The Audiovector QR 1 was an unexpected surprise when I reviewed it back in Issue 326. As the smallest speaker in Audiovector’s QR series, this two-way compact delivered a premium ride visually and sonically. At the time, I wrote that it was “one of the new breed of affordable compacts that asks, no demands to be taken seriously.” And for this achievement, it took home a well-deserved Product of the Year award (Issue 334).

So why bring this up now? Because at the time I started wondering what a floorstanding version of the QR 1 might sound like, perhaps one with an added woofer? Would the QR 1’s sonic charms translate? Well, someone at the home office in Denmark must’ve picked up on my thought bubble, because just like that, enter the QR 3 SE, a compact, 2.5-way, three-transducer floorstander. It joins the family of newly minted SE models, including the QR 7, QR 5, the aforementioned QR 1, a center channel, a subwoofer, and on-walls.

More a refresh than a soup-to-nuts reboot, the SE has received upgrades to its crossover components, adding new in-house-designed polypropylene/tin/flash-copper capacitors. Further, heat dissipation is improved with the use of metal-housed resistors. Internal copper wiring is now cryogenically treated, mirroring Audiovector’s upmarket R Series. Improved stainless-steel high-end spikes (with knurled nuts) allow easier adjustment. Cosmetically the SE models feature subtle elegant golden brass badges on the front panels and cloth grilles. A very handsome lineup, indeed.

Though unchanged, Series SE drivers are worth another look. The 6″ mid/woofer sports a smooth dustcap-free diaphragm derived from Audiovector’s work with stiff, light, non-resonant membranes in its SR and R series speakers. The resulting three-layer-sandwich cone combines the strength of two layers of aluminum bonded together with a light, foamy glue. Audiovector states that this recipe yields “piston-like performance throughout its range with a very controlled roll-off and a reduction of the distortion often found in aluminum/diamond drive units. As for the cabinets, Audiovector has enhanced midrange openness by upping the use of its Nano Pore dampening material at key spots within the enclosure. Due to its gentle impedance load and high sensitivity of 90dB, the QR 3 SE is an easily driven speaker—a good match for solid-state and tube amplifiers alike. Crossover points are 400Hz and 3kHz.

The icing (and cherry) on the cake is the QR 3 SE’s AMT (Air-Motion Transformer) tweeter. AMT is neither planar nor ribbon. Rather, it’s an ultra-thin, low-mass, pleated diaphragm that squeezes air between the pleats in an accordion-like fashion. The AMT’s fascia plate is machined from a single chunk of aerospace-grade aluminum, then glass-blasted, brushed, and anodized in Tungsten Titanium Grey. It is fronted by a rose-gold-plated dispersion mesh, which acts as an S-stop filter. (The mesh reduces sibilance, much like the screens placed in front of vocal microphones in recording studios.)

As I lit up the QR 3 for the first time, there was more than a little déjà vu in the air. The QR 3 simply picked up where the perky little QR 1 compact left off. Echoes of my time spent with QR 1 came back—effortlessness, decisiveness, and focus. The QR 3 conveyed a nicely balanced tonality with a sense of ease and neutrality across the frequency spectrum with no obvious peaks or valleys. Its tonal signature was neither passively laid-back nor overtly aggressive. It conveyed a stout big-hearted sound that didn’t shrink from delivering a robust sonic output. Inter-driver integration was smooth with only the slightest hint of tweeter-on-top spotlighting. The treble octaves were extended with an airy quality. And courtesy of the lovely AMT, the sibilance range was kept in check. Crucially, the treble didn’t harden during upper-octave piano trills, as many speakers in this segment do [“The Lark,” Glinka, Kissin].

The mids were nicely balanced, with a slight forward push and first-rate energy and timbre. The speaker’s power range (lower mid/upper bass) was notable for this size spec; although in fairness to larger designs, it couldn’t quite muster all their resonant  energy, bloom, weight, or magnitude. However (and importantly), the QR 3 SE never played “small”—a point exemplified by Paul Simon’s high-octane track “Late in the Evening” from his film score to One Trick Pony. The track features a burn-the-house-down horn section, with drums and percussion conveying loads of weight, big energy, and fleet transients. You may not be fooled into thinking it’s a six pack of woofers driving this tune; even so, the QR 3 SE gives a more than rewarding emulation of same and is never less than compelling and satisfying.

