In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Q Acoustics. Q Acoustics Concept 50 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Concept 30 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Q Acoustics Concept 50 and Q Acoustics Concept 30 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Q Acoustics Concept 50 | Q Acoustics Concept 30 |
|---|
| Brand | Q Acoustics
United Kingdom · founded 2006 | Q Acoustics
United Kingdom · founded 2006 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5" Paper composite | 5" Paper composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 42-30k Hz | 54-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-150 watts | 25-100 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.90kg / 50.4lbs | 7.90kg / 17.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-3/8" x 16-7/16" x 12-9/16"
1025.0 x 418.0 x 319.0mm | 11-3/16" x 7-1/16" x 12-9/16"
284.0 x 180.0 x 319.0mm |
|---|
Concept 50 and Concept 30 are members of Q Acoustics's Concept series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Q Acoustics Concept Series
History
What size room are the Q Acoustics Concept 50 and Q Acoustics Concept 30 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Q Acoustics Concept 50 |
Q Acoustics Concept 30 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Average |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Bad |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Concept 50 and Concept 30 are 2-way speakers.
Q Acoustics Concept 50Q Acoustics Concept 30
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Q Acoustics Concept 50 |
Q Acoustics Concept 30 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5-inch
|
1 x 5-inch
|
Concept 50 features a 1" Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5" Paper composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100Hz. On the other hand, the Concept 30 features a 1" Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5" Paper composite Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2400Hz.
Frequency Response
Concept 50 has a frequency range of 42-30k Hz whereas Concept 30 has a frequency range of 54-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 42Hz, the Concept 50 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Concept 30's min frequency of 54Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Concept 50 and Concept 30 have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Concept 50 sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the Concept 30's is at 87 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Q Acoustics Concept 50 a more sensitive speaker compared to Q Acoustics Concept 30, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Concept 50 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Concept 30 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Concept 50.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Concept 50 and Concept 30 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Concept 50 and Concept 30 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Q Acoustics Concept 50's and Q Acoustics Concept 30's external dimensions. Q Acoustics Concept 50 has external dimensions of 1025.0 x 418.0 x 319.0mm (40-3/8 x 16-7/16 x 12-9/16inch) whereas Q Acoustics Concept 30 has external dimensions of 284.0 x 180.0 x 319.0mm (11-3/16 x 7-1/16 x 12-9/16inch).
Q Acoustics Concept 30 is 238mm narrower and 741mm shorter than Q Acoustics Concept 50 but they have the same thickness of 319.0mm.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Q Acoustics Concept 50 needs about 132% more floor or shelf area. Q Acoustics Concept 50 is 741mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Q Acoustics Concept 50 is approximately 1333.4cm2 / 206.7inch2 and base area of the Q Acoustics Concept 30 is approximately 574.2cm2 / 89.0inch2. The Concept 50 requires 132% more surface area than the Concept 30 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.