There are a number of speakers that are available in the market right now. Some are built with Bluetooth connectivity for easy pairing with smartphones and other gadgets while some are meant for your home theater and act as partners for your TV. Meanwhile, others are built as compact speakers to be set up right beside the computer.
The Q Acoustics BT3, though, aims to be all of them while providing high-fidelity (Hi-Fi) sound for its users. Join us in this quick review as we check out if this bookshelf speaker can justify its asking price through its performance.
Table of Contents
Design and Construction
The Q Acoustics BT3 is a UK-produced speaker and looks very straightforward. There are no unique designs here that will attract extra attention when seen on a living room. It has a really simple form factor with the usual duo of rectangular boxes that house the drivers. One is the active speaker with the main ports and controls (left on photo above) while the other is passive (right) and connects to the main speaker using a standard cable.
The active speaker is where the controls are placed. Here we have the power and volume buttons which are all looking very plain.
Turn them around and you’ll be greeted with the connectivity ports. Again, nothing special here.
We have the optical input that gives access to its Digital to Analogue Converter, Line input to connect CD/DVD/Blu-ray players, a sub out port to accommodate a subwoofer (not included), and a 3.5mm port for wired connectivity to smartphones and other gadgets with an audio jack slot.
Because of its compact form factor, the BT3 can be placed on your computer table in either portrait or landscape orientation, beside your TV, and even mounted on a wall as long as you have the proper bracket (not included) for it.
Upon opening the package, the bundle includes all the necessities to get you started. This includes:
- Pair of BT3 Speakers; 1 x Active & 1 x Passive speaker
- Remote Control
- Remote Control Battery
- 3.5mm Jack to Jack Lead (Aux) (2m)
- RCA to RCA lead (2m)
- Speaker Cable (4m)
- UK AC Mains Cable
- EU AC Mains Cable
- User Manual
Features
Inside, it sports a 2 x 50 Watts per channel amplifier which is responsible for delivering high quality audio. Wireless connectivity is made possible via Bluetooth 4.0 that comes with its own advanced aptX which lessens quality loss when streaming. As we’ve mentioned earlier, there’s also a dedicated Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) on board.
An infrared remote control also comes in handy to control the volume or switch sources.
Sound Performance
Now onto the important part. What the Q-BT3 lacks in appeal, definitely makes up for it in performance.
Sound reproduction for music has that clear and detailed elements that made the inner audiophile in me quite happy. Vocals and mids can easily be separated from the instruments with a warm, full-bodied characteristic. Highs are bright enough but doesn’t easily lose composure, and lows are surprisingly satisfactory — even without a separate subwoofer attached. This is worth noting since it doesn’t have a visible diaphragm to help produce deep lows but it effectively does the job.
We then used it to watch World War Z and played Battlefield 1 and the result is even more enjoyable than listening to music. The sound of zombies and bullets ricocheted from left to right made the experience immersive. Meanwhile, it can go really loud and cranking up the volume also delivered a whole, solid sound with little to no distortion.
Low frequencies and thumps of grunts and explosions also sound natural and realistic. Do keep in mind that we’re impressed that it delivers this kind of lows for a speaker that has no dedicated subwoofer and we’d still prefer watching movies with one to fully replicate that theater feel.
Conclusion
The Q Acoustics BT3, if we’re to describe it in one word, is unassuming. Beneath that plain and glossy form factor is a sound quality that impresses. It’s easy to set up, blends well with other appliances, has wireless connectivity for streaming music from smartphones, and has the option to connect to an additional subwoofer.
With a price tag of Php29,500, we were initially disappointed that at that range, it doesn’t even include a subwoofer. But experiencing its high quality performance made us realize that all the tech magic is concentrated to make it deliver Hi-Fi audio that’s easily compatible for music, movie, and gaming use.
The BT3 is available at A.Refinery stores nationwide:
- A.Refinery UPTC, 2nd flr, Phase 1B, UP Town Center, Katipunan
- A.Refinery Cebu, Lvl 3, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City
- A.Refinery Davao, Lvl 2, Ayala Abreeza Mall, JP Laurel Ave, Davao City
Q Acoustics BT3 specs and features:
2 x 50 Watts Hi-Fi speaker
Bass unit: 100mm
Treble unit: 25mm
Digital optica (Toslink)
Analogue RCA phono sockets
Speaker terminals
Bluetooth 4.0 with advanced aptX
Low distortion Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC)
Shelf, stand or table mount in portrait or landscape
148 x 240 x 226mm
What we liked about it:
- Unassuming physique
- Bluetooth support
- Delivers high quality audio
- Impressive highs and mids
- Lows are satisfactory without subwoofer
- Option for subwoofer
What we didn’t like:
- It doesn’t look as expensive as it actually is
Very expensive for a small pair of speakers. Better get a 5.1 channel Samsung or Sony or Pioneer mini component or tower speakers. mas mura pa and no 2 channel speaker system can beat a 5.1 channel speaker system.