Do you consider Edifier R1280DB speakers hi-fi?

[Vincent3]

I've seen a couple of reviews of the Edifier R1280DB that say they aren't hi-fi by any stretch, but are exciting for what they are (or words to that effect). However, I've seen many other rave reviews that didn't include that caveat. Of course, one person's hi-fi might be another person's tin can. What has your experience been with these speakers? Considering their size and price, do you think they make the hi-fi cut?

Please, no answers based on a blanket dismissal of powered speakers. I'm looking for answers from people who have heard these speakers and given them a fair chance.

 

[Natertots]

I’m not sure that the question you’re asking is going to get the response you are looking for. The challenge I see is a matter of definition, what you mean by hi-fi and what I mean by hi-fi may be very different.

To me, hi-fi indicates a speaker that in an upper echelon and can produce a level of clarity and sound that it well above the average speaker. Where hi-for starts is debatable and there is no clear line, especially when you start including used/vintage/discontinued gear but I think it is probably in the ~$2k range for a set of new speakers. Again, this is a general statement that could benefit from qualifying statements about used gear, vintage gear, preference, etc. but it reflects my belief.

For me, the better question is are the audiophile speakers. Here again we run into the issue of what I mean by audiophile is going to be different that what someone else means. Many people treat audiophile like I treat hi-if, meaning speakers have reached a certain high level of performance. For me, audiophile indicates the speaker performs well relative to its price and is something that an audiophile would enjoy.

(I define an audiophile as someone who enjoys listening to music more than the average person and appreciates the improvements that higher quality gear makes in the listening experience. This doesn’t mean that they have or use “hi-if” gear, just that they recognize the improvements that can be made with higher quality components.)

Getting back to your question, I have not heard an Edifier product but like you, I have read a lot of good things about them. I was looking into buying a pair for computer use when I transitioned to working at home. Ultimately, I spent less $ on a smaller set of “computer speakers” as I typically listen through headphones while working.

Based on reviews, I suspect they may be “audiophile” speakers but, IMO, Edifier speakers are not “hi-fi“.

Depending on your goal, you may consider asking something like what are the best powered speakers under $XXX dollars or what is the best small system under $XXX. That said, based on what I have read, if you ended up with a pair of R1280DB’s, you would probably be happy.

Best of luck.

 

[Vincent3]

Thanks for your reply. I guess I was led down that hi-fi path by the reviews that said the R1280DB wasn't hi-fi..

 

[mythless]

Does it matter? What is "hi-fi" and what price point does it begin? If you like them then that's all it matters.

I've never heard any Edifier before but, I am sure they're probably decent for the price.

 

[cratz2]

I've only knowingly heard two pair of Edifier speakers. One was a pair that looked like the 1280s but may have been 1380s or 1700s and they were pretty bloated sounding to my ears, as if tuned to put out more bass than they are capable of in a linear fashion and a bit overly bright up top.

The other pair was a set of MR4s that, while not playing super loud, had a sound much more in line with what I prefer.

As mentioned, I'm not sure what the definitions of hi-fi or audiophile or high end are and what levels of performance need to be achieved, but the MR4s sound like a lower volume version the PSB, Paradigms, Elacs, Focals, NHTs and higher end Polks that I usually listen to whereas the 'woodside' look Edifiers I heard were definitely more of a mass consumer product with a bloated bass.

I'm sure many listeners would prefer the V-shaped 1280s to the more linear MR4s.

 

[elnaldo]

I repair powered studio monitors professionally, I've repaired probably one hundred of different monitors, including those Edifier (blown power supply)

They sound nice, some people use them as budget near-field monitors, I've compared them side to side to the Mackie cr4, at 1st the mackie impressed me better, but the Edifier sounds good too. To me, it's a "listenable" little speaker (I could listen to music in that speaker), but I don't consider it a Hi-Fi speaker. It's a balanced speaker, not too bright, a nice tweeter, at normal listening levels it sounds OK to me.

