Q Acoustics is known for manufacturing the most advanced speakers at a reasonable price. A few of the Q Acoustics speakers have given tough competition to popular brands. One of these speakers is the Q Acoustics 3030i. It is super popular and has been reviewed a lot as well. However, the reviews we usually read hardly contain the weaknesses of the product. I have tried and tested the speakers and here are my thoughts.
Before jumping into details, I would like to give a spoiler alert that the first impression of these speakers was pretty good. I mean it. The package arrived as expected, the box was not too heavy but not too light.
Q Acoustics 3030i Review
Fast forward to inboxing, as soon as I opened the box there was a user manual placed on the top of the top protective foam cover. Since I was very excited to try the speakers I ignored the user manual and took out the speaker holding from the front.
I was very happy because the speakers looked finer than I expected.
What’s important to mention here is you should never hold the speaker from the front. Whether you are shifting it to some other place or taking it out of the package. If you do the opposite, you can mistakenly poke the tweeter.
I had no clue at the time of opening the package and did not give the user manual a read either.
I would suggest you always read the user manual before unpacking and using the speakers. Thankfully, my speakers are fine but have never made the same mistake ever since I got to know about it.
Appearance
I do not have much to say about the appearance as the speakers have a classic design.
The speakers have a matt finish and well-rounded edges which not only look good but also make the speaker safe to carry around. What I love the most about these speakers are their prominent binding ports.
The binding ports are usually clearly visible on every speaker, however, I found these more prominent than most speakers I already owned.
It comes in a few colors. Since black is my favorite color and it goes with the theme of my house as well, I purchased the speakers in black color. They blended well into my living room environment.
Sound quality
Like a few best bookshelf speakers, they do take some time to settle. I was not very happy with the sound quality in the few initial hours and did not even realize that the speaker had yet to give its best performance.
During the settling period, the sound way too coalesced, the bass disjointed, and the top end brighter than I needed. Once the speakers settled, the sound became clearer and purer.
I began to enjoy music more and even started understanding what instruments are being used. The bass issue is also now resolved. After listening to all kinds of music, I concluded that the speakers perform best for bass-heavy material.
If you are a fan of such music, trust me this is a pretty good option for you.
Connectivity
Unfortunately, the speakers do not support Bluetooth Technology. If only they supported Bluetooth, the speaker would have scored 10/10. So, if you are planning to purchase these speakers, know that the devices have to be connected via wires.
Establishing a connection via wire is not that hard at all. All you have to do is plug one end of the cable into the speaker and the other into the device and you are done.
Compatibility
This might disappoint a few of my readers that the speakers are only compatible with computers. I can not “really” tell whether they work with other devices or not as I take the manufacturer’s instructions very seriously.
At the moment, my need is limited to computers. So, I’m fine with the Q Acoustics 3030i Bookshelf Speakers. If ever in the future I needed to connect speakers to some other device, I would happily find some other Q acoustics speakers and fulfill my need.
Mounting type
You will be surprised to know that these speakers are versatile enough that you can place them on a table or make a floor-standing speaker. Right now, there is plenty of space on my table.
I have been keeping them on it. However, I’m planning to try placing them on the stand as well. The manufacturer suggested using the floor stand as it reduces vibration to a great extent.
The speakers can be placed or stored on the shelf as well. When there is no need, I often store the speakers on the shelf.
Price
The Q Acoustics 3030i bookshelf speaker is a budget-friendly option. It is being offered at $549. However, around the days when everything goes on sale, it gets even more economical.
Cian has 7 years of experience in the musical instruments industry. His press and research articles are published in many well-known journals. Cian is part of our product testing team so he knows the criteria for the best products. Here at sound keen cian covers how to set up instruments and selection criteria for new products.