I have reviewed a few Edifier speakers now, and they offer a wide range of options for people looking for affordable options.
I previously reviewed the excellent Edifier R1850DB, the R2000DB are a step up in the product range, offering a superior specification in a similar but physically larger design.
While the Edifier R2000DB may not be affordable for many people, in the world of speakers, they are not bad at all. Amazon has them at around £240, and recently Overclockers had them as low as £180 (now out of stock).
Specification
Preview | Product | Price | |
---|---|---|---|
|
Edifier R2000DB Bluetooth Active Bookshelf Speaker System… | £239.99 | Buy on Amazon |
|
Edifier R1850DB Active Bookshelf Studio Speakers with… | £159.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Edifier | R2000DB | R1850DB |
Total Power Output | RMS 24W X 2 + 36w X 2 | RMS 16Wx2 + 19Wx2 |
Signal to noise ratio | 85dBA | 85dBA |
Distortion | 0.50% | 0.50% |
Frequency Response | 55Hz-20KHz(±3db) | 60Hz-20KHz |
Inputs | RCA, Bluetooth 4.0, Optical | RCA, Bluetooth 4.1, Optical, Coax |
Output | No Sub | 3.5mm Subwoofer |
Dimension | 174×289×252mm | 154x254x224mm |
Weight | 9Kg | 6.63kg |
Design, Build & features vs R1850DB
Being bookshelf speakers that are positioned a little higher up in the Edifier product line-up, these are physically quite large, especially if you plan to place them on your desktop. I have Bose Companion 50 speakers for my day to day use which has a dedicated subwoofer, so the bulk of the speaker is kept on the floor, whereas these are all in one.
The R1850DB measures 154x254x224mm and weighs 6.63kg, so these are bigger all around at 174×289×252mm and 9kg.
While they are large, the speakers do look good impressive, giving off a more premium look and feel than their asking price suggests.
Both pairs of speakers are angled, so they are designed to be sat on your desk, or level with it
Similar to the Edifier R1850DB, these feature an integrated power cable and then a 5-metre 4-pin cable connecting the two speakers together. The cable has plenty of length, but you will be limited how far you can place these apart, unlike with normal speaker cable. Similarly, the thick 5m cable will be harder to hide when placed close together.
Strangely, these lack a subwoofer out, but the cheaper R1850DB does have an output. While most people are unlikely to add a subwoofer, it is a nice option to have.
In use
I run my audio through a FiiO K5 Pro Desktop DAC via USB then connected to the speakers with RCA cable.
Unsurprisingly, these sound a lot better than the Edifier R1850DB, which were already good.
The offer a superior level of bass to the R1850DB, while they can’t compete with the lows of a dedicated subwoofer, these should offer all the performance you want.
The more I listened to these, the less I felt I needed the sub. My go-to track for excessive amounts of bass is Run The Jewels JU$T. The speakers handled the track flawlessly with no distortion while still managing to replicate the very deep lows.
Mids and treble are superb. In particular, I found that there is very good separation with the lows. Vocals are clear regardless of the music genre, and this works equally well for TV and movies.
I have been listening to a lot of modern violin music recently; such as Black Violin, I find it relaxing and not distracting during work. However, I am quite sensitive to highs, and sometimes the violin can sound unpleasantly sharp. These speakers handle the tracks superbly, and there is a good balance when there is both violin and deeper bass sections of the tacks..
On the remote, you have an option to switch between classic and dynamic with the classic mode offering a slightly more natural sound with dynamic amplifying the bass a touch. I found this quite useful allowing me to quickly change the sound profile depending on what I am listening to. So switching dynamic on fro Run the Jewels, really brought out the bass. However, it was more subtle in other tracks.
I mostly listen to music sat at my desk, but I often play games and watch movies or TV. The speakers have handled all scenarios wells.
The volume can go up quite loud, easily enough to fill my large office, and uncomfortably loud sat at my desk. Even though they can go loud, there seems to be no distortion introduced at all, which I found very impressive.
While I predominantly used these by switching source on my DAC, the remote is handy, offering all the control you need. With plenty of inputs on the rear of the speakers, these should work well in various environments. These could quite happily work in a living room switching between TV and console, and they would like offer superior performance than many soundbars at this price point.
Bluetooth connectivity uses SBC so not the best quality but still works well, especially if you only use streaming services such as Spotify.
Price and Alternatives
The Edifier R2000DB are £240 on Amazon but have been as low as £180 on Overclockers. CPC also have them for £190.80 Inc. VAT
The R1850DB are around £160 on Amazon, so I would say the R2000DB is easily a better buy if you can get them sub-£200. However, you need to remember that you won’t be able to upgrade the R2000DB with a sub-woofer.
Depending on your budget, Edifier has lots of options around this price point.
The Edifier S350DB 2.1 is around £250 with the benefit of a dedicate sub.
For a more modern look, you can pick up the Edifier E25HD Luna Eclipse for around £180
The S880DB are around £250, but unlike the other speakers, these have an XMOS digital processor built-in offering USB input so you don’t need a dedicated DAC.
Ther Edifier S1000DB may sound like they are positioned lower in the product line up, but are in fact a little higher up, priced at around £280 with the £20 voucher on Amazon. These also lack a sub out but there has a superior frequency response with a larger full-range driver.
The other options would be to get a stereo amp and pair them up with some affordable speakers, but that opens up too many options to list.
Overall
The Edifier R2000DB continue the brands’ tradition of offering excellent performance for the money.
There is not much to fault about them, as much as I would have liked a sub out, the more I listened to them, the less I felt I needed one. Your mileage may vary, and it depends on what you listen too. If these were in my living room where I watch movies, I might feel differently.
Overal these are superb. If you have a desk that can acocmodate the size these or a have dedicated spot to place them, there seems to be little that can compete.
Posted by Mighty Gadget Blog: UK Technology News and Reviews