The Qualio IQ30 Speakers are INSANE!
By Steve Huff
A couple of years ago I reviewed a set of speakers that were so cool, so unique and so beautiful I had them here for a long while enjoying what they offered. Those were called the Qualio IQ Ultra and in my review I said they gave me an “Eargasm”and what I meat by that was they were so clean, clear, open and full of rich details and they also brought forth a holographic stage with immense 3D imaging. It was if I was within the music at times.
The IQ Ultra featured a big bass driver in the main cabinet and a plexiglass type of panel up top that housed a midrange driver and AMT tweeter which was also placed within an open baffle panel. You can see the info on the Qualio website here for the Ultra. Many bought and own these beauties and love them. Some even swear they are the best they have ever heard. Heck, one comment from that video, a guy said these Ultra speakers were “life changing” (see image below). Qualio is known for their attention to detail, unique designs and stunning audiophile sound.
The IQ Ultra blew me away due to the detail they presented along with the imaging, transparency, air and wide stage they threw. Those Ultras were the most detailed and best imaging speakers I have ever heard up until that point but the IQ Ultra are what I call audiophile speakers. For those who appreciate the detail and want to hear it all within a recording. Much like those who like a 100MP camera sensor vs a 24MP sensor.
Those Ultra speakers were so detailed and had such high resolution but soon I started to miss a bit of warmth as the Ultras are not warm speakers, not at all. They lean more to the transparent, open and detailed side but also brought with them a superb level of refinement. Nothing was edgy or raw, just clean, clear and open. They are in no way lean, but do present detail without hiding any of it.
I eventually moved on from the IQ Ultra to the larger Icon 12 which brought big sound, warmth, color and beauty though quite a bit less detail retrieval vs those Ultra. After almost a year I was loving the Icon 12 as they are remarkable high end speakers that had life, body and stirred the soul. There were times I thought maybe they were a little dark but that is the vibe of the Icon in a room size such as mine. I knew reviewing the IQ 30 would bring an all new listening experience to my room vs what I have been used to for the last year.
I thought to myself that if the IQ30 retained the character of the Ultra while adding more body and warmth in the midrange area they could very well be “the perfect audiophile speaker” that doesn’t cost an all out fortune like some others do (and I have heard many ultra high end boxes). I am talking those exotic designs that sit in the $50k range.
The Qualio website makes these claims about the IQ30 which is the “BIG” IQ speaker. It’s made for larger spaces really.
After speaking with Marek over at Qualio in Poland I now have the new Qualio speaker in, the IQ 30. When they showed up via a freight truck I knew these were going to be serious speakers and I worried they would be too large for my 13X18 space.
The IQ 30 is larger in every way from the ultra to the box itself to the bass driver which is now a big 12″ variety and the new tweeter from AMT is also new. In fact here is what the IQ 30 houses within its design:
“The midrange is reproduced by two of the world’s finest drivers: a 7.5” SB Acoustics Satori Papyrus and a dipole Mundorf AMT super-tweeter capable of extending up to 30 kHz. Both are mounted in an open-baffle design, radiating sound in both directions. This not only eliminates cabinet resonances and distortions but also fills the entire room with music, creating an exceptionally realistic 3D holographic soundstage.
For the low end, a powerful 12″ SB Acoustics woofer delivers bass that is deep, fast, and tight, reaching down to 27 Hz with authority. The Qualio IQ 30 is the perfect match for medium to large listening rooms, offering scale, presence, and a breathtakingly immersive listening experience.
Meet the Qualio IQ 30
When the IQ 30 arrived all the way from Poland I was ready to get them in the house and set them up. I grabbed my dolly and my wife and I managed to get each crate into the house without issue though the big wooden crates just barely fit through my listening room door. Once inside I unboxed them and assembled them. I made a quick video showcasing the process and what the shipping crates were like. The attention to detail here is incredible and there is just no way that these will get damaged in shipping. Amazing packaging all the way around, inside and out. See the video HERE of when they showed up and how the unboxing of these speakers went.
My full video review of the Qualio IQ 30
You can see my current system here, what I have on hand listed out but I tested these with Solid State, 300B tubes as well as a couple of DACs, power amps and even the Class D sounds from a Heaven 11 Billie mK3 and Devialet Astra.
