Set-up and installation

Although we are dealing with a budget speaker here, it is important to set it up properly. Because of their depth you have to make sure they are perfectly placed to get a spacious and tight stereo image. We put them far enough away from the walls so they can breathe freely. Depending on the space you can play a bit with them but placing them very close to the wall is not an option. In the end they are about three meters apart with 80 cm from the walls. Toe in is a matter of taste (and acoustics).

The Q Acoustics 3030i ends up in our second system:

Keces E40
Denafrips Ares II
Nad M50 (ROON and BluOS)
Norstone Stylum 2
IsoAcoustics Aperta
Wiring: Qed XT40, Supra Sword, Dion Audio Di75

The sound of the Q Acoustics 3030i

Where we thought the 3050i was just a bit too laidback for our taste, this 3030i is just a bit faster and a little bit more punchy to keep us on our toes. There is tranquillity and control but also enough detail to keep on listening. Because of that bigger mid-bass driver you get a certain feeling of scale and weight. The music really feels complete and we get a real feeling of heft. No, you don’t get the punch of a seperate subwoofer, but there is enough bass and low-energy to not really miss that sub. There is a pleasant tonality so you can relax as a listener. You sit back and enjoy the music as a whole.

The Q Acoustics 3030i is a very friendly sounding speaker, and therefore easy to recommend. This monitor can handle different genres and never comes across as analytical or sharp. Or you have to do very strange things in setting up your system.

The music – with the right amplification – will sound loose. Holographic it is not. Let’s explain what we mean: the stereo image is spacious in width and height, but there is not really any depth. And in this price range we think that’s not very realistic either.