5040: Floorstanding Speaker

5040 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 a visual gratification) is strong.

Key Features

• 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 lower frequency vibrations, while focusing stereo imaging and improving soundstage.
• Helmholtz Pressure Equalisers (HPETM) reduces 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 dynamic range of the speaker, 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 modulations from within the cabinet and adjacent mid/bass driver. The inner chamber is also carefully vented for lower distortion, with a lower crossover point for seamless integration through the crossover region.

C³ Continuous Curved Cone™

A genuine advancement in elements of mid/bass driver design, the C³ Continuous Curved Cone™ profile is the result of extensive research and expert engineering to combine 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 tighter, damped low-end sound allowing more flexibility in in placement of speakers near the wall boundaries of the listening room.

P2P™ (Point to Point) bracing

Q Acoustics P2P™ (Point to Point) bracing used throughout the 5000 series supports the parts of the enclosure that need to be stiffened making the new enclosures exceptionally rigid, improving the focus of the stereo image and giving the soundstage more accuracy than ever before.

HPE™ (Helmholtz Pressure Equalizer)

HPE™ (Helmholtz Pressure Equalizer) 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 impedance
3.0 Ω
Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1kHz)
91.5 dB/w/m
Recommended amplifier power
25-150 W
Crossover frequency
2.5 kHzz
Effective volume
27 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)
In The Box
1x 5040 loudspeaker
1x Owner’s manual
1x Foam bung
4x Spike feet
4x Spike cover
4x M5 screw
2x Rear stabiliser

Q Acoustics 5040 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2023 winner. New cone technology and a shift in sonic character 

By What Hi-Fi?  published August 29, 2023

From our point of view, Q Acoustics appears to be a prisoner of its own success. The brand burst onto the scene back in 2006 with a terrific range of budget speakers and each new generation of that original range has reinforced the company’s reputation as a budget speaker maestro. The truckload of five-star reviews and awards gained over that time have helped too.

The trouble with such success at lower price points is that it has led to a lack of appreciation for the brand’s more upmarket products. The £3599 / $6999 / AU$7999 Concept 500 floorstanders are a great example. These are truly excellent speakers for the money, in many ways better than alternatives that cost thousands more, but in the UK at least, the retail price is lower now than what it was on launch in 2017. Given how much prices have risen across the board over the last six years that tells its own story.

The new 5000 series fills the gap between the budget 3000 models and the more premium Concept range. On launch, it consists of two standmounters, two floorstanders, a dedicated centre speaker and a subwoofer. The Q Acoustics 5040 is the smaller of the two towers and at 97cm high and just 18cm wide is the right kind of size to slip into most rooms without being obtrusive.

Design

The cone material is the company’s favoured impregnated paper and the diaphragm’s diameter is a pretty slim 125mm. In our meetings with the engineers it becomes evident that they are really proud of this design, so don’t be surprised to find it implemented in future models.

The tweeter follows company traditions by being a 25mm soft dome that’s decoupled from the front baffle to reduce any distortions caused by structural vibrations. The three drive units are linked by a relatively simple second-order crossover network that uses metallized polyester film capacitors, air core inductors and high-power wire wound resistors. The result is a speaker that is rated at just over 91dB/W/m sensitivity and has a claimed nominal impedance of 6 ohms. That impedance dips to a minimum of 3 ohms, which suggests that partnering the 5040s with a muscular amplifier like the Cambridge Audio CXA81 makes sense.

Build quality

We have no complaints about the 5040’s build and finish. Q Acoustics tends to do such things well and the story hasn’t changed here. The cabinet feels rigid thanks to the 25mm thick HDF front baffle and the carefully considered internal bracing employed. The other panels are all 20mm thick MDF. Once you get the speakers out of the box you need to screw on their aluminium outriggers on the back end of the base, but beyond adding the spikes there is little more to do.

Speaker positioning isn’t too much of an issue. The 5040 sound tonally balanced when placed around 40cm away from the rear wall in our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) listening room. It is possible to put them even closer if you use the supplied foam bungs to block the rear-firing ports, though the speaker’s presentation loses a little fluidity this way. We get the most convincing stereo imaging with the 5040 slightly angled towards the listening position, aimed so that they cross a little behind our listening position.

Compatibility

We use our reference system of Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and Burmester 088/911 MKIII amplifier for some of the testing but also use more price-compatible amplification such as Naim’s Nait XS3 and Cambridge’s CXA81 to see how the 5040 react.

Traditionally, Q Acoustics products have always proved easy-going and unfussy when it comes to system matching. We don’t think that is the case any more. The front-footed 5040 are impressively transparent for the money and that means that they are quicker to show up any shortcomings further up the audio chain. If your source or amplifier is prone to aggression or brightness these speakers will leave you in no doubt of that. Partner them with refined electronics and you won’t go far wrong.

Sound

Once you get it right, these speakers serve-up an excellent sound for the money. We start with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and the 5040 waste no time in impressing. They sound wonderfully clear and precise with the leading edges of notes crisply defined and rendered without any excess harshness. There is plenty of detail here from lush instrumental textures to the subtle clues that go into defining the acoustic space of the recording venue.

Tonally, these floorstanders sit just on the lean side of neutral, but not so far as to cause issues. This presentation helps to give the speakers plenty of agility and grip. Low-frequency notes come and go with little overhang yet lack nothing when it comes to punch and authority. We like the way these towers always sound composed and controlled, and that sense of organisation doesn’t falter when the music becomes demanding. 

The symphony’s punishing crescendoes are thumped out with enthusiasm, and the 5040 stay composed even as the volume levels rise. Stereo imaging is equally impressive. Once the 5040 are positioned with care, they paint a spacious, focused and nicely layered soundstage. With eyes closed, we can easily locate the exact positions of the orchestra’s various sections. That soundstage stays stable too, regardless of musical complexity.

We switch to Drake’s Under Ground Kings and the 5040s continue to impress. They convey the music’s momentum with conviction while allowing us to track every word of his distinctive drawl. These towers sound fast and fun. There is plenty of attack but enough in the way of solidity and refinement to avoid accusations of aggression. 

This impression of a properly-rounded performer is reinforced as we work our way through our music collection. We spend an afternoon moving from Post Malone to Nitin Sawhney and then finishing with Miles Davis’s Sketches Of Spain, and never do these speakers sound out of their comfort zone. 

Verdict

The Q Acoustics 5040 are even-handed performers that simply step out of the way of the music and let it shine. When partnered with care they deliver a wonderfully expressive and insightful performance that’s class-leading at this level. So, is this speaker good enough to establish Q Acoustics as a force at more premium price points? Judged on ability we certainly hope so.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4