It’s a bit of a cliché in the audiophile scene to say that Denmark has the highest concentration of HiFi brands per capita. While I can't confirm the stats, Denmark's contribution to the industry is massive relative to its size. Audiovector is one of the classic names in the Danish HiFi landscape, and their high-end R series speakers have been well covered by the audio media in the US. It’s become my modus operandi to explore high-end speaker brands by getting acquainted with their affordable models. In my mind, that’s where the most interesting engineering happens, and those models often receive the least press coverage. See my past reviews of speakers Audio Physic, Canton, and Usher. The humble QR1 SE (USD 1800) is the entry-level model in Audiovector’s entry-level line.

The QR1 SE hasn’t received a ton of press, but when researching its predecessor, the QR1, I noticed the price has decreased by about $500 in the last few years. These days, it's more likely to see a typo in a press release than a price decrease. So I asked Audiovector’s North American rep, Anthony Chiarella, who facilitated this review, about the pricing. He explained that Audiovector recently streamlined their commercial operation by bringing US distribution in-house and passed the savings on to customers. Respect.

Let’s explore the Audiovector QR1 SE. Does it offer a taste of the high end at an attainable price, or is it just another player in a crowded field?

Features & Specifications

On paper, the specifications of most two-way standmount or monitor speakers fall within a predictable range, and the QR1 SE is no exception. This predictability makes it more fun to discover the diverse musical presentations available from products in this large swath of the market. Below are the specifications of the QR1 SE direct from Audiovector. The weight of each speaker, which was omitted from their product page, is approximately 14 lbs each, quite solid given the compact cabinet.

Frequency Response: 44 – 45 kHz

Gold Leaf Upper Limit: 105 kHz

Treble system: Gold Leaf AMT with S-stop

Bass drivers: 6” Pure Piston technology

Bass System: Q-port bass reflex

Principle: 2 Way

Crossover Frequency: 3000 Hz

Sensitivity: 86 dB/W/m

Power handling: 160 W

Impedance: 4 Ohms

Dimensions H/W/D 32.5 x 19 x 23.2 cm

Design & Build

While the general form factor of the QR1 SE may be somewhat ubiquitous, the attention to detail in the design and execution of the build is extraordinary. The cabinets of my review sample were wrapped in flawless matte walnut veneer and included just enough tasteful flourishes to identify as a high-end product and differentiate them from the outgoing QR1. The machine flanges around the drives engraved Audiovector logo were particularly well done. Slicker than usual grill fabric covers the entire face of the speaker when the grilles are in place, which I personally found to be a clean look.

With the SE version, beyond the gold trim, the investment is in the internals for improved sound. Much more of a health cleanse than a facelift. Optimized crossover capacitors, cryogenically treated wiring, and bass port geometry refinement are among the most notable updates.

My Use

For simplicity, I used the familiar Wiim Mini steamer, feeding the PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated or the all-in-one Cambridge EVO 150 as a front end, driving the QR1 SE. Vinyl was in the mix too, but most of my critical listening was digital. The unimpeachable Audio Art Classic wired up all the analog connections. I tried the QR 1 SE in my 14 x 13 ft office and my living room to get a feel for how they fill various spaces.

Listening

The QR1 SE came roaring out of the gate with a strong first impression—not a slow burn. They have a “reach-out-and-touch-it” presence unlike any speakers I’ve had in-house. Streaming “Mayonnaise’”from the epic Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins (Virgin, 1993) was one of my first serious listens. The track opens with James Iha's gentle rhythm guitar in an unusual tuning. Billy Corgan's famous whistling pawn shop guitar, tuned more typically, bursts in around the one-minute mark, and it felt like it gripped me by the collar and shook me around. The texture and bite were absolutely tactile.

I read a lot in the audiophile press about how realistic a product sounds. I readily admit I am not a good judge of what sounds realistic and what doesn’t. I don't go to small venue acoustic concerts to build a mental reference of instrument timbre. What I do know is what is convincing to me personally— what gives me goosebumps. The QR1 SE brought the goosebumps.

