QUALIO IQ LOUDSPEAKERS REVIEW

Stuart takes a more detailed listen to the interesting OB speakers he first heard at last year’s Warsaw Audio Video event.

Built and designed by the same people behind the Cube Audio range of speakers and drivers, we first heard the Qualio IQ loudspeakers at the Warsaw Show last November. We were immediately impressed with them, even in the show’s less-than-perfect listening environment, and immediately began discussions into ordering a pair, which have resided in our upstairs second system for a few months now.

BUILD AND FEATURES OF QUALIO IQ LOUDSPEAKERS

Linette ordered a white version of these, though you can order them in any RAL colour you like with either a gloss or satin finish and natural veneer finishes are available in Oak, Walnut, Indian Apple, or Rosewood. The colour you choose relates to the bass-reflex box you see that has the nine-and-a-half inch SB Acoustic Satori bass driver towards the top of the front panel. This box is well-finished and looks great. It comes with spikes, but not being a fan I didn’t use them but will likely experiment with some IsoAcoustic footers at some point – however, that’s not in the scope of this review.

In position in our second listening room

Around the back of the bass box you have WBT binding posts plus a pair that connect only to the dipole (the Perspex bitt on the top that I will get onto in due course). This is quite an interesting feature and you can choose to buy the speakers with either a Standard or Precision kit of Mundorf resistors that allow you to tailor the high-frequency output of the AMT tweeter. The standard package comes with two resistors and the Precision comes with five resistors that attach across the terminals. This is a cool idea and allows the owners of these speakers to work out what sounds best to them and in their listening space. I like this non-prescriptive attitude and concept; to me, it recognises that we all have different hearing, different presentation preferences and different rooms in which we listen. Swapping these in and out is a doddle and takes barely no time at all but is a back-and-forth process to get the ones you want the first time round.

Showing around the back of the speakers and the placing of the resistors

This is a bass-reflex box and so naturally there is a port around the back too and this comes with a bung so that you can, to an extent, tune its output…or at least limit it….depending on what your room will allow. Qualio reckons that this box will take the bass down to 28HZ.

The next interesting feature of the IQ speakers is the dipole arrangement that bolts simply on the top panel with the four included bolts and takes a few minutes to attach. The Perspex plate is thick but is a bit of a fingerprint magnet – no fear, once you have it set up, there is no need to faff with it again. The dipole attaches to the rest of the speaker by a short XLR plug affair. It’s a neat solution, looks interesting, and is quick and easy to set up.

The OB panel connects to the main box by an XLR connector

Attached to the dipole is another smaller Satori driver that acts as the mid-driver, though Qualio says that it could be considered a full-range unit given that it can, if required, extend up to 15KHz. Above the mid-unit, is the aforementioned Mundorf AMT tweeter that goes all the way up to 31kHz, way beyond the scope of human hearing and Qualio refer to this as a super-tweeter. Now, super tweeters should make sod all sense given we can’t physically hear what they are doing beyond 15 or so kHz, but they do add something to the sound and the spatial representation of the ambience of a track. I use super tweeters pretty much all the time in our main system and love what they add to a system – YMMV.

So, without stating the bleeding obvious, it’s clear that the mids and tops of the IQ speakers are an open baffle (dipole) design and open baffles are something I have toyed with in the past in a more DIY sense and with the Pure Audio Project speakers we had in for review many moons ago. I like what they can do to the way music is presented and they tend (without commenting on the speakers here for review) to allow for a more open and less coloured presentation…pretty obvious when you realise there’s no box to induce boxiness to the sound.

So that’s pretty much the build and technical aspects of the IQ by Qualio. Overall they are well put together and very well thought out. They offer a good degree of user-tweekability with the resistors that I mentioned earlier. I suppose the only other thing to add is that the crossover that’s housed in the bass box is made up of Mundorf, Jantzen and WBT components- whether these make a difference over standard components I can’t comment on.

