Edifier is well known for its affordable powered speakers and some of its loudspeaker models are packed with features, adding more value to what is essentially a reasonable price point. They are ideal for listeners who have tight budgets and a lack of space but still want a decent pair of stereo speakers to be part of their sound system. Those who have higher budgets can get their hands on Edifier higher-end models which are modestly priced as well.
And so are Edifier speakers any good? Based on the price points and value you are getting, we can consider them good quality speakers. They are meant for casual listeners and for those who are looking for active speakers that are bang for the buck. If you are a discerning audiophile or analytical audio analyst, you probably would want to look elsewhere. To give Edifier powered speakers some credit, there are a few who use them for professional work such as audio mixing and there are models which received tons of rave reviews.
One of the most popular Edifier speakers will be the Edifier R1280T, it has garnered loads of positive reviews and has very high ratings given by its satisfied users. The popularity of the Edifier R1280T is also partly due to its very affordable price tag. Furthermore, it is a pair of powered bookshelf speakers with its own in-built amplifier. You are actually spending even less since you don’t need to purchase an additional amplifier. The sound quality is good for the money too, the Edifier R1280T has a nice level of clarity and delivers a clean music presentation. The volume level is loud enough for nearfield listening. You can get a subwoofer for Edifier R1280T so as to improve the bass performance of your sound system and deliver deeper low frequencies.
More Information on Edifier R1280T at Amazon
The Edifier R1700BT is ideal for listeners who require Bluetooth connection as a feature. It uses Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm AptX HD and gives its users high-quality wireless music streaming from their connected mobile devices. Edifier R1700BT are very modestly priced speakers and also come with their own built-in amplifier. They are very highly rated but not as popular as the Edifier R1280T. You will require an RCA Y Splitter though if you decide to connect an active subwoofer to your stereo setup. It does lack a built-in D/A converter though and if you are interested in getting one, you can check out our blog post on DAC for Edifier R1700BT.
More Information on Edifier R1700BT at Amazon
As mentioned earlier, Edifier has ‘high-end’ speaker models and one of them will be the Edifier S3000Pro. At first look, you can tell the S3000Pro is built differently from the entry-level Edifier speaker models. These active speakers are being pushed toward audiophiles by the company and Edifier has high confidence in their sonic performance. Looking at the modest price tag and the ratings given by some of their owners, the Edifier S3000Pro does look promising and it has a plethora of features as well. Still, at this price range, this is where the competition gets tough and we do find the sound quality of Edifier S3000Pro active speakers is not placing them in the top spots.
More Details of Edifier S3000Pro at Amazon
Table of Contents
What’s Unique about Edifier Speakers
Edifier entry-level speakers are worth every single penny invested in them and they don’t look cheap. Even the higher-end Edifier speaker models are not able to compete with the value you are getting from their entry-level active speakers. You can connect a decent powered subwoofer and set up a full-range sound system without spending much. This is probably one of the most affordable ways to own a full-range stereo sound system.
No Built-in Phono Preamp
Edifier speakers are not ‘friendly’ to turntable users since non of their models come with a built-in phono preamplifier. This can be a blessing in disguise as you could get a dedicated phono stage with higher performance and sound quality. This also means you will need to spend extra and require additional space to accommodate the phono stage. If you don’t have the budget or the space to own a dedicated phono stage then probably you might want to look at other active speaker models with built-in phono preamp such as the Klipsch R 15PM.
To Conclude
There will probably be more listeners owning a pair of Edifier speakers as time goes on due to how affordable they are priced and the popularity they are gaining throughout the years. This is good for us, as this shows we don’t need to spend a fortune just to set up a stereo sound system. Hopefully, Edifier will decide to start integrating phono preamp into their active speakers and this will give us even more value as well as more reasons to get their speakers.
If you are new to the Edifier brand, you probably want to get acquainted by auditioning the Edifier R1280T. Listen to the sound quality you are getting from the R1280T and look at its price tag, you will likely be surprised by the performance.
