What is the Q Acoustics Q-BT3?
Soundbars are a wonderful way of upgrading your TV’s sound quality without impacting on living space, but they’re not for everyone. Their shallow cabinets often put a limitation on sound quality, making them too much of a compromise for discerning listeners.
That’s why Q Acoustics has come up with a more traditional alternative in the Q-BT3, a pair of powered hi-fi stereo speakers with a built-in amplifier, a variety of connections and Bluetooth – much like the Blue Aura X30 we reviewed recently.
There seems no end to its versatility – you can hook up your TV and boost movie playback, stream music wirelessly from phones and tablets or connect a laptop. It might cost a little more than most soundbars, but we’re hoping the step-up in sound quality is worth the investment.
Q Acoustics Q-BT3 – Design and Connections
Although not as convenient or space-efficient as a soundbar, Q-BT3 is visually striking and sublimely-made pair of speakers. They come in three funky colours – Juice Red, Urban White and Jet Black.
We tested the bright red version, which makes a fun, eye-catching addition to any room, contrasting stylishly with the curved black metal grille on the front (which we’re told can be removed with the right tools). Gently rounded edges soften the lines.
Build quality is superb too – the rigid cabinets feel pleasingly robust when handled. You can place them horizontally or vertically according to your setup (the Q Acoustics badge on the front rotates) and there are adhesive rubber pads to curb vibration.
The active right speaker houses all the connections. These include optical digital, analogue stereo RCA and 3.5mm minijack inputs, plus a subwoofer output if you want to boost bass output. The right speaker connects to the passive left using high-quality binding posts on the back of each (a 4m speaker cable is supplied in the box).
Q Acoustics Q-BT3 – Features
The right speaker also houses a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC), a 2 x 50W power amplifier and a Bluetooth 4.0 receiver, which is the obvious highlight. It supports apt-X to deliver better sound quality than bog-standard Bluetooth, and remembers up to eight paired devices so visitors can reconnect easily.
Each speaker uses a 100mm coated paper cone mid/bass driver and a 25mm silk dome tweeter – the sort of full-range array that you don’t normally get inside a soundbar – while the built-in DSP’s high-precision digital filters fine-tune the frequency response curve.