The Q Acoustics E120 is a custom install system you can actually afford

Interior of luxury panoramic kitchen with white and black marble marble walls, white countertops, wooden island and long dining table with chairs. Mock up wall to the right. 3d rendering

Q Acoustics has bolstered its arsenal of affordable home audio with its first custom install system, the E120, which comes available in a range of packages for both indoor and outdoor use.

At its core, the E120 is a wireless audio system compromised of a control panel and a pair of Qi65CB in-ceiling indoor speakers. The entry-level package costs just £499, promising sound that’s big enough to “fill any room”, in the British brand’s own words – and Q Acoustics do tend to deliver when it comes to sound, judging by our Q Acoustics Q Active 200 review.

A number of upgrades are available thereafter. For £569, you get Qi65C ‘Professional’ indoor speakers, while £649 bags you a pair of Qi65W ‘Weatherproof’ speakers suitable for use in places likely to get a bit damper, like bathrooms and verandas. The most premium bundles are designed for those who want on-wall speakers, with an E120 panel and a pair of Qi65RP ‘Performance’ speakers or Qi65EW ‘Weatherproof’ outdoor speakers both running you £699.

All packages come with two 7m QED speaker cables and 5M power cables included. Alternatively, if you want to use your own pre-existing speaker set-up, then the E120 hub alone will set you back £429, coming available in either black or white. While great, a single Sonos in-ceiling speaker can set you back around £600, to put the notion of Q Acoustics’ affordability into context.

Those after even more sound have a couple of options. For starters, the E120 includes a rear analog output that can be configured for a subwoofer, if it’s extra bass you’re after, or an external power amp. You could even link it up to a second E120 system, if you really wanted. Q Acoustics also says that up to four speakers can be paired to each control panel, though individual speaker pricing wasn’t included in the release.

A Q Acoustics E120 control panel in Black

In terms of the hub itself, its 3.2-inch colour screen offers wireless music streaming over Bluetooth 5.0, supporting most major services and showing track, album and artist details on the display when playing. It can be dimmed for nighttime use, however, and it also offers alarm functionality. Elsewhere there’s a built-in DAB+ and FM radio, plus 3.5mm and mini TOSLINK inputs so you can connect it to your TV, if you wish.

Full-sized remote controls come bundled with all packages, too, and are IP67-rated, while the E120 panel itself is IP54-rated, meaning it’ll withstand a bit of dust and damp no problem, without being fully water-resistant. All packages are set to go on sale by the end of April, both direct through the Q Acoustics website and via selected independent retailers.

Read more: the best wireless speakers right now

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James has been covering gadgets and other cool tech stuff for more than 10 years, most recently as the Sports and TV Streaming Editor at TechRadar. Before that, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, where he developed a love of big phones and even bigger headlines. In his spare time, he can usually be found behaving badly on a golf course or watching the New England Patriots.