Edifier R1280DB Review – A Powerful Set of Speakers

Is it a speaker for PC?, Is it a speaker just for your TV?, NO! The Edifier R1280DB can do everything, even bounce a ball off…

I am a lucky individual to be able to review and even get to keep some amazing products for myself and the students that join us, this has allowed me to upgrade my living areas with some truly amazing gear as well as some student digs. For my living room, I own a full Dolby Atmos set up from Sony with a 4K TV. For PC speakers I own the M3600D from Edifier with a high-end gaming rig from MSI with a bunch of Razer peripherals. I have also reviewed a number of headsets and speakers from Edifier and found them to be above standard, to the point where they become a good purchase. So with that in your mind, how do the Edifier R1280DB Bookshelf speakers stack up? Shall we find out?

Sales, its where it all starts

Edifier has gone to town when it comes to the sale of this product, with a load of information of the box to help you decide to purchase these speakers or not. On the front, they opted to showcase the speakers in all their glory along with the remote. The model number is clearly placed on the bottom along with the key features along the top which include the following:

• 42 Watts R.M.S
• Bluetooth V4.0
• Optical Input
• Coaxial
• RCA Input 100 – 240V switching Power Supply

On one of the sides, you find out the size of these speakers which measure 146 width x 234 height x 196 depth along with 3 different languages trying to tell me something. Moving to the other side we find out what Edifier was trying to tell us and it was the key features which include the following;

• Active bookshelf speaker system with 42W power output
• Supports Bluetooth (V 4.0), optical (24bit/45KHz), Coaxial (24bit/45KHz) and dual RCA inputs
• Bass, treble and master volume dials located not the side panel
• Wireless remote control for volume adjustment and mute
• Calibrated, flared front-facing bass reflect port
• 100% MDF wooden enclosures to minimize acoustic resonance
• Universal 100V-240V power supply

We also find the SPL Vs Frequency charts which means what?

Well SPL stands for Sound Pressure Level so it’s the Sound Pressure Level vs Frequency and this person gives you a good understanding here.

Then on the back Edifier shows you the two variants of speaker available, indicating which version you are holding, brown or black following by a load of specifications;

• SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO:≥85dBA (A)
• NOISE LEVEL:≤25dB (A)
• INPUT SENSITIVITY:
• LINE IN1: R/L:450±50mV
• LINE IN2: R/L:550±50mV
• OPT/COA: R/L:500±50mFFS
• Bluetooth: R/L:700±50mFFS
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE:55Hz-20KHz
• BASS UNIT:4 inch (116mm)
• TWEETER UNIT:: Φ13mm silk dome tweeter

And that’s the box and sales of the product all sorted, are you happy with what you have read so far? Are these the speakers you have been waiting for? Or do you want more info? If so just keep reading on.

Thanks to a whole host of connection opportunities from Analogue, to digital and even Bluetooth you can use these speakers for anything, from PC gaming, music streaming from your mobile device or even as speakers for your multimedia centre (TV, console, DVD/Blu-ray Player etc). With a highly acceptable price of only £119.99 on Amazon, what would you be using these for?

But before we test these speakers let us have a nice look at the speakers themselves. These are not plastic and cheap, these are made with MDF (Medium-density fibreboard) with a wooden textured vinyl wrap all-around in black or brown dependent on the version you have chosen. With rounded edges, rubber feet to help with grip and a nice aluminium strip going across the speaker grill. Removing the grill and it looks just as good, with two drivers and a display port all on display, DO YOU THINK I’M SEXY? Yes, I do.

With a 13 mm silk-dome tweeter and a 4 inch (116 mm) paper-cone woofer, these really do look smexy, but what do you expect for the price you are paying, or am I expecting less for the price or should there be more? I ponder.

What about all the connections types, digital, coaxial, RCA and even Bluetooth, is that enough? Yes, let’s go with that. However, if these were speakers dedicated to a home entertainment system I would want an HDMI connection for pass-through. All these connections can be found on the right speaker leaving the poor left speaker with only its speaker spring clips. Keeping with the all entertaining right speaker, if you take a look at the side you can see all the dials that control treble, bass and volume.

When moving the dial for the Bass and Treble, there is a nice tactile bump letting you know when you hit the halfway mark. The Volume dial is infinite, with tactile bumps every 1 mm.

The worse thing about this whole speaker set is the nasty wireless controller, plastic and glossy, so its fingerprint heavy. It does control everything, from the volume, to skipping tracks, even what connection type to use, it’s just nasty. But you do get a FREE optical cable, fun times when you get this free.

Testing, Testing, Testing, well using. 

So first off, PC Gaming, No room on my desk for these due to my dual monitor setup, what shall I do? Speaker stands I purchased some time ago. Grabbed them from my attic, set them up, not the perfect size to mount them on, but perfect for what I need them to do, hold the damn speaker while I test them.

Currently, I am using an Edifier speaker set up with a dedicated Bass Unit, the M3600D, a stupidly huge amount of bass and loads of power to dish out anything I enjoy. So there is NO way these speakers can beat them, that is the honest truth. This does not mean in any way they are total junk, they produce a sublime soundscape, with just enough bass, I even turned the bass down to emphasise treble, those wonderful highs. When playing games, listening to music from 80s rock, to dance, trance and everything in between the speaker performed admirably.

For the entertainment system, switch console, 4K TV, Blu-ray I already have a full Dolby Atmos setup, so yet again there is no way in hell these two speakers can beat that. This again does not mean they are rubbish, if you do not own what I own, you should be asking yourself will these speakers offer me a much better sound experience, than what I currently have. Like I said before these speakers do perform admirably, great bass in films like Marvel’s Avengers or the new 1941, to highs, mids and lows with The Greatest Showman. For many users, these speakers will offer an upgrade to your TV speaker or a budget soundbar. The only question you need to ask yourself is this, ‘my TV is on the wall, how do I display these speakers‘, the answer is simple, speakers stands.

So overall, what did I think of these speakers? Turn the Bass down a little and turn up the treble to get those highs in and you have a good speaker set up. If the speakers came with a dedicated bass unit, then I feel there would be no need to turn the bass down at all. If you are looking for speakers over a soundbar, for your total entertainment systems, then these will pop off your socks and make you sit back, relax and watch those epic films in glorious Edisound (Yes I made that up, it means Edifier Soundstage). If you have a PC and need a good set of speakers without a dedicated bass unit, which I know many users never have one, these speakers will create an Edisound (Soundstage) perfect for your gaming needs. If your TV is already on the wall, and you simply can not afford a high-end soundbar, which I truly recommend, then get yourself some speaker stands and grab these, you can not go far wrong for the price point.

You can purchase the Edifier R1280DB Bookshelf Speakers through Amazon for 119.99.

The speakers were tested with an MSI Gaming RIG, SKY Q and an LG OLED TV.

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