Edifier R1850DB Active Bookshelf Studio Speakers with Bluetooth - Matt Black

Product Information

As for the output level, these speakers can get seriously loud. What’s somewhat surprising considering the price is that they don’t distort even at higher output volumes. The sound quality remains undistorted and smooth, although the balance will shift towards the upper end of the frequency spectrum. For music production and mixing, it is recommended to use lower volumes. Although you may want a speaker that produces amazing sound, it should also fit your studio’s aesthetic. Edifier R1700BT

Its mids are well defined with sufficient warmth to produce a pleasing listening experience. In addition, the highs are crisp and clean without any harshness. Also, the lows are ample, although with a little more boom. And it hit me. The Edifiers have a Bass control. So what I did was turn the Bass knob way down. Not all the way, but maybe 80%. Maybe I'm crazy, but it's a fact that filter networks introduce their own phase distortions and somewhere in my silly head, my notion is that the phase distortions get logarithmically worse the more you engage the network, so I don't want to push it to its limits where things probably get really nasty.

The speakers are heavy and solid – they FEEL valuable. I like the slight upward angle a lot as they are aimed perfectly from my desktop to my ears. They look modern and sleek, with or without the grills (though I have a two year old and will probably keep them on). The cable that connects the two speakers is super long – much longer than I needed (mine are only a couple of feet apart). The right speaker has the IR sensor for the remote and a small status/power indicator light that glows through the grill. Active bookshelf speakers are much maligned in the audiophile world but anyone doing so doesn’t quite get the point. For a lot of people the world of pairing, matching, and even setting up speakers with amplifiers is a pain in the rear end. Believe it or not people like just being able to plug something into the wall and start listening. I’m not going to sit here and argue about active vs passive speakers. I’m going to review this set of R1850DB for what they are, active powered speakers with an in-built amp. For me, I hooked them up via Aux-in and Bluetooth for this review and it just worked. The bluetooth range was stable in large rooms with open spaces and only broke connection when trying to pass the signal through walls. As is the norm with bookshelf speakers of this design, the two speakers cover both active and passive. Apart from the rear of the speakers, they are the same size and you won’t be able to distinguish between the two. Polk PSW10 - Rs. 16k (from ProFX showroom, Bangalore - cheapest compared to online prices .i.e. 19k)

My first impression was that I really liked the design, they fit in almost any environment, except perhaps really old school cottages. A strange comparison, but I have reviewed a pair of Edifiers in an old cottage before over at Fullsync. The angular cabinet shape and included removable grills allow for flexible positioning either horizontally or vertically, but vertically is recommended for the best performance. Add to that the fact that the phase anomalies introduced by these three bass units can be unpleasant, and I just wasn't thrilled. So I started noodling on what to do about it. Initially, I was not impressed. Really, the sub seemed to add very little and I had trouble getting it dialed in to where I was happy.It shares the same 4″ mid-bass driver and 19mm silk dome tweeter as the R1850DB, both appear to be well constructed based on durability testing. With a 19mm silk dome tweeter, the R1700BT delivers smooth treble and does well to avoid any harshness. It’s such a shame that these are just loan units, as I didn’t want to let them go. They’re really really good and when the sun is shining, the BBQ is on there is little else you’d need, other than a good sound system and the Edifier R1850DB’s hit the nail on the head.

We were not paid for this review. The speakers have since been returned to the PR Company working on behalf of Edifier. There is no real difference here in the quality, but both are rigid enough to prevent any unwanted resonance. One of the crucial features to look out for when choosing a studio monitor is the sound quality. Of course, you shouldn’t compromise this, although there are other things to consider. Edifier R1700BT The RMS is powered by 60W and allows the speaker to reach loud volumes around the 100dB mark before distortion becomes noticeable.A light on the front of the active speaker will change colour to show what the current input mode is. This light will change to blue when you are in Bluetooth mode.