The Speakers Arrive
The Setup
Once out of the boxes I installed the baffle with the midrange driver and AMT tweeter, which is very large and tall here in the IQ 30. I then screwed in the ISO Acoutics feet after I found where these would be placed. These are larger, wider and just all out look like a big speaker as they are, at least in my room. Again, I worried these would be too much for me here. I set them 7 1/2 feet apart and sat 8 feet from them. They were toed in only slightly towards my head but not fully. This brought the best overall balance to me.
Now these also use resistors and Qualio ships each speaker with a full set of them that allows you to tune the sound to your room and your tastes. You can bring in more body and less treble for more treble and less body. They are color coded as well and the nice boxes they ship in show you what color does what. I tested them all and just as the manuals states. the red one worked best for me as it seems to for most.
These are able to be bi wired or bi amped as well if you like as there are two sets of binding posts as well as one set for the resistor, which must be put in place for operation.
OK, so all was set. Speakers were ready to go and I started with my current reference setup of Dazzle integrated amp and the Audio Mirror WAVE Tube DAC. Streaming was with the Eversolo T8 and as I always do, I pulled up Tidal and hit shuffle on my playlist there.
The first track that played was “Annabel” from Goldfrapp. This is a lovely song that showcases the vocals of lead singer Alison Goldfrapp. It’s a sweet sounding song with delicate and intimate vocals that sound rich and warm on my T+A Talis R330 and a bit earthy and organic on my Fleetwood Helios.
With the IQ 30…WOW! I was not prepared as I said. The sound was like an all new sound for me and it was as if I was swimming in the sea of music here, in a dream state. Every detail was heard, brought out in a 3D way yet there it was, a bit of body and warmth in the midrange. I can not find the words to describe just how immersive the sound was that I was hearing tat that moment and this is not some audiophile track, just a slower song with a nice mellow groove yet the IQ 30 was bringing it forth like a champ. Imaging was very much like the IQ Ultra but I feel even better as there was more soul there. Amazing.
Next up was a treat indeed. This track called Marais Maison” streaming from Tidal is full of intricate details and instruments that should be cleanly separated with impactful drums. For a speaker to get this just right it has to have dynamics for days, be able to be clean and clear while offering correct timbre for the instruments to sound real. I LOVE this track on the Helios but on the IQ 30 it was taken up a few levels as these speakers presented each sound, each drum hit with amazing subtlety and dynamic range. When the drums hit they were not only powerful when need be they were also subdued and gentle when they were played this way. The clean sound was amazing yet there was a bit of humanity and warmth as well, yet the detail and dynamics never faltered. The soundstage was huge, deep and layered. I sat back and soaked it in, never hearing it THIS GOOD.
The IQ 30’s were doing an amazing thing here and they sounded more like a $50k speaker I remember auditioning. While these are not made of $50k materials, they sound as good as those exotic speakers without question. This is world class sound.
BIG ROOM ONLY?
The Qualio IQ 30’s are big speakers. They are heavy speakers. These are not made for small rooms though Qualio has a smaller model for such a room. The Ultra would be more for a medium sized room and the IQ 30 for larger spaces as they just have an energy and force that ca fill a much larger space than even my room.
As for my worry about being too large for my room, they were not because the bass on the IQ 30 is as good as it gets, truly. It’s controlled as can be, tight and tuneful so there is zero slop, ever. No boom, no muddy sounds, at all. Yet at the same time it can be powerful and forceful as these go down to 27 HZ, which is pretty awesome. No sub will ever be needed and I feel a sub would ruin the sound of these as is.
While made for big rooms they can work in a mid sized space as well if you want an all out large sound and never needing to worry about bass in any way. With the Dazzle amp the bass was simply as good as I have heard from any big full range speaker. Those that sit in the $20k and up range.
