Q Acoustics Concept 500 Floorstanding Speakers Gloss Black & Rosewood (Pair)

The Concept 500 sits at the top of Q Acoustics' Concept Series, a floorstanding loudspeaker designed to bring the company's cabinet-engineering approach to high-end two-channel systems. Below it in the range are the Concept 50 floorstander and the Concept 300 and Concept 30 standmount models; the Concept 500 represents a significant step up in both driver complement and cabinet construction, targeting dedicated listening rooms where amplification quality and low-distortion playback are the priority.

Dual Gelcore™ Cabinet Construction

The Concept 500 cabinet is built from three separate layers of MDF with the gaps between them filled under pressure with a compliant, non-setting gel. This Dual Gelcore™ construction creates two constrained damping layers that convert higher-frequency cabinet vibrations into heat, which is then dissipated harmlessly within the gel. The result is a measurably quieter enclosure across the mid-band frequency range from 500 Hz to 2 kHz, reducing the unwanted sound energy that conventional single-wall cabinets radiate and which can affect the perception of musical timbre and contribute to listener fatigue.

P2P™ Bracing and Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers

Complementing the Gelcore damping is a Point-to-Point (P2P™) bracing system that stiffens the specific areas of the cabinet most susceptible to low-frequency panel vibrations. Tall loudspeaker enclosures are also prone to internal standing-wave resonances caused by pressure gradients along their height; the Concept 500 addresses this with Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers (HPE™), specially dimensioned tubes that balance out these pressure irregularities and reduce distortion at the listening position.

Driver Complement

The Concept 500 uses two 165 mm mid/bass drivers with 35 mm diameter voice coils. The oversize voice coil provides increased motor force and higher power handling while reducing compression at elevated listening levels. The high-frequency unit is a 28 mm tweeter housed in a hermetically sealed and mechanically decoupled enclosure, isolating it from the cabinet structure so that reciprocal vibrations between the driver and the enclosure are minimised. Crossover is handled by a 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley network at 2.5 kHz, chosen for its excellent on-axis and off-axis response characteristics.

Connectivity

The rear panel carries bi-wire terminals that accept bare wire, spade connectors, or 4 mm banana plugs. A pair of jumper links is supplied for single-wire operation. The high-frequency section includes a ±0.5 dB adjustment to allow fine-tuning of treble output to suit room acoustics and personal preference.

Finishes

The Concept 500 is available in three dual-finish combinations, each pairing a lacquered cabinet with an Italian wood veneer on the side panels: Gloss Black with Rosewood, Gloss White with Light Oak, and Silver with Ebony.

What the Press Says

• “Q Acoustics leaves its budget roots to challenge the high-end establishment.” — What Hi-Fi? ★★★★★ (November 2017)