The monitor
Contents
The speaker is made of MDF; a relatively cheap, stiff and sturdy material. The confirmation and isolation of the drivers is done by ‘point2point bracing and gelcore’. In short, this means that in the speaker a minimum of attachment points is used, so that the power distribution in the cabinet is optimal. Too much leads to undesired energy development, too little is at the expense of the strength of the cabinet, which in turn leads to resonance. The cabinet itself is built up in three layers, with a gel layer between each MDF layer. This is especially good for checking the low frequencies.
The finish of the Concept 300 monitor is sublime. The lacquer is deep glossy, the corners nicely rounded. On the back we see a double terminal and with the supplied brackets we can still subtly influence the sound colour. It is a deep speaker (40 cm) that also weighs 15 kg because of all the features.
Setup
We will install the Concept 300 in the studio where we will use it for mixing and mastering. This studio is 10 x 8 meters and is almost 4 meters high. Power amplifiers are two Bryston Powerpac 300 SST mono blocks (a mono version of the Bryston 4B). Speaker cables are the QED Supremus; a reference cable from QED that belongs to the same group as Q Acoustics. Balanced cables lead to the audio sources. For this review we use the well-known Weiss DAC2 with streaming module, the Mutec MC-3+ USB masterclock and interface. We also listen via the Motu 828es audio interface, as a playback application we use a Mac system: Vox for Mac OSX, Logic Pro X. The Windows system goes via Cubase.
We place the Concept-300 monitors at about 2 metres from the back wall, with a gap of about 3.5 metres. We rotate the speakers slightly and create a listening room where we sit about halfway through the studio. The monitors stand securely on the stands. Funny is that they move a little on the four springs in the speakers. The metal cables are tightened when weight is put on the tripods. We can adjust the speakers straight by turning the spikes a bit more in or out. While we’re doing this, the Concept 300’s move along reassuringly, a bit like a boat bobbing on the water. Definitely an exciting experience!