The DIPOLE Effect is what helps to make this sound so special
The top baffle here, which is plexiglass, houses the very high performance midrange driver and the AMT tweeter. There is no box here so there are no colorations, no vibrations and none of the cons that cone with housing these in a box. Instead the sound is just so open and music is able to flow throughput the room in an effortless fashion, as if music is flowing and floating in the room. This type of sound can be quite the experience and it was for me on many nights while listening to the IQ 30. Teh sound emits from the front but it also comes out of the back here, at the top. This creates a beautiful sound unlike any traditional box speaker. It’s what makes the Qualio lime so special. Again, these are audiophile speakers, for those who seek perfection in sound and damn, these are about as perfect as I have heard in imaging, soundstage, bass, clarity and depth.
These are for serious listening where you sit back in your sweet spot and get to experience the music in a way like you may have never heard.
The ISO Acoustic feet
The ISO Acoustics feet really do help with the refinement of sound as well as it will make sure the bass driver box, the main body of the speaker, sits above the floor and will decouple it. This creates a more spatial, clean and open sound. I took the feet off and tried without them as these are so much easier to move around a carpet without them. When I played them without the feet they still sounded incredible with the same traits but the sound was a touch warmer, maybe a hair and I mean a hair more blurred. So yea, the feet do work here but even with them off the sound was jaw dropping.
What are the Cons?
Being that these are the big Qualio IQ speakers there is more of everything. A bigger box, a bigger bass driver, a larger tweeter and they are heavy as well. Each box comes in at 94lbs and yea, this can be an undertaking indeed. With that said, my wife who is 5 foot and myself was able to get them in, unbox and setup without issue.
There really are no cons when it comes to performance if it is perfection of sound you seek in the areas of detail, air and immersion. There is no coloration, no slop, and everything an audiophile looks for in the sound is here. The model I have here is in basic matte white and for my eyes, the white is quite basic. Nothing fancy at all about the finish here with these but you can get these in any finish you like even more exotic ones. You can see your options here at the Qualio website.
The price in the USA is steep but this is all inclusive with shipping and amazing protection via wooden crates. These IQ 30 in white like I have here come in at $14,700 Euros which is equal to $17k or so USD. Yea, pricey indeed.
Compared to the Icon 12
The Icon 12 are $25k speakes yet have a luxury vibe about them. I love the Icon 12 with my heart and soul as that is what they speak to when I listen. The Icon 12 are warmer, with a fuller bass in the midrange and a smoother yet still open treble. Even so, the Icon can reach out and touch you as well with soul and fluidity. The IQ 30 are quite different speakers and again, focus on imaging, detail and allowing you to hear all within a recording. The Icon 12 can sound “fat” in my space but I love them for that. The IQ 30 will never sound this way but instead will immerse you in the music as if you are swimming in a sea of it. Close the eyes and you will hear what many audiophiles see as perfection in sound.
Tubes or Solid State?
The IQ 30 can be run with tubes as low as 10 watts per channel, heck, maybe even 5. I tested them with a 10 watt per channel 300B amp in the Oilily 300B MKII and they sounded incredible with this amp. I posted some samples on my instagram @hifihuffofficial using the 300B. The sound with the Dazzle for me though was my preference. The dynamics are just so good with this amp, and this speaker can deliver dynamics for days.
Conclusion
At the end of the day these may be the all out finest speakers I have heard in my space here when it comes to an audiophile sense of the experience. The way they do dynamics is world class. The detail is refined, never hard or harsh. The midrange is pure, clean and so realistic. Not bloated nor sterile. The bass is world class as well, without boom, bloat or sloppiness. It’s clean, deep and authoritative. I am not taking about mid bass but deep low bass. Sounds like I have a $5k sub in the system that is perfectly melded with the speakers. That 12″ driver is incredible. I have 9 sets of speakers in right now and without question, these are the ones with the most “WOW” factor in the sound and if you crave what these bring I can not imagine anyone being disappointed.
Qualio is not a new company and they have big time experience in designing speakers and shipping them all over the world. The IQ line has something for everyone from a small version to the IQ30. Heck if you want a micro IQ like speaker check out my review of the Virtual HiFi Viper HERE.
Botton line? World Class sound with a unique design and style. Finest I have heard in this rom for immersion, depth, layers and that holographic soundstage. Vocals are scary real and the treble is so extended but refined so not hard or harsh. This is what a high end speaker should sound like but they are big, heavy and need some space to flow. Fantastic speakers.
