Review: Q Acoustics 5020 Speakers

British audio brand Q Acoustics has been on fire lately in the affordable audiophile scene, with options like the M20 HD Bluetooth speakers (8/10, WIRED Recommends) gaining widespread acclaim. The company’s new 5020 speakers have risen as new contenders in the crowded midrange bookshelf space, but they may end up being some of the more polarizing speakers to come out this year.

There’s no doubt the 5020 sound impressive, with a rushing burst of clarity, articulate stereo imaging, and a penchant for superb detail. The caveat is that in order to carve out all that definition, the speakers tend to accentuate the treble and upper midrange. This can make some content sound lighter and sometimes sharper than usual, especially notable in shouty dialog and select high-register instruments and effects.

There’s still a lot of good stuff going on here, but if you’re looking for your next pair of everything speakers, you’ll want to read on before pulling the trigger.

Photograph: Crutchfield

Pulling the 5020 from their packaging reveals a sneakily gorgeous design. Deep wood veneer cabinets bend around the edges in Q Acoustics’ familiar design, while the glossy front faces meld with my black TV console and overall listening room decor as well or better than any speakers I’ve auditioned. Along with the satin black version I received, the speakers also come in white, rosewood, and oak finishes. A magnetic grille is included for further minimalist styling.

At the back of each speaker, you’ll find simple terminals ready to accept banana plug wiring, with bass ports and bungs for dampening (these should not be necessary for most rooms). Inside, Q Acoustics says the cabinets use Point-2-Point internal bracing, designed to stiffen the cabinet for minimal vibrations and a more focused stereo image.

A hermetically sealed 1-inch tweeter is matched by a 5-inch midrange woofer below. It’s the larger driver that’s the pride and joy of Q Acoustics’ new lineup. Using what the company calls a C3 (pronounced “C-cubed”) Continuous Curved Cone design, the woofer is aimed at offering the hefty bass response of a traditional cone with the upper register prowess of a flared cone.

Whether that really translates, I’m not so sure. The speakers offer serious high-register clarity, and even some good foundational punch in the lower bass, especially for hip-hop grooves. However, the mid and upper bass in my listening sessions was about as light as you’d expect in a woofer this size, if not lighter. If you’re looking for a lot of low-end push, you’ll probably want to add a subwoofer or opt for something with a larger cone, like Focal’s new Vestia No1.

There’s no arguing against the 5020’s breathtaking clarity, which can lead to some fun and revealing moments in your listening sessions. I paired the speakers with my Naim Uniti Atom network amplifier, which is also known for impressively fluid and clear sound, and the two together dissected my music with a surgeon’s precision.

One of the 5020s’ best features is their soundstage, which is not only relatively expansive but also starkly defined. The tweeters are pretty directional, so it took a minute to get things dialed in to the proper position. Once done, the speakers reproduced a razor-sharp center image and diamond-cut instrumental separation across a sprawling soundstage.

Photograph: Crutchfield

This can make instruments sound a bit less cohesive than with some speakers, but it also allows for incredible intimacy and detail. Paul McCartney’s vocal in “Eleanor Rigby” seems to float before your eyes, broken down and bared for all to hear his solemn performance, especially fitting for the lonely lives of Eleanor and Father McKenzie.

Along with their fantastic definition, the speakers quickly revealed a light touch to the upper midrange and treble, which seemed to sort of rewrite some of my favorite tracks. You can think of it like a TV’s color temperature setting; instead of the softer Warm temperature setting, the 5020 speakers lean more toward the Standard or even Cool color tones.

On the bright side (no pun intended), details flood to the surface. The EQ sweeps in Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place” are astonishingly refined, to the point where I felt like I could use it as a guide to turning the knobs on one of Johnny Greenwood’s Frankenstein synthesizers.

I found myself rediscovering parts of songs I’ve heard dozens of times, with an all-new twinkle to each part that makes up the whole. Strings are offered with textural crunch and silvery fluidity, while guitars spring forth with extra jangle. The collage of effects in Depeche Mode’s “World in My Eyes” has rarely been more pronounced or accessible, as if being drawn in front of me in three dimensions.

The flip side of all that extra presence up top is that, on occasion, some instruments seemed to pop out of the mix too far and hit my ears with a tight punch. Beck’s “Bottle of Blues” was more spindly and skeletal than usual. Frank’s big-band horns in “Fly Me to the Moon” punched with more spritely flare. Going back to Radiohead, the frantic strings that normally dominate the sonic flavors in “Burn the Witch” were outdone by a metallic ring in the percussion.

Photograph: Crutchfield

That upper register zing that sometimes called attention to itself as I burned through a wide array of compressed and high-definition music popped out all the more readily when I turned my attention to TV and movies.

There were plenty of lovely moments as I went through my favorite demo scenes. In Skyfall, the speakers offered a fine showcase for the soundtrack’s metallic percussion and punchy explosions, such as the destruction of MI6 headquarters, where the sub-bass boomed with good authority. The 5020’s firm center image brought out the brilliantly nuanced dialog with effortless clarity as well.

But when things got more clickety with a barrage of gunshots, the speakers sometimes leaned toward shouty. From Ant-Man to Netflix’s Cunk on Earth, everything feels a little lighter and more forward in the 5020. It was most notable, for some reason, in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Both Midge Maisel’s voice and that of her stalwart manager, Susie Myerson, seemed to edge toward sibilance when they got animated—and they get animated a lot.

There are a few factors to consider here, apart from my own sensitivities. For one thing, like the M20, the 5020 will likely warm up in a near-field situation—that is, set directly in front of you on a desk or stands. Pairing the speakers with a smoother and warmer amp or receiver, like a tube amp, could also make a better complement for their sound than the Uniti Atom.

The 5020 do some great things, and I was even enraptured by their talents at times. Their lighter touch grew on me, as can often happen as your ears and the speakers get to know each other. But I probably wouldn’t choose these as my primary workhorse speakers, especially at $900.

A good alternative could be the Polk Legend LS100. At just $100 more, they offer a mellower but still notably clear and full sound. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, Focal’s Vestia No. 1 offer superlative detail and a smooth delivery at $1,200. You can even get into powered options at this price, like the brilliantly balanced SVS Prime Wireless that connect to your TV and other gear without the need for a separate amplifier. You won’t get the same level of ultra-clarity as the 5020, but I love their warm, dynamic sound.

Sound is always subjective. If you dig a brighter, more taut upper register, the 5020 leverage that for incredibly expressive details, great stereo imaging, and exceptional clarity. But if you like a more laid-back sound, you’ll want to try before you buy.