Q Acoustics Q Active 200

from £1500 / qacoustics.co.uk

Inspired by the Skylon… or maybe, slightly less charmingly, The Tripods

How peculiarly attractive… like Benedict Cumberbatch or Serge Gainsbourg or something.

If you say so, but yes, the first ever active speakers from British brand Q Acoustics are definitely quirky and we like them – especially perched on those geometric wire stands that, Q says, are inspired by the 1951 Festival of Britain’s Skylon structure. Only shame is they’re an additional £349 per pair.

The Festival of Britain? Is this a Nigel Farage thing? In fact, what are festivals?

Feels like forever since our ears were bleeding next to a main stage sound system, doesn’t it? Still, at least you can save the money you would have spent on tickets and wet wipes and get some proper speakers for your home. The Q Active 200 (out November) and floorstanding Q Active 400 (out January) claim to offer a ‘dynamic widescreen sound’, meaning you’ll always be in the sweet spot.

So better than a festival sound system, then?

In a way. And because they’re active all the important bits are self-contained, so there’s no need to worry about heaps of cabling or bulky external amps, let alone gruff Glaswegian security guards.

Are they loud? I lost most of my hearing listening to DJ Jeff Mills in a techno tent.

They should be, with each speaker housing two 2.25in BMR drive units, a rear-firing 4.5in sub and six discrete amplifiers with a total power output of 280W. The Active 400 packs the same main drivers as the Active 200, but adds a second sub and two more amps for 440W per unit.

Are they as smart as they look?

They can be configured with Google Chromecast built-in or Works With Alexa, plus there’s Siri and Google Assistant; they’ll connect with Bluetooth, Airplay 2, Roon and Spotify Connect plus all the big streaming services; NAS drive support is included, as is HDMI ARC or optical input for your TV; and they’re good for hi-res audio. So… well, yes, they are.

A ‘DYNAMIC WIDESCREEN SOUND’ MEANS YOU’LL ALWAYS BE IN THE SWEET SPOT