The full complement of resistors and the all-important microfibre cloth

Speaking in general terms, I absolutely love the look of these speakers and think their slightly squat stature looks really rather classy and that the Perspex dipole unit pretty much disappears in the room.

Oh, you get a three-year warranty and you get lifetime support, which is nice.

I have these speakers set up and running off a pair of Merrill Thor Class D amplifiers with a LAB 12 pre before them. In fact, the full system apart from the amps is Lab 12. The speakers are set up about three metres apart, somewhat but not wholly in the corners of the room (they are around 1m from the back and side walls) and the listening position is 3m or so from the central position of the speakers. The room is well-treated with GIK acoustic panels.

SOUND QUALITY

All that time ago at the Warsaw show, the thing that I recall grabbing my attention was the hugely open mids and tops allied with a solid and speedy bass response, making them very much my kind of speakers. Obviously, having ordered them, it was to be hoped that this fairly casual flirtation with the Qualios would not be a short-lived affair… and you will be pleased to know that it wasn’t. I do bang on a fair old bit about shows not being the ideal environment for critically assessing a product, and I do stand by this, however, if you listen to a lot of products week in week out then it’s possible to pick out the products that have potential to be more than a quick fling. Anyway, let’s see how these get on.

The report you read here is a conglomeration of several weeks’ notes brought into one.

A side shot of the IQ speakers showing their size relative to the system components

The first thing I noted when listening to the Clash and then Generation X was the immediacy of these speakers and the way that they have a very spatial quality to them. These aren’t particularly audiophile records, in fact, they are possibly the antithesis of audiophile recordings and are off a compilation record I have on file, and yet the liveness and rawness of the music shines out from these loudspeakers in that “I feel connected”…and not sedated (for those that will get the punk reference)… kind of way. You can “see” the mix off the main desk and this is important for me in feeling the music in a real sense. And, after all, isn’t this why we pay large sums of money for our audio kit? The reverb at the end of Buzzcocks’ What Do I Get sounds natural and the way the instruments are faded into this reverb is excellent and makes you appreciate that, actually, these recordings aren’t quite as amateurish as folklore would have you believe. Bringing the original punk movement full circle, I give the new The Damned record (Darkadelic) a virtual spin (it’s excellent, by the way) and I have the same feeling of immediacy and a “live” recording – it’s not and Darkadelic is a more spectacular production than those earlier recordings. However, much more is going on production-wise in Darkadelic than the earlier stuff I mentioned, but the Qualios never lose that sense of dynamic engagement and sense of space in the recording. This latter point is particularly evident on the final track of the album, Roderick with its pomp and gothic orchestration and piano stabs. The scale of this final record is portrayed magnificently by the Qualio speakers with the room being filled with music and the band laid out before me wide, deep and with a height that belies these relatively short loudspeakers.

Lee Perry’s From The Secret Laboratory holds a special place in my heart; it was one of a collection of CDs I swapped for a Korg MS10 synthesiser many years ago and is a wonderful mash-up of dub reggae with a good dose of house and techno vibes mixed together by the masterful Adrian Sherwood. Needless to say bass plays a big part in this record and for me it’s important that the bass is well-represented, deep and tight. The Qualios deliver in spades and do EXACTLY what I want from a loudspeaker in the bass department; tuneful and moving enough air for me to feel it. You do get bungs to tame the bass port should you need it, but I preferred these speakers without them, though it has to be mentioned that I have bass traps in the corners of this room. I don’t recall who it was but someone had mentioned that they had heard the Qualios at a show and that they found the bass somewhat lacking – I don’t get this statement at all and can only assume that the speakers weren’t particularly well set up! To my mind, the bass produced by these is in keeping with the rest of the speaker – it is balanced and doesn’t dominate. I listened closely to this record (and it’s a record I have played dozens and dozens of times over the year) and I can honestly say that the Qualios present it as well as I have ever heard it. I sort of want to say that the Qualios remind me of our Avantgarde DUO XDs in their presentation, and I do think this is a valid comparison, though with a slightly reduced sense of scale. If you don’t have the space for DUOs or even UNOs, then give these a listen and I don’t think you will be disappointed. One of the things I did pull from carefully listening to this record was the clarity of Lee Perry’s vocal throughout and I have to say that I found the mid-band presentation on this record to be easily on a par with our LS3/5As, though, of course, it’s more filled out to the bottom end with the Qualios. A fabulous experience that I’m glad I will be able to reproduce as and when I like as these are likely to be a permanent fixture in this system for a long while to come. Are they a final speaker? I don’t know as I haven’t heard them all, but if we were ever to downsize and be allowed only one set of speakers, then I can say that these would be on a very short shortlist.

