Напольная акустика — Venture Audio QA-2

The QA-2 is a two-way active floorstanding loudspeaker from Venture Audio, the company founded in 1986 by physicist Njoo Hoo Kong, known as Didi, who holds a master's degree in physics from the University of Frankfurt and worked in cryogenics and superconductor research before turning to loudspeakers. Venture moved into fully active designs with the Quantum 8 in 2016, and the QA models apply the same approach - drivers, amplification and digital signal processing developed together as one unit - to a more compact tower.

Key specs that matter

The QA-2 combines a 2-inch AGC tweeter with two 6.5-inch CFGC mid/bass drivers, all Venture's own designs. Built-in amplification totals 650W, split as 500W for the mid/bass section and 150W for the tweeter. Signal processing runs at 96kHz in a DSP, and Venture quotes distortion of 0.003% and bandwidth up to 25kHz. Each speaker measures 28 x 39 x 104cm and weighs 55kg.

Engineering and use context

In a passive loudspeaker, a network of coils, capacitors and resistors divides the amplifier's output between the drivers after amplification. In an active design like the QA-2, the division happens in the DSP before amplification, and each section has its own amplifier channel. This removes passive components between amplifier and driver, lets each amplifier control only the driver it is connected to, and allows crossover slopes, driver levels and time alignment to be set precisely in software, something difficult to achieve with passive parts. Because the designer knows exactly which amplifier drives which driver, the amplifier can be matched to the driver's needs, which is why the two mid/bass units receive most of the power while the tweeter, which needs far less, gets a smaller share. Using two mid/bass drivers doubles the cone area compared with a single unit, increasing output and bass capability while keeping each cone small enough to integrate cleanly with the tweeter. The tweeter diaphragm is twice the diameter of the usual 1-inch dome, allowing it to cross over lower and handle more power. The cabinet is heavily built for its size, which helps suppress panel resonances that the powerful amplification could otherwise excite. The active design means the QA-2 needs only a source and a volume control.

Pairing

As an active speaker with built-in amplification, the QA-2 connects directly to a preamplifier, a DAC with volume control or a streamer with variable output, removing the need for separate power amplifiers and speaker cables. Each speaker needs its own mains supply.

Alternatives

Venture Audio's own QA-3 is the three-way model of the same active series, adding two 9-inch woofers and 1,150W of amplification.