Vocals, male or female, were convincing and naturalistic. Astrud Gilberto’s softly accented vocal from “The Girl from Ipanema” swung sensually and irresistibly [Getz/Gilberto]. And Louis Armstrong’s gravelly, slow-rolling vibrato during “St James Infirmary Blues” was hypnotic in its fly-on-the-wall realism [Satchmo plays King Oliver]. The QR 3 SE was a little less convincing with low baritones, however. I found artists like Tom Waits or bass-baritone Bryn Terfel were less weighty—a little lighter in their chest resonances.

QR 3 SE’s micro-dynamics and transients were estimable strengths. Just have a listen to Jim Keltner’s inventive, swinging groove during Steely Dan’s “Josie.” Another prime example was The All-Star Percussion Ensemble conducted by Harold Farberman. A gorgeous, collectable LP from the 90s, its sonics were luminous, tickling the ear with harmonic detail and positioning images down to the inch. The QR 3 SE was quick-footed and uncongested, totally in its element with this kind of music.

Compared with the QR 1 stand-mount, the QR 3 SE’s bass response was—predictably—the largest differences. It was more dynamically energized, dipped deeper, and was more authoritative in the bottom octaves. Here, the QR 3 could, if the music demanded it, get a lot more down and dirty (in the best possible way) on rock and pop tracks. The propulsive rip of electric guitars from The Cars’ “Just What I Needed” tore through my room. Equally definitive was the raspy blast of Clarence Clemons’ tenor sax solo in “Girls in their Summer Clothes.” And on the occasions when I took QR 3 SE to the movies, it was downright unfazed, almost blasé, handling a challenging high-octane soundtrack like Mad Max: Fury Road.

The QR 3 SE was not without limits, however. On occasion, particularly at higher volumes, midbass cues had glimmers of port activity that caused pitch to waver. In these instances, the port didn’t always perfectly match the speed of the woofer. So, at times, the speaker could sound a bit overripe, as, for instance, during Harry Connick Jr.’s “Berkeley Square.” So, yes, there was periodically some loss of transparency. Still, as compared with its compact sister, the QR 3 SE allowed me to examine the mid- and upper-bass in greater detail.

Soundstage and image focus also scored high in my book. The addition of the mid/bass driver provided the headroom necessary to create a better articulated and more spacious acoustic environment. And the speaker’s narrow silhouette provided an unobstructed window seat onto the soundstage. On the final verse/chorus of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” engineer Roy Halee’s elevator shaft reverb (really) and the happy mistake of the recording studio’s off-sync tape recorders came into full view, filling the iconic track with greater urgency and emotion.

As a side note, the QR 3 SE comes equipped with spiked footers that thread into the black-lacquer bottom plinth. Use them! On a track like Norah Jones’ “Cold, Cold Heart,” which features a vamping acoustic bass, there was greater pitch clarity and punch—the QR 3 SE became more tuneful and less localized as a source, with a stronger center image. In this instance, good footers converted a mishmash into clarity and detail.

A final observation: Working with the QR 3 SE reminded me that satisfying audio reproduction is as much about the room as it is the loudspeaker. From the stateliest environment to the humblest of abodes, all things acoustic need to align and converge. Don’t over-speaker a small room or under-speaker a large one. Proportionality is key, and no amount of money can make up for a speaker/room mismatch. In my small Los Angeles listening room, volume and acoustics aligned almost ideally to allow the QR 3 SE to live up to its potential.

No, it’s not a perfect speaker. At a bargain $3k, don’t expect it to check every high-performance box. It doesn’t scale, stage, resolve, or delivery volume in the same way that Audiovector’s big R series line or its new Trapeze Reimagined does. But it is a very persuasive speaker that will lift expectations for what is possible in this price segment. For rookie audiophiles, it will give a peek into what this enthusiast hobby is all about.

Prior to beginning this assessment, I was well aware that the road from compact two-way to 2.5-way tower isn’t necessarily a smooth or predictable one. But the QR 3 SE proved an exception. It picked up where the superb QR 1 left off, adding a magnitude of sonic brio and musicality along the way. Tellingly, Audiovector’s QR 3 SE was one of those irresistible products that allowed this reviewer to remove his critic’s hat, set aside his notepad, and just revel in the music. In short, it put a big smile on my face. And if that’s not what high-end audio is all about, I don’t know what is. 

Specs & Pricing

Type: 2.5-way, bass reflex.
Drivers: AMT tweeter, 6″ mid, 6″ woofer
Frequency response: 28Hz–45kHz
Impedance: 4 ohms
Sensitivity: 90dB
Dimensions: 7.5″ x 37″ x 9″
Weight: 34 lbs.
Price: $3000/pr. (available in piano black, walnut, or white silk)

AUDIOVECTOR USA
(610) 853-9171
audiovector.com