The Qualio IQ in black

Upping the tempo a bit and playing a tune that I’m currently hammering when I’m DJing (sadly only in the house for the moment) I put on Disco Biscuit by Disco Biscuit from the early 90s and crank the volume up a bit. Bass is fast and rolling, vocals are panned both left and right and then central depending on where you are in the tune, and that nagging funky guitar sample is clear as a bell. Yep, these can throw a bit of a party when they have to too, but I’m pretty sure this kind of music wasn’t high on the list of priorities when the guys were voicing them. The thing is, the reality is that a good loudspeaker should really be able to play anything that you throw at it and still perform well.

Other colours and finishes are available

Anyway, probably more in keeping with the kind of music that the Qualio guys used when designing these speakers I thought I’d play some gabber! Not really, I thought I ought to play some jazz as it’s the law when reviewing anything that purports to be audiophile. However, the album I chose to single out for these speakers was the somewhat maligned Doo-Bop by Miles Davis. It’s kind of Miles Davis meets laid-back hip-hop beats and if you don’t know it then you should search it out! The speakers get the languid production qualities of this record over very nicely. Yes, there’s detail and whatnot through the mid-band with the rap vocal on The Doo Bop Song being forward and central ( I assume this is correct) and with Miles’ horn floating above and slightly back in the mix (again, I assume this is correct). The snare and hats are incisive and cut through the mix and the bass is presented as tuneful and low. There’s a lot going on in this track with a persistent sample of a piano going on pretty much throughout and the Qualios get this small detail across without it being lost in the mix. And that’s sort of the thing with these speakers; you get the whole as a coherent and properly presented mix, but should you want to listen into the tune (as audiophiles tend to like to) then you can do that too.

OK, I did play a bit of Gabber (early Gabber (or is it techno) in the form of Vicious Delicious and their wonderful Hocus Pocus tune of the Mix Hard or Die compilation from the early 90s. Yep, these speakers don’t have a problem with this stuff either with the full detail of the tune coming through. This may just seem like a load of noise, but there’s detail in things like the snap of the snare sample and the effects that are added to it and the bass kick that is deep and sort of hollow sounding but at the same tight. At around 4’20” the bass kick has something DEEP put underneath it and the Qualios don’t miss a beat. It would have been easy for this to throw the rest of the track right off and things to become all confused and a bit much. In this setting and without turning up the wick too far the Qualios come across as a monitor-like speaker. Turn up the volume a couple more clicks on the remote and they retain their composure and just get louder. On the English Muffin tune that follows that classic hoover sound (it’s not a hoover, it’s a Roland Juno) comes across properly and with all the necessary elements that make it up.

Switching the style again, I really ought to have finished writing my notes by now but I can’t help but keep listening to this system, I pop on the excellent 11:11 by Rodrigo and Gabriela. The dynamics of these speakers and the way they react to changes in playing style and volume shines out. These are a fast loudspeaker that respond immediately to shifts in the music and in doing so they engage you. Every tap on the body of the guitars and every detail in how hard a bottom e string is hit comes across in the presentation.

The speakers from the front side

NIGGLES

Finger smudges on the Perspex are inevitable so keep the microfibre cloth handy.

