Review: Q Acoustics M20 HD

I’ve become completely spoiled when it comes to powered speakers.

Top standalone bookshelves like SVS’ new Prime Wireless Pro and KEF’s LSX II (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are not only minimalist and convenient, but also come loaded with virtually every feature and playback method you could want. You’ll find HDMI ARC for seamless control with your TV remote, a dedicated app to adjust settings, and a rainbow of streaming options. 

When I saw that the more cost-friendly Q Acoustics M20 HD Bluetooth speakers skip most of those luxuries, I wasn’t sure they’d be the right buy, even for those on a tighter budget. Then I heard them.  

Q Acoustics has cooked up something very special within these curvy cubes, which provide a golden splash of clear, expressive, and superbly balanced sound that elevates nearly everything you play. There’s no HDMI or Wi-Fi, but they still offer plenty of connections, including high-quality Bluetooth streaming, digital input for your TV, analog inputs for a turntable, and even a subwoofer out. At around $600 ($500 frequently on sale), it all adds up to a sweet musical deal.

If there’s one fantastic virtue of the M20 HD speakers’ simplified design, it’s how easy they are to set up. Pull the sleek, oblong speakers from their packaging and you’ll find traditional components like real speaker wire and terminals to connect the two speakers, a baseline remote and batteries, and a straightforward set of paperback instructions.

One quick point: You’ll likely need a pair of stands. The M20 cabinets are a fair bit larger (and deeper) than your average Bluetooth bookshelves. They stretch about 7 inches wide, 11 inches high, and nearly 12 inches deep. Within each speaker’s vinyl-cloaked cabinet is a two-way driver configuration, with a 5-inch woofer matched by a .9-inch tweeter.

The M20’s brains and brawn both reside in a single active speaker; the second is a passive cabinet that receives amplified sound from its sibling. To start listening, simply plug in the active speaker, connect the wire, and initiate Bluetooth pairing from the remote or onboard controls.

Of course, more options are available for fine-tuning the sound and connecting components. At the lead speaker’s back panel, you’ll find both 3.5-mm and RCA analog ports (only one works at a time), a digital optical input, the subwoofer out, and USB-A input for sourcing hi-res audio playback from a computer at up to 24 bit/192 kHz. The M20 also support high-quality Bluetooth codecs like aptX and aptX HD, as well as AAC for iPhones. A pleasantly tactile switch offers the only EQ options, providing three different settings to tailor bass output in accordance with wall proximity—Q Acoustics recommends at least 7 inches of barrier separation.

An included pair of foam “bungs” can also be deployed to plug up the ported backsides as needed, again to regulate bass. I was also pleased to see a stereo switch that lets you assign which speaker serves as the left or right channel, depending on your power outlet situation.

As convenient as they are, I do have a couple of quibbles about the layout. First, there’s no front-facing display; the only way to see your input source or power status is by looking at the top-side control panel. This makes the M20 more appealing as desktop companions than home theater speakers. In addition, the speakers power down after 20 minutes at rest by design, requiring you to manually pair to Bluetooth each time they’re powered on instead of instantly reconnecting like I want.

Any hesitations I had about these Q Acoustics speakers' musical limitations were put to rest once I fired them up. I spent the majority of my listening time with the M20 HD set on stands at the far sides of my desk that normally harbor my trusty JBL LS4326 studio monitors. And what an astonishing joy they are for this purpose.

Sometimes you just fall for a sound signature from the moment the first note hits. The midrange is brimming with smooth, mellow-gold detail; the upper register is glistening and clear, with effortless extension; and the bass is clean and pleasantly refined.

After angling the speakers in toward the listening position, I was treated to a surprisingly well-defined soundstage. The center channel popped out in front of my computer monitor with impressive accuracy and dimensionality. Vocals seem to spring to life right before your face, while other instruments are tactfully placed throughout the stereo image on both the vertical and horizontal plane, creating a lovely sound collage for complex mixes and simple acoustic tracks alike.

My favorite thing about the M20 HD’s sound is how easily the speakers build out instrumental textures and colors. They seem to actively enjoy carving out guitar timbres, from the glittering acoustic solo in Nickel Creek’s “Out of the Woods” to the dusty crunch of Mason Jennings’ electric melodies in “Machines.”

There really isn’t an instrument that the speakers don’t handle with care. The waterfall piano in Brian Eno’s “Burning Airlines Give You So Much More” is silky and fluttering but still impressively clear, allowing you to just relax and let it flow over you. The drum skins in Snarky Puppy’s “Go” pop with papery textures. Even John Lennon’s reverberating yells on the intro of “Two of Us” feel special, glowing with expressive reverb. The speakers also do a great job with the song’s punchy dynamics, popping with crescendos as the chunky, live guitar spits jangling tones at the microphone.

Bass output is the one element some listeners may find lacking. Total frequency response is listed at 55Hz-22khz, but that 55Hz low end is a stretch. There’s definitely some punch, but if you’re looking for massive boom for hip-hop and electronica, it falls short of what you’ll get with the Prime Wireless Pro; KEF LSX II; or even Klipsch’s powered pair, The Fives, once you get below 70Hz or so. If you listen to a lot of bass-heavy music, you’ll likely want to add a subwoofer.

That goes for TV content as well. If you connect the speakers to your TV’s optical output, you’ll find they’re a bit brighter up top than when listening at your desk, and you won’t get the kind of room-rattling explosions you’d find with larger speakers without some aid. But the speakers still do a fantastic job with TV, film, and gaming, offering pristine dialog and excellent detail across the board. (It’s not often I find myself enraptured by the oboe part in a 30 Rock episode.) Stereo spacing remains a standout feature here, with details from the clinking of an ice cube to crashing waves popping out to the sides of the soundstage for impressive immersion.

The M20 HD speakers are an especially great option for those looking to set up a simplified turntable system without shopping for both speakers and a separate stereo amplifier. There’s no dedicated phono input, so you’ll need to purchase a phono pre-amp, but the analog input and speaker internals create a great vessel for enjoying the warmth of your favorite vinyl.

My only minor hesitation in recommending the Q Acoustics M20 HD is that as I write this review Klipsch’s The Fives are available at a wildly low price of around $500 online (down from $800). The Fives aren’t as accurate as the M20 up top, but they offer a phono input, a settings app, and HDMI ARC to use your TV remote for power and volume.

But while the M20 HD speakers may not seamlessly integrate with your home theater like today’s most advanced options, they’re cheaper than powered competitors much of the time, and their sound quality cannot be denied. For the right buyer, especially those looking for a great pair of desktop speakers or something simple for a new turntable to use between Spotify sessions, the M20 HD speakers are a serious bargain.