The Edifier R1700BT is one of the best active bookshelf speakers to get if you have a very tight budget and don’t want to compromise the sound quality. Overall, it is more affordable to get active speakers than passive ones as you don’t need to purchase additional power amplifiers to drive the former. And like all stereo sound systems, a matching DAC will help improve the sonic performance of your speakers and our focus today will be the Edifier R1700BT.
Some active speakers do come with a built-in D/A converter but the Edifier R1700BT doesn’t come with it which is no surprise due to its affordability. The R1700BT speakers do have a Bluetooth connection though and add more value to their users especially those who prefer to stream music wirelessly via their mobile devices. Furthermore, there is a remote control that provides even more convenience to its users, such as adjusting the volume of the active speakers wirelessly. They are compact in size with a slanted angle, making them ideal desktop speakers as well.
As mentioned earlier, the Edifier R1700BT has a built-in amp which is a Class D amplifier system with DSP. The amplifier drives an RMS power output of 15 Watts to the speaker’s tweeter and 18 Watts to the midbass driver. The R1700BT may be small but they are quite capable of delivering a high amount of bass. Its low-end performance partly helps to deliver an energetic music presentation and gives it a warmish sonic characteristic. The downturn of such high bass output is that it will muddle the upper registers at times. This will cause the speakers to lose some clarity on music details and it may upset listeners who are analytical audio enthusiasts. Bass fanatics on the other hand might welcome this sonic trait, still, the Edifier R1700BT speakers don’t reach deep enough into the bass extension.
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Overall, the Edifier R1700BT are entertaining powered speakers to listen to, and is hard to nitpick them based on their price point alone. You can choose certain DAC to complement the speakers’ sonic strengths and/or slightly alter the overall sonic characteristics. More importantly, a DAC can help to lower the noise and give you a cleaner-sounding music delivery. It also acts as an upgrade over your PC onboard sound card, giving you higher sound quality. We will be listing out the best DACs which you can pick and match with your Edifier R1700BT active speakers. You can check them out once you have gone through some of the possible DAC requirements.
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DAC Requirements
You can go for DAC with specific sonic traits to help alter the overall sound reproduction a little. For instance, you may find the bass output of the Edifier R1700BT too pronounced and would like to have a DAC which could slightly tighten up the bass performance. You should also consider the size of the D/A converter so as to make sure it could fit nicely onto your desktop. There are very compact-sized DACs available on the market and they are ideal for listeners who prefer to keep it after use or are currently facing space limitations.
The price points of the DAC can be a requirement as well and since the Edifier R1700BT are budget speakers, you might not want to go for a high-end D/A converter. Some DAC models have a built-in headphone amp and could come in handy if you decide to use a pair of headphones that needs to be driven. The number of connections you need on a digital-to-analog converter is an important requirement. These are some of the requirements worthy of your consideration, and there are more to think about such as the level of resolution you require. Please run through as many potential DAC requirements as possible.
Best Matching DACs for Edifier R1700BT
The Topping D10s is one of the best entry-level DACs to match with the Edifier R1700BT. It is compact in size and doesn’t take up much space on your desktop. More importantly, it has an affordable price tag and should fit your budget with relative ease. Topping D10s is capable of supporting up to 32-bit/384kHz resolution and could decode DSD256 which is rather impressive for a DAC in this price range. The tighter bass control of the D10s DAC will complement the Edifier R1700BT really well.
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The Schiit Audio Modi 3+ is another solid entry-level DAC to get your hands on and partner it up with your Edifier R1700BT active speakers. Modi 3+ looks stylish and sleek for an entry-level D/A converter with a very modest price tag. The DAC is capable of adding in a bit more weight and punch into the overall bass performance. It also has that smooth music delivery and is similar to the sonic characteristic of the Edifier R1700BT. Higher frequencies are a bit more prominent without sounding overly bright and this gives us slightly more clarity.
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Need a DAC with a built-in headphone amp but have a really tight budget? Then perhaps the FiiO E10K will be an excellent choice for you. This is a very highly rated USB DAC with a very affordable price tag and it supports up to 24-bit/192kHz. The neutrality of the FiiO E10K will be a suitable match with the Edifier R1700BT and the extremely low colorations will allow the active speakers to show more of their sonic characteristics. E10K also helps to give us a clearer music presentation and the timbre sounds rather natural too.
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Audioquest Dragonfly Red is an exceptional DAC and is great for listeners who require portability without compromising the sound quality. You can easily keep the USB DAC when you are done using it. The Audioquest Dragonfly Red has an award-winning sonic performance and will certainly be a worthy DAC partner to your Edifier R1700BT. Dragonfly Red has tight control over the music delivery and has enough enthusiasm to give us an impactful crescendo, which is also partly due to its full-bodied sound reproduction.
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Topping D50s will be amazing for listeners who are in need of a DAC which could support up to 32-bit/768kHz sample rates and decode up to DSD512 high-res audio files without breaking the bank. It has plenty of connections as well including Bluetooth 5.0 high-res audio wireless. The insightful DAC will help to dig out more music details and provide better bass control, tightening up the low-end performance of the Edifier R1700BT speakers. The Topping D50s lively sonic characteristic will suit the R1700BT enthusiasm just fine.
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The FiiO K5 Pro ESS is one of the best compact desktop DACs to go for and will be well-matched with the Edifier R1700BT. It is able to support 32-bit/768kHz resolution and native DSD512. The K5 Pro ESS even comes with a built-in headphone amplifier that is capable of driving up to 20Vpp at 300 Ohms. The neutral sonic characteristic of the DAC plays well with the R1700BT active speakers. It has a polished background and produces plenty of music details, not to mention, the FiiO K5 Pro ESS is modestly priced too.
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To Sum It Up
Most of the DACs listed here are closely matched with the Edifier R1700BT’s pricing and all of them are worth your time for an audition. You might want to pick those that fit your budget and hear them out to see if they sound good when partnered with your Edifier R1700BT active speakers. It might take some time to finalize your D/A converter choice but it will be a fun process.
