Q Acoustics E300A: a compact amplifier designed for effortless installation in the ceiling

Q Acoustics is best known as a loudspeaker builder, but the company seems to be steadily developing a portfolio of custom install solutions. The E300A, recently shown at CEDIA, is a small, flexible amplifier with streaming functions. It can be placed in the ceiling to drive two or four ceiling speakers.

Q Acoustics E300A

It seems that the intention of the developers at Q Acoustics was to offer users a product that allows for customized installation solutions at a low price and with minimal effort. At the same time, the manufacturer claims that it has not compromised on flexibility and feature set.

The Q Acoustics E300A has a visible front with a diameter of 125 millimeters and a mounting depth of 145 millimeters. The weight is 1.2 kilograms. In the easiest way, it can be installed in a corresponding hole in the ceiling or a wall. The front is white and there are buttons as controls and an LED ring.

On the back are two RJ45 Ethernet ports for networking, as well as a combo mini-Toslink port for optical digital audio and an analog 3.5mm stereo mini-jack port. There is a connection for two speakers and a power supply port for power supply via an external power supply.

Class D amplifier

To adequately control loudspeaker systems, the new Q Acoustics E300A is equipped with an efficient Class D amplifier module, which offers a power of two times 25 Watts at six Ohms continuous power and two times 50 Watts peak power. This allows you to easily control not only two, but also four ceiling or wall speakers.

Q Acoustrics gives a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz (+/- 1 dB) and an S/N ratio of over 70 dB. At full power, the total distortion is 0.2 percent.

Streaming via network or Bluetooth 5.2

In addition to the digital and analogue inputs just mentioned, the focus is of course on streaming. This can be done via RJ45 Ethernet or via the WiFi module integrated in the Q Acoustics E300A. The Q Acoustics E300A supports UPnP, Apple AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and is also equipped for voice control via Amazon Alexa.

The user does not need a separate app, but can rely on a wide variety of protocols, which are directly available via his smartphone or tablet. An integrated Bluetooth 5.2 module (with support for A2DP) makes it possible to stream music directly from the smartphone.

In addition to the already mentioned option of operation via various apps and via Amazon Alexa with voice control, the Q Acoustics E300A is also supplied with a suitable remote control.

Price and delivery information

The recommended retail price of the E300A is just under 750 euros, including 2 x 4 meters of speaker cable (18 AWG). Together with a set of built-in speakers of the type Qi65C, the E300A goes over the counter for just under 950 euros.