Floorstanding loudspeakers — Acora Acoustics QRC-1

Polished quartz instead of black granite is what separates the QRC-1 from the SRC-1, and it is the single-woofer tower in the quartz range that Acora Acoustics of Scarborough, Ontario added around 2023. Quartz brought light colours to a catalogue that had been black stone only, and it lowered the entry price for a stone-cabinet floorstander from the brand. The QRC-1 is listed at USD 28,000 or CAD 37,000 per pair and sits under the twin-woofer QRC-2.

Key specs that matter

A ported two-way layout combines a 1 inch soft dome ring radiator tweeter with one 7 inch sandwich paper cone mid-woofer. Acora rates the frequency response at 29 Hz to 30 kHz, nominal impedance at 8 ohm and efficiency at 90.5 dB for 1 W at 1 m, with amplifier power from 10 W up to 250 W. Each cabinet measures 45.7 cm wide, 35.6 cm deep and 109.2 cm tall and weighs about 73.5 kg, and Acora notes that this number changes a little from slab to slab. Apart from the stone, the QRC-1 follows the driver complement and cabinet geometry of the granite SRC-1. The walls are 3 cm high-polish quartz, offered as standard in Nardo and Thasos colours, with custom finishes on request.

Engineering and use context

Acora's case for stone is that a dense, rigid and inert panel takes up almost none of the energy the drivers push into it, and because every slab differs, no two cabinets look alike. No resistor sits between the crossover and the tweeter, and the network is laid out for phase alignment between the two drivers and for mechanical isolation of the circuit. For its upper lines the company buys drivers from Scan-Speak and takes them apart for modification in Toronto before fitting, and internal wiring is Cardas copper. Founder Valerio Cora comes from a family firm that was the first in North America to restore stone on both new and historic buildings.

Pairing

With its higher nominal impedance and single woofer, the QRC-1 is the easier of the two quartz towers to drive, since its twin-woofer sibling has a lower impedance. A modest valve amplifier near the bottom of the rated window is within specification, while larger solid-state designs have plenty in reserve. Owners who want a lighter-coloured cabinet can choose the matte white Thasos or the mid-grey Nardo stone to match the rest of the system.

Alternatives

The Acora QRC-2 keeps the same quartz cabinet but uses two woofers and a beryllium tweeter in a 2.5-way layout rated at 4 ohm and 92.5 dB.