Q Acoustics 2050i review

Best floorstander up to £600, Awards 2014. Great value for money, with excellent refinement and great dynamic ability Tested at £420

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Best floorstander up to £600, Awards 2014. Great value for money, these are well worth a listen for the quality they deliver

Pros

  • +

    Excellent refinement and clarity

  • +

    great dynamic ability

  • +

    well built

Cons

  • -

    Some might find the presentation a touch polite

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Q Acoustics hasn’t shied away from regularly updating its speaker systems.

The 2010 and 2020 standmounters have already received the ‘i’ upgrade, and now it’s the turn for the 2050 floorstanders.

MORE: Awards 2014 - Best stereo speakers

Design

The 2050is have a new 25mm dome tweeter and twin 16.5cm mid/bass drivers with carbon-fibre and ceramic-coated paper instead of the previous paper/mica mix.

There’s also a revised crossover to accommodate these upgrades, and the tweeter has been de-coupled from the front baffle to reduce vibrations affecting sound.

Performance

They’re well built, too, with integral steel plinths and internal bracing that keep them sturdy. The metal floor-spikes are easy to adjust and the speaker inputs are hidden away at the base – a nice touch.

Available in standard black graphite and walnut vinyl finishes at the quoted price; for £550 you also can get them in piano gloss white and black.

The 2050is’ many updates make for a highly detailed and dynamic listen. Put on John Lee Hooker’s Baby Lee, and you’ll be rewarded with remarkably clear, engaging vocals and taut, agile string-pluckage.

These speakers are also capable of filling a large room thanks to their power and stereo imaging – just spin John William’s Jaws OST if you want a demonstration. We’d recommend a thorough running-in, though.

The emphasis on refinement is excellent, although some folk might find that the 2050ishave a gentle and polite touch to songs that demand more of an edge.

Verdict

These 2050is are an enjoyable pair of speakers and, at this price, are a bargain.

MORE: Awards 2014 - all the winners

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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