The AMT (air motion transformer) tweeter creates some spiciness without sibilance. A typical concern with energetic treble is listening fatigue. Paired with the Cambridge EVO 150 and PS Audio Stellar Strata amps, I did not experience that issue, but I suspect the QR1 SE could be sensitive to partner amplifiers.

‘90s alternative rock is definitely a tough test for an audiophile speaker. Moving on to a more recent, beautifully produced rock album, I spent some time with King Hannah’s 2024 release, Big Swimmer (City Slang, 2024). On the title track, the midrange body was on full display with singer Hannah Merricks’ too-cool-for-school vocals so solid I could almost scoop them with a spoon. A more modern and spacious production than Siamese Dream, Big Swimmer showed the QR SE1 can rock hard and still throw a spacious soundstage.

The full bass and fleshed-out midrange provide richness, ensuring the QR1 SE is not tonally too cool or brittle, while offering up musical texture that gets under the skin. Playing around with volume, I found the fullness diminishes a bit at low volume. The bass comes alive when the volume is turned above background listening levels. I also noticed that at decent levels, the grille cloth moves with the bass energy. Perhaps because the frame of the grille sits quite flush on the face of the cabinet, air must move through the cloth instead of around it. This prompted me to keep the grilles off for serious listening just in case this interference had any sonic impact.

Going full audiophile, I played Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ immaculate 2024 album, Woodland (Acony Records). Here I sensed it was the AMT tweeter bringing the magic with plucked guitar strings sounding absolutely mesmerizing. My favorite track, “Lawman”, was as engaging as ever with the foreboding chorus of “lawman, lawman gonna shoot my honey down” haunting me throughout repeat listens.

My general listening involved music much more diverse than my impressions noted here. While the QR1 SE has a personality, it is absolutely not a genre-specific speaker. From chamber music to electronica, it gives the same treatment to any recording. One day I’ll reread all my old reviews, but I’ll bet the speakers all come with the same caveat that holds true here: Compression, more than anything, causes a recording to show poorly. The QR1 SE falls in the middle in terms of their flattery of recordings. Average or better recordings all do quite well. Recordings that are overly compressed or contain distorted guitars (often hand in hand) could lean harsh.

Relative to the Audio Physic Step, which I had in-house at the same time, the QR1 SE offers more tactility and goosebump factor along with harder-hitting, deeper bass. The Audio Physic delivers a wider soundstage, more separation, pinpoint imaging, and generally disappears. While still revealing, the Audio Physic is perhaps slightly more forgiving in nature and likely to be more flexible in terms of partnering equipment. At approximately twice the price, the Audio Physic is a fine value given its refinement, but the QR1 SE is a screaming deal.

I gradually learned the QR1 SE is sensitive to placement in some aspects and quite flexible in other ways. The front-facing bass reflex slot allows the speaker to be placed near a rear wall. Anthony Chiarella recommended I try them in shelves as an experiment. This could be a viable setup where a rear-ported speaker would fail. In general, imaging depth diminished with proximity to the rear wall but not nearly as much as I would have expected, which is great for small spaces. On the contrary, in a larger room, leveraging the rear wall to boost the bass output and scale of the presentation was not as effective. In my living room, the Audio Physic Step could scale up and fill the space, while in my office, the QR1 SE had a more commanding presence over a wider range of volume levels.

Conclusion

The Audiovector QR1 SE leaves such a firm sonic impression and offers such incredible value as a product that once I got to know it, this review almost wrote itself. It is the least expensive still-in-production speaker that I've reviewed for Audiophilia and, in certain aspects, the most memorable. I was sad to ship it off and hope to try one of the floorstanding QR’s someday. For audiophiles shopping the crowded $2000 segment for speakers with hair-raising musical presence, the QR1 SE is a knockout punch.

Further information: Audiovector