Experts prefer Q Acoustics 3020i over Yamaha NS-6490
On 2 Apr 2024 (17 days ago) we went through 80 Speakers expert endorsements .
Currently, Q Acoustics 3020i received 5 endorsements from hifioasis.com (23 Jan 2024), The Master Switch (4 Oct 2023) Gear Patrol (5 Jan 2024) and 2 others. Meanwhile, Yamaha NS-6490 did not receive any endorsements this month.
Rank | Change | Price | Speakers | hifioasis.com | What Hi-Fi | The Master Switch | Rolling Stone | Gear Patrol | T3 | Wirecutter | Pitchfork | ZD Net | SoundGuys |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | - | $359 | Q Acoustics 3020i The Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers offer excellent sound quality, versatility, and a modern design, making them a great option for audiophiles who prioritize accuracy and transparency in their sound system. | 5 | - | 4 | - | 9 | - | 2 | 7 | - | - |
N/A | N/A | $180 | Yamaha NS-6490 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Curious to see this month's entire Bookshelf Speakers ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- On 23 Jan 2024 hifioasis.com ranked Q Acoustics 3020i as #5
Rank Speakers Comment ... ... ... #5 out of 6 Q Acoustics 3020i Ideal Bookshelf Speakers for Vinyl Lovers... ... ... Source: www.hifioasis.com -
On 4 Oct 2023 The Master Switch ranked Q Acoustics 3020i as #4
Rank Speakers Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 17 Q Acoustics 3020i Best Bookshelf Speakers for Vinyl... ... ... Source: www.themasterswitch.com - On 5 Jan 2024 Gear Patrol ranked Q Acoustics 3020i as #9
Rank Speakers ... ... #9 out of 12 Q Acoustics 3020i ... ... Source: www.gearpatrol.com - On 18 Jan 2024 Wirecutter ranked Q Acoustics 3020i as #2
Rank Speakers Comment ... ... ... #2 out of 5 Q Acoustics 3020i A more stylish alternative... ... ... Source: www.nytimes.com - On 19 Nov 2020 Pitchfork ranked Q Acoustics 3020i as #7
Rank Speakers ... ... #7 out of 13 Q Acoustics 3020i ... ... Source: pitchfork.com
Rank | Change | Price | Speakers | hifioasis.com | What Hi-Fi | The Master Switch | Rolling Stone | Gear Patrol | T3 | Wirecutter | Pitchfork | ZD Net | SoundGuys |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | - | $1539 | Kef LS50 The Kef LS50 bookshelf speakers are highly recommended for their exceptional sound quality, versatile frequency response, unique design, and range of connectivity options, making them suitable for a range of music genres and listening environments. | - | 1 | 3 | - | 2 | 7 | - | - | 4 | - |
2 | - | $359 | Q Acoustics 3020i The Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers offer excellent sound quality, versatility, and a modern design, making them a great option for audiophiles who prioritize accuracy and transparency in their sound system. | 5 | - | 4 | - | 9 | - | 2 | 7 | - | - |
3 | - | $700 | Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
4 | - | Check price | Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 The Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition bookshelf speaker delivers excellent sound performance across the frequency range, with punchy and dynamic bass, a wide frequency response, and a purposeful design, making it a great choice for music and home theater use. | - | - | 9 | - | 7 | 5 | - | - | 5 | - |
Show all rows |
Expert reviews [25]
- with a score: 12
- without a score: 13
Highest score by What Hi-Fi | 100 |
Average score based on 25 reviews | 95 |
Lowest score by The Audiophile Man | 80 |
Score distribution:
80-100 | |
60-80 | |
40-60 | |
20-40 | |
0-20 |
- Powerful Hi-fi Speakers Bookshelf Set: Immerse yourself in music with our 3020i bookshelf speakers. The cabinet is 25% bigger than our previous models for larger scale sound and deeper bass. A 0.9" decoupled high frequency driver with wide surround creates a wide even dispersion of stereo image.
- Read more
- These 3 way speakers can be added anywhere in your home component sound system front or rear speakers, even as auxiliary speakers for another room
- Each speaker enclosure has 3 drivers: An 8 woofer/ a 4 midrange/ a 0.75 dome tweeter that work together to provide an 45Hz to 23Khz frequency response range
- Read more
Tweeters produce the highest frequencies in sound, typically anything above 2,000 Hz. Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes (detailed below) and sizes. Generally speaking, the size of the tweeter is not as important as the shape. But, for some guidance, consider that a larger tweeter (measured by diameter in inches or millimeters) will likely be louder and able to disperse sound over a larger area.
Speakers with midrange drivers (i.e., at least three-way speakers) have a distinct advantage over two-way speakers. Adding a midrange driver to the mix allows tweeters and woofers to focus on the sound waves they’re best equipped to produce—high tones and low tones respectively. More specific and focused drivers means more accurate, robust sound. Compared to the other drivers, midranges cover sounds, not surprisingly, in the middle of high/treble and low/bass tones. The human voice and most instruments fall into this range. For more sophisticated listeners, or for those who truly want the best sound reproduction, a midrange driver is crucial.
The woofer is the driver that is responsible for low frequency sounds and bass - crucial for well-rounded, booming sound. It is the biggest driver in size, and is usually shaped like a cone. When reviewing different bookshelf speakers, you will often see a measurement in the product name, starting as low as 4” and ranging to 6 ½” or more. This measurement refers to the diameter of the woofer. A general rule of thumb is a bigger woofer means louder, more powerful bass. But, as with any speaker metric, this number alone doesn’t describe the loudness of the speaker and should be taken into consideration with other measurements such as sensitivity, which describes the loudness of a speaker per watt.
Q Acoustics 3020i are a very popular and one of the more expensive options. They're in the top 3 bestselling speakers and have dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Edifier S1000MKII or Audioengine HD4 .
Q Acoustics 3020i are $189.01 more expensive than average speakers ($259.99).
Yamaha NS-6490 are a very popular and one of the cheaper options. They're in the top 3 bestselling speakers and have dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Ikea Symfonisk or Cerwin-Vega XLS-6 .
Yamaha NS-6490 are $80.31 less expensive than average speakers ($259.99).