Q Acoustics 5040 Floorstanding Speaker
The Q Acoustics 5040 Floorstanding Speaker is a notably compact floorstander with a modest footprint – which means it’s ideal for those environments where space is at a premium, but the desire for full-scale audio excitement (as well as visual gratification) is strong.
Key Features of the Q Acoustics 5040 Floorstanding Speaker
- C3 Continuous Curved ConeTM design in the mid/bass driver ensures smoother high-frequency integration with the tweeter and superior bass dynamics.
- Sophisticated, clean and contemporary design with dark acrylic baffle motif mirrors the minimalist C3 Continuous Curved ConeTM profile.
- Arrives in four stylish finishes: Satin Black, Satin White, Santos Rosewood and Holme Oak.
- With a design taken from the Concept series but in a new housing, the high-frequency driver is fully hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated from the front baffle to protect from internal cabinet pressure and resonances from the mid/bass driver.
- Ground-up mid/bass driver design delivers increased power handling.
- Point-2-PointTM (P2P) internal bracing stiffens the cabinet to minimise low-frequency vibrations, while focusing stereo imaging and improving the soundstage.
- Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers (HPETM) reduce internal pressure and standing waves
Ahead of the curve
The new 5000 series from Q Acoustics is a range of stereo and home cinema loudspeakers that will recalibrate your perceptions of how a speaker can look and sound. By embodying genuine and significant advancement in driver design, the game-changing C3 Continuous Curved Cone™ mid/bass driver elevates the 5000 series beyond any nominal rival. By incorporating the innovative cabinet technology first deployed in the company’s flagship Concept range, the 5000 series is as uncompromised on the inside as it is sophisticated and contemporary on the outside
Sophisticated and contemporary design
The reductive nature of the C3 Continuous Curved Cone’s™ appearance is also reflected in the 5000 series minimalist design, with its sophisticated but contemporary lines leaning towards the elegant form of the latest Concept speaker series. The baffle fronts are laminated with a layer of butyl rubber and black acrylic trim, not only to provide a damping layer to suppress vibration occurring in the baffle, but to offer an eye-catching counterpoint to the cosmetically clean front presentation, uninterrupted by any fixings.
Mid/bass driver design
At the heart of the ground-up mid/bass driver design is the C3 Continuous Curved Cone™. The cone’s geometry requires good motor strength for optimal performance. Substantial magnets are coupled to large voice coils to increase motor strength – the result is a 50% increase in power handling and control over a comparable driver with 25.4 mm voice coil. The result is an improvement in the speaker’s dynamic range, especially in the bass region.
High-frequency driver design
Based on the tweeter design principle found in the newest Concept series, the high-frequency driver unit is hermetically sealed and mechanically isolated (floating) from the baffle to prevent internal pressure modulation from the cabinet and the adjacent mid/bass driver. The inner chamber is also carefully vented to reduce distortion, with a lower crossover point for seamless integration across the crossover region.
C3 Continuous Curved Cone™
A genuine advancement in mid/bass driver design, the C3 Continuous Curved Cone™ profile is the result of extensive research and expert engineering, combining the bass performance benefits of a traditional straight conic cone with the high/mid-range frequency control of a flared cone.
By creating a single, smooth, continuous curve profile, the advantages are clear. Its excellent dispersion, alongside its well-controlled frequency response and reduced harmonic distortion, enables smoother integration with the tweeter. Deep bass dynamics are also superior, with this and a tighter, damped low-end sound allowing greater flexibility in placing speakers near the listening room’s wall boundaries.
P2P™ (Point to Point) bracing
Q Acoustics P2P™ (Point to Point) bracing used throughout the 5000 series stiffens the parts of the enclosure that need it, making the new enclosures exceptionally rigid, improving the focus of the stereo image, and giving the soundstage greater accuracy than ever before.
HPE™ (Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser)
HPE™ (Helmholtz Pressure Equaliser) technology, designed to convert pressure to velocity and reduce the overall pressure gradient within the speaker enclosure, has been applied to the 5050 floorstanding speakers only to reduce cabinet resonance. This technology is perfect for taller loudspeakers that tend to resonate at a single favoured frequency.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Bass unit 2 x 125 mm (5.0 in)
- Treble unit 1 x 25 mm (1.0 in)
- Frequency response(-6dB)39 Hz – 30 kHz
- Nominal impedance 6 Ω
- Minimum impedance3.0 Ω
- Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1kHz)91.5 dB/w/m
- Recommended amplifier power: 25-150 W
- Crossover frequency2.5 kHzz
- Effective volume27 L
- Dimensions (per loudspeaker / HxWxD)Inc spikes and stabiliser: 967 x 361 x 293 mm (38.1 x 14.2 x 11.5 in)
- Weight (per loudspeaker)18.0 kg (39.7 lbs)
Awards & Reviews
“Combining a very attractive design with excellent sound quality at an MSRP of $1500, the Q Acoustics 5040 speakers just deliver and are an easy recommendation for a floor-standing loudspeaker at this price point.”
October 2023
“The Q Acoustics 5040 are even-handed performers that simply step out of the way of the music and let it shine…wonderfully expressive and insightful performance that’s class-leading at this level.”
What Hi-Fi? Awards 2023, Best Floorstanding Speaker £500 – £1,500
September 2023
“The 5040s elevate themselves above the competition…I think this is a speaker that will appeal to everyone…May be the best floorstanding speaker I’ve heard.”
August 2023
“The Q Acoustics 5040 are even-handed performers that simply step out of the way of the music and let it shine…wonderfully expressive and insightful performance that’s class-leading at this level.”
July 2023
“Detailed and dynamically impressive, the 5040 faithfully reproduces recordings with precise tonal accuracy and fine spatial definition within the soundstage…The 5040 is never less than fun to listen to.”
StereoNET, Applause Award
July 2023
“If you’re looking to spend around a £1,000 and are in the market for some classy and comparatively compact floorstanders, put the 5040s at the top of your shortlist. You will be hard pressed to find something more musically rewarding.”
April 2023
“Q Acoustics has done an absolutely fantastic job at bringing the 5040 to market for $1500 a pair. Honestly how do you even do that?”
April 2023
“Their accuracy and clarity, with a smooth and detailed midrange and well-defined bass response make them one of our top choices between $1,000 and $2,000 in the floorstanding loudspeaker category…The competition should be nervous…. If the budget allows — consider these a must audition in 2023.”
Ankit Veer Bhat –
The sound feels very open and lively and I’m able to discern every instrument. I appreciate the construction quality. I also appreciate that I can play this loud enough to fill my room and it won’t sound strained. I like how the balance and smoothness of the sound stays consistent regardless of how high I set the volume.
Surya B –
The recent addition of Q Acoustics 5040 Floorstanding Speakers transformed my entire listening setup. Every nuance, every detail, every high extreme, and every low frequency is present while enjoying movies and music, and even the overall experience is incredibly improved. They sound wonderful, look wonderful, and the tall design is very flattering, as is the beautiful blend of drivers for a smooth and natural listening experience. My amp also drives them effortlessly, and overall these speakers are a fantastic upgrade.