Wireless Connectivity
Each Q Active system includes connectivity for Bluetooth® 4.1, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and UPnP. Q Active is also Roon Ready. The hub comes in two variants, one that works with Amazon Alexa† or one that is compatible with a Google Assistant-enabled device with Chromecast built-in™.
In addition, Q Active is designed to support your favourite streaming service’s native app - which means simple, straightforward access to the entire planet’s music. Q Active works with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal.
Q Active Control Hub
Compatible with a Google Assistant- enabled device with Chromecast built-in or works with Amazon Alexa.
Q Active’s hub is the heart of the system and also supports physical formats and converts them into a high resolutions 24bit/96kHz digital file. The hub then streams this high-resolution audio file to the speakers – so any format you want to listen to can be dealt with wirelessly by your Q Active system. Which means high-quality wireless audio performance no matter the source of your music.
* Alexa enabled available 2021.
Ethernet
Ethernet connectivity provides the option for a robust wired internet connection to Q Active.
Multiroom Audio Integration
Whether you choose Chromecast built-in, Amazon Multiroom Music, Apple AirPlay 2, or Roon to organise your multiroom music system, Q Active can be seamlessly integrated into it.
So, no matter if you want the same song playing all over your home, or different music in different zones, or if you simply want your music to follow you as you move around your home, Q Active can be part of your experience.
Voice Control
If you have an Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, or a Google Assistant-enabled speaker on your home network, it’s easy to control the volume and playback selection of the Q Active system. Simply choose which hub you prefer - the hub that works with Amazon Alexa or the hub that is compatible with Google Assistant-enabled devices with Chromecast built-in. Both versions of the hub can be used with Apple Siri.
With any of these 3 features, you can control your Q Active system with your voice. You can also use the Google Home app or Amazon Alexa app to control your Q Active system.
Your Choice Of Control
In addition to you choice of voice assistant, Q Active can also be controlled using your favorite streaming apps. Or if the TV plugged into the HDMI ARC socket on the control hub is CEC-equipped, use the TV’s remote to control functions like ‘volume’ and ‘standby’. Alternatively use the cabinet mounted volume control features on each Q Active speaker.
Stunning High Resolution Sound
Audio can be described as ‘high resolution’ if it consists of a digital audio format of greater than the CD-standard 16bit/44.1kHz. Q Active can support wireless streaming with a maximum source resolution of 32bit/192kHz, whether from its control hub via a smartphone or tablet.
This means any source plugged into the hub will be converted to an information-rich 24bit/96kHz digital format before it’s streamed to the Q Active speakers, and the top tier of any high-resolution music streaming service will be streamed at this resolution too.
The result of all this painstaking and uncompromized engineering is extraordinary musical accuracy and amazing audio quality. Q Active delivers a sonic performance way beyond its price.
Active Amplification
In a traditional, passive audio system there is one amplifier. It drives two speakers, which will have a total of at least four drivers. In the Q Active system, each driver (there are three in each Q Active 200 speaker and four in each Q Active 400 speaker) is controlled by its own individual, specifically selected amplifier.
Using a total of six (or eight) discrete amplifiers, with a total of 280 (or 440) watts of power to drive the Q Active system means each individual driver receives its own carefully regulated amplification. As a result, Q Active is able to control each driver with accuracy and finesse which in short, means Q Active sounds bigger and more precise than you might think possible.
Dynamic Widescreen Sound
Q Active doesn't look unique simply for the sake of it. Q Acoustics wanted Q Active to deliver a widescreen sound with no compromise in stereo focus or soundstage, and specified Balanced Mode Radiators (BMRs).
BMRs allow Q Active to deliver outstanding sound quality across your entire listening area, rather than restricting it to the ‘sweet spot’ of more traditional driver arrangements. And, in addition to this widescreen presentation, BMRs deliver seamless midrange performance. Because they operate all the way down to 150Hz, where they hand over to Q Actives’ subwoofer driver, there is no midrange crossover distortion and, consequently, completely clean and uncoloured midrange performance.
Offsetting the BMRs in the Q Active cabinet serves a function, too. It allows for a degree of fine-tuning in your listening room, as it’s possible to position the BMRs to the inside or the outside of the cabinets.
Powerful, Controlled Bass
The back of an ordinary loudspeaker isn’t usually worthy of discussion. But, as is surely obvious by now, Q Active is far from an ordinary loudspeaker - and that goes for the rear of its cabinet too.
Q Active 200 features a rear-firing 114mm / (4.5in) subwoofer delivering fast, deep and beautifully organised bass. Q Active 400 features a pair of the subwoofers in order to double down on the low-frequency action.
The subwoofers fire onto a fixed 'Wave guide' boundary to ensure that the bass response of Q Active is always perfectly controlled - no matter where in your room you decide to position the speaker.
Stunning Ground-Up Design
Rather than attempt to fit one of its existing loudspeaker designs with electronics, Q Acoustics has designed Q Active from the ground up with the express intent of delivering an utterly uncompromized high-resolution audio system that looks as good as it sounds.
Unrivalled Acoustic Engineering
Meticulous attention to detail has produced a compact, high-performance system that makes a distinctive visual statement - but every element of Q Active has been engineered to deliver the best performance possible.
As well as the panoramic, widescreen sound delivered by the BMR arrangement and the deep, controlled bass served up by the carefully specified and positioned subwoofers, Q Acoustics has paid painstaking attention to the way the Q Active cabinet contributes to the system’s outstanding sonic performance.
Balance and Rigidity
‘Dart’ bracing is in both the Q Active 200 and Q Active 400 cabinets to provide essential stiffness to the cabinet and equally helpful mechanical stability to the rear-firing subwoofer units.
In Q Active 400, careful positioning of the two subwoofers means standing waves inside the cabinet that might colour the sound are effectively neutralised to give a powerful linear bass response.
Tuned For Your Environment
Unlike most loudspeakers, Q Active is tuned to perform to its maximum potential no matter where in your listening room it’s positioned. And unlike most loudspeakers, Q Active is remarkably forgiving of less-than- ideal placement. Its driver configuration means it’s one of the most flexible, as well as one of the best-sounding, speakers you can buy at any price.
Speaker Arrangement
Q Actives can be positioned with the BMRs either on the inside or the outside of the cabinets, allowing perfect audio reproduction no matter if you're sitting close to the speakers or far away from them. There’s a simple switch on the back of each Q Active speaker to designate it as either the left- or the right-hand channel.
Boundary Setting
A second switch allows you to tell the speaker exactly where it’s positioned in relation to the room - close to a rear wall, in a corner, or out in a little free space. This information allows Q Active to fine-tune its low- frequency response in order to deliver the best possible sound no matter the circumstances.
Two Stunning Finishes
Both Q Active 200 and Q Active 400 are available in a choice of finishes - matte white or matte black. Both finishes are flawlessly applied, both are gently reflective of ambient light, and both will enhance the interior decor vocabulary of any home.
