Q Acoustics 3030i

Q Acoustics is a young and much-awarded British brand, and the 3000i series is the one that made its name at the budget end. The 3030i is the largest bookshelf model of the range: against the smaller 3020i it doubles the cabinet's internal volume and fits a larger woofer, inheriting the tweeter and mid/bass from the 3050i floorstander.

In our bookshelf-speaker ranking it sits third, behind the Triangle and the Wharfedale. But the order measures return with an entry amp, not pure quality.

The 16.5 cm woofer has an impregnated, coated paper cone with a new motor, taken from the 3050i; the tweeter is a 22 mm dome decoupled from the cabinet with P2P (Point to Point) technology, the same bracing as the far dearer Concept speakers. The cabinet is deeper and more capacious than the class average — over twelve litres.

The build is from a class above the price: careful finishes, alloy trims around the drivers, a magnetically fixed grille. The port is rear-firing, with foam bungs included to tame the bass in small rooms. It is a speaker that looks good.

The sound character on this page does not come from our own listening: we report it from published reviews, with the name of the person who wrote them.

What Hi-Fi? (June 2020 review) describes a cohesive sound with a smooth, easy-going balance, beefier than the smaller 3000i models. The bass is full but kept under control, detail comes through without being forced, there is rhythm, and the speakers stay composed even at high volume. The limits: they are less lively than the Dali Oberon 1 and the B&W 607, a touch subdued. They are also deep, and with the rear port they need about 40 cm from the wall. The same publication notes that they have since been replaced by the 3000c series.

Trusted Reviews (September 2020 review) hears them as slightly warm of neutral, with crisp treble that never turns harsh, a very detailed midrange and deep, solid bass for the class, all with an easy sense of rhythm. The limits: they are big and deep, and less lively than the B&W 607.

On vinyl, the reviews describe a speaker that is detailed without forcing it, with full but controlled bass (What Hi-Fi?) and a very detailed midrange (Trusted Reviews).

It needs space: it is big and deep, as both reviews note, and for the rear port What Hi-Fi? advises about 40 cm from the wall. For small rooms there are the included foam bungs, which tame the bass.

Here is why the 3030i is third. The ranking measures return per euro with a 30-50 watt entry amp, and on that yardstick the 3030i pays for two things: it is 6 ohms — the toughest load alongside the Dali — and it costs more than the Triangle and the Wharfedale. It wants a competent integrated, of 30-50 watts.

Put differently: the Triangle (first) is more sensitive and easier to drive, the Wharfedale (second) cheaper. The 3030i asks more of the amp and the room. In the reviews, What Hi-Fi? and Trusted Reviews find it less lively than the B&W 607. Against the Dali (fourth) it is a touch more sensitive (88 versus 87 dB) and less expensive, but the Dali has a more refined build.

The practical advice is single: give it an amp with a little reserve. A 30-50 watt integrated from our ranking — a Rega io, a Cambridge AXA35 — drives it well; below that, an easier speaker is the better choice. With a source and cartridge that are already serious, as in the idea of our £800 system, is where it comes into its own.

A note on availability: outside Italy and the United States (where it is found used via eBay), in the UK the 3030i goes mainly through specialist hi-fi dealers, not the generalist channels — that is how hi-fi at this level is sold, and it is also a late-cycle model, replaced by the new 3000c series, as What Hi-Fi? notes. It is not a fault of the product.