Audiovector

QR 1 Loudspeakers

£1,300 RRP

There are few more hotly contended areas in hi-fi than the mid-price standmount loudspeaker market. Almost every brand looking to find its way into people's homes will have a model that fits into this bracket. They come in all shapes and sizes – from the retro-styled Mission 700 to the tiny but clever KEF LS50 Meta and the pro-audio-bred ATC SCM11.

Few can claim to be hand-made, and even fewer still can be said to be hand-made in Denmark. One such compact loudspeaker is Audiovector's QR 1. Released in 2016, this is a 325x190x232mm [HxWxD], front-ported 2-way standmounter. As well as its high-end heritage, it further separates itself from the fray by boasting an in-house designed and manufactured gold leaf AMT tweeter, partnered with a 125mm mid/bass unit. The cabinet is made from braced high-density fibreboard finished with rounded edges, lending it a more considered look than a simple right-angled box. This is flawlessly painted and lacquered with the same care and attention that Audiovector gives to its loftier offerings.

The AMT tweeter's exposed rose gold mesh S-Stop Filter smooths sibilance and sits in a glass-blasted, tungsten titanium grey-finished, aerospace-grade aluminium housing. Below this is the equally suave-looking surround of the mid/bass driver, with the company logo emblazoned on it. This lower driver is said to be a 'Pure Piston' sandwich-coned design comprising two layers of aluminium that constrains the fibre and foamed glue filling. We're told that this mitigates the high-frequency breakup behaviour of the stiff and pistonic aluminium cone. The result is a mid/bass unit capable of higher frequencies, in turn making the handover to the tweeter cleaner. The crossover is stated to be a simple, single-component-per-driver design that operates at 3kHz.

The subtle slot-style front port has been designed to minimise resonance and is internally damped to eliminate 'chuffing' without compromising bass response. It being on the front baffle makes the speaker easier to place in a standard living space compared to rear-ported designs, as less attention needs to be paid to rear boundary walls. At the back of the cabinet, you'll find a large aluminium plate and a single pair of quality speaker binding posts offering a choice of bare wire or 4mm banana plug connectivity. Magnetic cloth grilles are supplied as standard for the front.

The QR1's claimed sensitivity of 86dB/W/m is nothing to write home about these days, but the 4-ohm nominal impedance may raise eyebrows – as you'll need an amplifier with current driving ability. Audiovector specifies a frequency response of 45Hz to 45kHz. I certainly got my review pair to work well on Solidsteel stands, with no undue bass boom or room mode resonances.

THE LISTENING

You cannot cheat physics, so those looking for a bounteous bottom end won't buy the QR1. But when you consider this Audiovector's modest cabinet volume, you suddenly realise that it's extremely capable on its own terms – with much of the control, speed and accuracy of its larger siblings. Driven by a Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amplifier, this diminutive Dane delivered an impressively fast, uncoloured and transparent sound.

Much of this agility and accuracy is undoubtedly down to the lightning transients of the AMT high-frequency transducer. During the opening bars of YYZ by Rush, Neil Peart's brilliant cymbal work cut cleanly through my listening space. It also carried the dynamism of his percussion work faithfully, informing the listener of the weight and even the angle of the stick strikes. This skill also translates to strings, piano and vocals, with Silent All These Years by Tori Amos playing right into the QR 1's apparent sweet spot. Even the more fulsome orchestral swells were handled admirably by this little loudspeaker. However, it was the explicit articulation of instruments and vocals – pure and undistorted – that really gripped me.

The QR1 could never be described as warm sounding, even when plugged into civilised amplification such as Naim's NAIT XS 3 integrated. It clearly has a certain focus that proves adept at unpicking complex programme material. Playing Invincible by TOOL, the rapid drum fills and rolls – alongside assorted percussion – were portrayed with impressive authority and depth. Similarly, the picked, distorted bass guitar had a crisp edge rather than a muddy, incoherent tone. Everything in the mix was rendered with precision and control, although I couldn't help but wish for a bit more punch from the bass end. For instance, KEF's LS50 Meta delivers more oomph, despite having similar on-paper specifications.

I'm in no doubt that the superb tweeter helps with stereo imaging and depth perspective, too, conferring as it does a lovely clarity to the midband. Vocal intelligibility – even when tracked with a synth effect – was spot on, with plenty of space around the singer to enable even the slightest inflexions to be heard. That said, the soundstage is more expansive left-to-right than it is capacious front-to-back. While the band wasn't exactly squeezed into a small box – as when General Zod and his cronies were banished to the Phantom Zone in Superman – speakers like JBL's 4309, for example, seem to paint on a larger if less accurate canvas.

Even though the QR 1 isn't one to excavate as deep as some others, this facet of its performance isn't something that's constantly on the listener's mind. This is in no small part thanks to the Audiovector's super-resolution of instrumental texture and vocal timbre. Whether it was Erykah Badu's Rimshot or Billie Eilish's My Strange Addiction, this speaker did not embarrass itself in conveying their natural flavours. I also heard ample input from the bass region, with plenty of low-frequency information conveyed, and this came part and parcel with excellent handling of the music's timing information. Rhythms were tight and taut, with no tendency to meander around the beat.

Indeed, like all Audiovectors that I've heard, the QR 1 loves to rock out. Although tonally smooth and suave – the kind of speaker you can take home to meet your parents – it's actually very good fun. Behind closed doors, it's equally likely to be tattooed and pierced underneath that sensible buttoned-up shirt! This was confirmed by turning up the dial whilst playing Black Sabbath's Heaven & Hell. Unabashed, this baby box wantonly dished out high-volume tunes without losing the plot or shaking itself to bits. It's not perfect, of course – no speaker is, especially at this price – and to my ears, there is a slight reticence in the upper midband and lower treble area. This is where I assume the crossover between the tweeter and mid/bass unit takes place. That aside, this little stand mounter is extremely capable.

THE VERDICT

The QR 1 delivers an awful lot from a surprisingly small package – it's energetic, musical and accurate sounding, with a sophistication generally reserved for more expensive purchasing propositions. Refined beyond its price point, it boasts really classy treble and a clean midband that's hard not to love. Yet it is fun and feisty, too – much more than you'd expect from a relatively inexpensive design. Consider also the excellent build quality; right from the unboxing, you know you're in the presence of a well-built product with very fine fit and finish. Even up against its latest rivals, this dinky Dane does a remarkable job. I dare say there are many years of life left in this little loudspeaker, so do hear it if you can.

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