If you are planning to set up a desktop stereo sound system but have a very tight budget, then the Edifier R1280T will be an excellent choice for you. This is a pair of very affordable bookshelf speakers and comes with its own built-in amplifier which further lowers your overall cost since you don’t need to get additional power amps. They are compact in size as well and due to this, the Edifier R1280T speakers do have some limitations.
We highly recommend getting a powered subwoofer to partner up with the Edifier R1280T active speakers as the sub will help supplement the bass and improve your stereo system’s overall sonic performance. Please continue to read on as we will be sharing with you a list of the best powered subwoofers to match with your R1280T.
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Sound Characteristics of Edifier R1280T
The Edifier R1280T looks pretty good for a pair of budget active speakers and has that retro feel to it. You wouldn’t be able to tell how affordable these bookshelf speakers are just by looking at them. Removing the speaker grille, you will notice a small 0.5″ (13mm) silk dome tweeter and a 4″ (100mm) bass driver with a front-firing bass port. With the bass port located at the front, this allows us to place the Edifier R1280T nearer to the rear walls. They do not have the slant angle like some other Edifiter speaker models so you might need desktop speaker stands to bring them up to your ear levels.
The total RMS power output is 42 Watts and this is good for an active speaker of this price point. Checking out the frequency response of 75Hz-18kHz (+/9dB), you will immediately notice the bass limitations. Based on these specs alone, we can tell the Edifier R1280T will benefit a lot with a subwoofer supporting the low ends. As the Edifier R1280T speakers do not have a dedicated subwoofer output, you will need an RCA Y-splitter so that the audio sources can be connected to both your Edifier R1280T speakers and subwoofer. If your source has a subwoofer output, you can simply use it to connect to the powered sub instead.
More Details at Amazon – Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers
For casual music listening at a moderate volume level, the Edifier R1280T is able to deliver a clean music delivery with a nice level of clarity. This is partly due to the bright treble and fortunately doesn’t sound cringe. Pushing the active speakers such as playing them at high volumes may result in audio distortion. We suggest listening to the Edifier R1280T at a nearfield distance. Some subtle music details and nuances are inaudible at times, and we don’t dare to increase the volume by too much. Still, the Edifier R1280T is sufficiently loud enough for nearfield music listening.
The bass reproductions are more pronounced than the rest of the higher frequencies. This also does muddle the mids and highs. The bass performance of the Edifier R1280T belies its size and price but when it comes to deep low ends, the R1280T is really limited. When watching movies, the Edifier R1280T speakers alone are unable to provide us with a satisfactory performance and this is as expected. If you want more prominent deep bass reproductions, you certainly require the support of a subwoofer.
You might want to take this opportunity to work out a budget and see how much you are willing to invest in an active subwoofer. We will now be sharing with you a list of the best matching subwoofers and their price points have been taken into consideration. As it is kind of pointless to match subs which will cost a lot more than the Edifier R1280T. Since they are budget active speakers, the listed subwoofers should be within the same price range.
Edifier R1280T Specifications
- Total RMS Power Output: 42 Watts
- Drivers: 0.5″ (13mm) Silk Dome Tweeter, 4″ (100mm) Bass Driver
- Frequency Response: 75Hz-18kHz (+/-9dB)
- Speaker Type: 2-Way (Front-ported)
- Dimensions: 146mm x 241mm x 178mm | 5.7″ x 9.5″ x 7″
Best Matching Subwoofers for Edifier R1280T
The Monoprice 60-Watt Powered Subwoofer is one of the most ideal choices for the Edifier R1280T active speakers. It has very affordable pricing and will fit almost everyone’s budget. The 8″ ported subwoofer has an amplifier that dishes out 60 Watts RMS power and can go quite loud. We suggest placing the Monoprice powered subwoofer at the corner of your room. This will reinforce the deep bass delivery, giving it more impact and weight. For a sub of this size and price, it can punch harder than expected.
More Details at Amazon – Monoprice 60-Watt 8″ Powered Subwoofer
If you are looking for an affordable active subwoofer with Bluetooth technology then you might want to take a look at Bestisan SW65D. It has a slim cabinet design and this allows the sub to fit into tight places. The Bestisan SW65D is a 6.5″ subwoofer and has a frequency response of 40Hz-250Hz which is impressive for an active sub at this price point. You can stream your music directly to the SW65D using the wireless Bluetooth (5.0) connection and use the sub to connect to your Edifier R1280T speakers. For a powered sub with such an affordable price tag, we have nothing to nitpick about it.
More Details at Amazon – Bestisan SW65D Bluetooth 5.0 Subwoofer
For listeners with a slightly higher budget, the Polk Audio PSW10 will be an exceptional choice for you and it will match well with the Edifier R1280T. It has incredibly high ratings and there are loads of positive reviews being provided by its satisfied users. This is a 10-Inch ported subwoofer with 50 Watts RMS power and could go up to 100 Watts peak. The bass performance is surprisingly agile and tight for a ported subwoofer at this price range. Polk Audio PSW10 is definitely sufficient for nearfield listening use.
More Information at Amazon – Polk Audio PSW10 (Black)
The Klipsch R-12SW is another amazing ported subwoofer with a price tag that won’t break the bank. This is for listeners who want a larger bass driver as the Klipsch R-12SW has a 12-Inch copper-spun front-firing woofer. The 400 Watts of dynamic power will be sufficient for watching movies inside a small room. The clean and deep bass performance will match well with the Edifier R1280T active speakers. This is also one of the most highly rated subwoofers with an affordable price tag especially when it is having a discount.
More Information at Amazon – Klipsch R-12SW 12″ Sub
Complete the set by going for the Edifier T5 subwoofer and matching it with your Edifier R1280T active speakers. Both powered subwoofer and speakers are designed by the same company, and they should share similar sound signatures which will give us a more seamless overall sound reproduction. Furthermore, the price point of the Edifier T5 is closely matched with the Edifier R1280T speakers. The T5 8″ bass driver is been driven with 70 Watts of RMS power and it could reach down to 38Hz bass extension.
More Details at Amazon – Edifier T5 70 Watts RMS Powered Subwoofer
If you prefer a very low-profile and compact subwoofer, you might want to take a look at the Monoprice SSW-8. This is an ultra-slim subwoofer and you can easily hide it under your furniture such as sofas, cabinets, etc. The SSW-8 may be compact but it could still deliver down to 30Hz bass frequencies and this level of subsonic low ends are what the Edifier R1280T speakers are missing. This 8″ subwoofer with up to 100 Watts peak power has affordable pricing as well. It is capable of smooth and clean bass performance.
More Info at Amazon – Monoprice SSW-8 Powered Slim 8″ Subwoofer (Black)
To Conclude
The listed subwoofers are all affordable and will be a great match for your Edifier R1280T speakers. Even if you have a higher budget, we wouldn’t suggest going for high-end subs unless you are planning to upgrade your current speakers as well. For a budget stereo system setup, you should always stick with entry-level HiFi components with matching price points.
