Полочная акустика — Q-Acoustics M20

The M20, introduced as the M20 HD wireless music system, is an active stereo pair of two-way bookshelf speakers from the British company Q Acoustics. It went on sale in Europe in August 2021 at EUR 499 and in the US in September 2021 at USD 599. One speaker holds the amplification and electronics, and the second is a passive unit linked to it with the supplied 4 m speaker cable. It first came in matte black only, and in February 2022 Q Acoustics added matte white and a walnut veneer version to the range. Matching speaker stands were offered as an optional extra.

Key specs that matter

The M20 uses in each box a 125 mm mid/bass driver and a 22 mm tweeter, crossed over at 2.4 kHz, and Q Acoustics rates the response at 55 Hz to 22 kHz. Class D amplifiers deliver a continuous 2 x 32 W, while 2 x 65 W is the quoted peak output, and onboard DSP handles signal processing. Each speaker measures 279 mm high, 170 mm wide and 296 mm deep. The powered speaker weighs 5.5 kg and the passive one 5.1 kg.

Engineering and use context

Both enclosures are two-way reflex designs with a rear-firing port, and proprietary Point to Point bracing stiffens the cabinet walls from inside. The tweeter is decoupled to limit the transfer of internal vibration. Bluetooth 5.0 lists SBC, AAC, plain aptX, aptX HD and the aptX Low Latency variant, handling wireless audio up to 24-bit/48 kHz. Wired sources can use a USB input or an optical Toslink input, each accepting up to 24-bit/192 kHz, along with a stereo RCA line input and a 3.5 mm mini-jack line input. An extra powered bass unit can be run from the dedicated subwoofer socket. The power supply is universal, covering 100 to 240 V at 50 to 60 Hz. Q Acoustics presented the system for music, films and gaming in any room of the home.

Pairing

With the amplification built in, the M20 needs no separate amplifier, and sources connect straight to the powered speaker. A computer can use the USB connection, a television can be linked through the optical input, and handheld devices can connect wirelessly, with aptX Low Latency listed among the codecs. Line-level analogue sources go to the RCA or mini-jack inputs. The box also contains a remote control with batteries, foam bungs, power cords for UK and EU sockets and a user manual.

Alternatives

The Q Acoustics 3030i is a passive bookshelf model from the 3000i range that pairs a 165 mm bass/midrange driver with a decoupled tweeter and needs an external amplifier.