. Kef are tad bit faster in bass in my room. We will never get satisfied with one speaker, but we all need more than one. If you liked an acoustics this much then you should listen to more FINK team speakers. To me, they were perfect but unfortunately out of my reach. I still regretting selling my ALR note 1 speaker, asked the buyer if he wanted to sell it, and he said “never”

What I really realized after having around 10+ speakers above 1000euro(not at the same time), is you can get used to any sound, provided you live with it for some time. Things that won’t impress you in the beginning would slowly grow on you and things that excited you in the beginning would fade away as time goes.

 

[HidesAmpsFromWife]

You are just getting excited about your toy. It’s a good speaker, but you are over excited by its marketing material!! . Also quite expected when the previous speakers were mid range KEF products. Most people don’t realize how mediocre KEF are. They normally live in that bubble created by the measurement hype. In reality lot of speakers without uniq are having decent dispersion, but KEF markets in a way that people think non coaxial drivers are horrible! And their fan base keep iterating this. I have seen people who think thought their R series(especially R11!!) is the greatest speaker ever made and do it accept anything else as good.

I haven’t heard KEF do a speaker that much better than the Q35. They seem to be stuck in a rut you know?

 

[High Power Dude]

I'm thoroughly impressed with the Q Ascoustics Concept 500. The first thing that struck me was how much sound was generated by just two 6.5" drivers and the dome tweeter. Having owned the Revel F228BEs, JBL 4367 and many other speakers, the 500's sound reproduction deserves high honors (EISA 2017-2018 Best Floorstander). The clarity, its ability to resolve detail in music and convey them as if they were the instrument themselves brings an immediacy that leaves smiles and occasional laughter at, how the hell does it do that? The biggest challenge of all speakers is the challenge to convey all sounds in the frequency spectrum with high fidelity. Some speakers convey voices better or kick drums or horns, etc. The 500, for its size, does most all of it better than most. What's particularly striking, are the dynamics. The transients, attack, decay and even handed reporting of recorded sound reveal differences in recording methods and environments in a way that, like any good speaker, has one wanting to listen to ever more tracks to hear how they'll sound. Due to the lack of attention on the 500s, I consider them a sleeper speaker. Sleeper in the sense that, since most people don't know Q Acoustics and few have even heard the flagship, they don't get the recognition deserving of excellent speaker engineering. Lastly, when I first heard them at a friend's house, the acoustics of his room didn't give them justice. In my home theater, different story. The room was built from the ground up acoustically, it's wrapped in mass loaded vinyl, with double green-glued drywall attached to hat channels to the second wall, with acoustic putty, acoustic insulation, blue tack on sconces and anything that could vibrate tacked down and matched with in-room diffusion and absorption room/wall devices, and the real sound of these babies shine. Paired with the WiiM Ultra streamer and a Purifi amp with zero room EQ in the electronics, and the 500s tell me this -- the higher the fidelity of the signal the better they perform.