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, Google “Chromecast built-in” or Amazon “Works with Alexa” enabled.

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

*Available as a ‘Chromecast Built-In’ OR ‘Works with Alexa’ hub*.

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.

Ethernet

Ethernet connectivity provides a robust wired internet connection to Q Active.

TV Sound

HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) input on the hub - so any TV with a corresponding output can send audio information to the hub without affecting its picture performance. Want your TV sound to be part of your wireless audio system? With Q Active, it can be.

Digital Optical

Disc-players - no matter if it’s a CD player, a DVD player or a Blu-ray player will have a digital optical output. Almost every games console has one too. So there’s nothing to stop you getting any of these sources involved in your wireless high-resolution audio system as well.

Line Level

Use the stereo RCA analogue inputs at line level and plug in a cassette deck, a mixer or anything else with an analogue line-level output into the hub. From there it is transferred wirelessly to the speakers, where it is delivered as great-sounding high-resolution audio by the Q Active speakers.

Turntable

The stereo RCA analogue inputs on the hub can be selected for use with a moving-magnet phono stage. So plugging in your record player means all of that lush vinyl sound can be transformed into a digital signal and streamed wirelessly to the Q Active speakers.

Sub Out

The Q Active system delivers plenty of deep, detailed bass. However the hub does offer a subwoofer pre-out for hooking up an additional stand-alone subwoofer.

Multiroom Audio Integration

Whether you choose Google “Chromecast built-in”, Amazon “Works with Alexa” Multiroom Music, Apple Airplay2 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 Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Apple Siri smart speakers on your home network, it’s easy to control the volume and playback selection of the Q Active system. Simply choose which of the formats you prefer.

The control hub is available in a choice of either Google ‘Chromecast Built-In’ or Amazon “Works with Alexa’ – both can be used with Apple Siri, and then use these mic-equipped smart devices on your network to control your Q Active system. You can also use the Google Home, Alexa app on your mobile to control the Q Active system.

Your Choice Of Control

As well as your choice of Google “Chromecast built-in”, Amazon “Works with Alexa” or Apple Siri voice control, Q Active can also be controlled using the app of your favourite streaming service. 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 uncompromised 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) is controlled by its own individual, specifically selected amplifier.

Using a total of six discrete amplifiers, with a total of 280 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.

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 uncompromised 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 the Q Active 200 cabinet to provide essential stiffness to the cabinet and equally helpful mechanical stability to the rear-firing subwoofer units.

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.