Looks are going to divide but I really like them.

Selecting the different resistors for the tops is a bit of a faff, but once it’s done it’s done and I do get why an L pad wasn’t used.

Spikes are included and I believe that this is something that loudspeaker manufacturers have to include but I’m afraid that in most cases I just don’t see the point and would prefer something to isolate rather than connect the speakers to the floor. In fact, at shows Qualio do use the IsoAcoustic Gaia footers.

CONCLUSION

When first set ears on these I fell in love with these speakers and the way they present music. They are not over-analytical but are very detailed… if that’s not a contradiction.

I’d like to say that the main feature of the Qualios is that wonderfully open and airy mid and top-end presentation, but that would suggest that they only major in this aspect, and the truth is what these speakers actually represent is a very coherent and balanced speaker that is excellent from top to bottom.

This is a fairly long room and about 5m wide, but the Qualios had absolutely no problem in filling it and being able to go to volumes that you’d not want to maintain for too long without distortion or the feeling that they were being pushed too hard. They do have a sweet spot with regards to volume and that is quite loud, but they also get across detail and nuance at lower levels should that be a must.

The best speakers I’ve heard in this room and in this system and not by a small margin, and I thought it to be a world-class sounding system with our Xavian Perla (about €2K when reviewed) speakers in there. The Qualios are significantly more expensive than the Xavians, but I’d also suggest that the extra money is well spent if you have it.

Fully deserving of our top award given their price-to-performance ratio.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:

They are going to divide opinion but I like the look of them

There’s nothing overly clever about them build-wise but everything is well done

The Perspex housing for the mid and tweeter is a stroke of genius and helps the speakers look a lot less conspicuous than they probably should

Sound Quality:

Mids and tops are, and I hate to be clichéd with regards to open baffles, open and airy with the AMT tweeter really opening the sound up and adding a spatial dimensionality to the sound that is hard to describe until you hear it

The speakers are fast and responsive across the frequency range

Bass is dynamic, deep and tuneful

Overall this is a very balanced speaker

Value For Money:

Critics may ask where the value is in a bass box with an OB plate on top, but I think sonically they punch above their weight and asking price

We Loved:

These speakers play music (all music) and it’s hard not to just remain sat in front of them for hours at a time

The open and airy presentation with fantastic soundstaging that draws you into a three-dimensional but realistic space

Can be pushed with regards to volume…in fact they love to be pushed a bit

I think they look pretty cool

We Didn’t Love So Much:

The Perspex is a finger magnet but Qualio know this and you get a microfibre cloth in the packaging

Changing resistors until you find the one that suits you is a bit of a back-and-forth affair, but once it’s done it’s done

The inclusion of spikes is, for me, pointless and I’d prefer rubber footers or similar isolation products

Elevator Pitch Review: From Poland, the Qualio speakers are an 9.5” driver in a ported box with an open baffle mid and AMT tweeter placed atop on a thick Perspex baffle. They come with different value resistors so you can attenuate the upper-frequency output. Sonically they are a treat and come across as a highly accomplished speaker from top to bottom. The open-baffle mid and top makes for a very open presentation and whilst this could feel disparate from the bass if not integrated properly by the crossover network, the guys at Qualio have done a fantastic job in making this a supremely integrated loudspeaker. Top marks! I love them!

Price: €5550

Stuart Smith

SUPPLIED BY QUALIO

Review System: LAB12 DAC, LAB 12 PRE, Merrill Thor amps, Auralic Streamer. Cables by LAB 12, Tellurium Q, Atlas and Chord. Power conditioner by LAB 12.

TECH SPEC
Height: 102 cm / 40.2”
Width: 38,5 cm / 15.2”
Depth: 31,5 cm / 12.4”
Weight: 32 kg / 70 lbs
Impedance: 4 Ω
Bandwidth: 30 Hz – 31 kHz
Efficiency: 89 dB