I didn't do extensive tests, just a listening session after a repair, but I'm habituated to studio monitors, I detect quickly if something is not OK.

EDITED: Keep in mind I'm comparing them to my standard, usually expensive studio monitors, and they are still "listenable" to me. I think they are a step up over generic multimedia and computer speakers. They play in another league for sure.

 

[peterp1]

I bought my brother-in-law a pair of Edifier R1280DB in 2019 when we were staying at their vacation home. We were there for 2 weeks and, to be honest, I was pretty disappointed with the sound after all the hype at the time about Edifier. The treble was lacking and the bass was unimpressive. I had to use tone controls pretty liberally, and they still only sounded pretty good. For the $129 I spent, they still sounded very good for the money, but I was disappointed with the sound given all the hype and great reviews.

Fast forward from 2019 to a few weeks ago when I visited them again, and the same Edifier R1280DB pair sounded very, very good. Very clear and very solid bass. My guess is that they take a LOT of time to break in. I went from not being impressed in 2019 to being very impressed in 2022. The bass was very solid, shockingly so given that they only have a 4" woofer and they sounded clear and very crisp on the high end. For a Bluetooth sound system in the kitchen, which is what we were using it for, it would be difficult to ask for more (especially at $129). I did not feel it needed a subwoofer when I listened to it in 2022.

I won't make an assessment about whether the Edifier is "hi fi" or "audiophile", but I do believe you'd have to spend a lot more for a receiver/amp and speakers to match the sound quality the Edifiers provide (once broken in) at a very low price point.

Regarding adding a sub -- bear in mind that the R1280DB has no capability at all to add a sub, however the $10 more R1280DBs model does have a 3.5mm subwoofer out jack.

 

[Vincent3]

Thanks for your replies.

I did a quick comparison between the R1280DB and the Sony SS-CS5 5-inch bookshelf speakers driven by a Sony STR-DH190 receiver. The Sony speakers and receiver blew the Edifiers out of the water. Although vocals and certain instruments sounded good on the Edifiers, I heard other instruments on the Sony's that I didn't hear at all on the Edifiers. In Pink Floyd's "Speak to Me / Breathe," I heard guitar flourishes on the Sony's that I didn't hear on the R1280DB's. The Sony's had dynamics and a wide soundstage that made the Edifiers sound constrained to their physical space. Compared to the Sony's, the Edifier's treble sounded muffled. After the comparison, I no longer consider the R1280DB's suitable for critical listening. For casual, background listening, I think they're great.

To Natertot's point, that's the definition I came away with for "hi-fi": hi-fi means to me that it's suitable for critical listening.

 

[peterp1]

Thanks for your replies.

I did a quick comparison between the R1280DB and the Sony SS-CS5 5-inch bookshelf speakers driven by a Sony STR-DH190 receiver. The Sony speakers and receiver blew the Edifiers out of the water. Although vocals and certain instruments sounded good on the Edifiers, I heard other instruments on the Sony's that I didn't hear at all on the Edifiers. In Pink Floyd's "Speak to Me / Breathe," I heard guitar flourishes on the Sony's that I didn't hear on the R1280DB's. The Sony's had dynamics and a wide soundstage that made the Edifiers sound constrained to their physical space. Compared to the Sony's, the Edifier's treble sounded muffled. After the comparison, I no longer consider the R1280DB's suitable for critical listening. For casual, background listening, I think they're great.

To Natertot's point, that's the definition I came away with for "hi-fi": hi-fi (or audiophile) means to me that it's suitable for critical listening.

How many hours were on the Edifiers? I have no doubt the Sony combo will beat them if you heard that big of a difference, but I wouldn't be surprised if you like the Edifiers more after they've been played many, many hours.

 

[Vincent3]

The Edifiers have probably 50+ hours.

Based on the Edifiers' characteristics that I picked up during the comparison, I think the sound of the Edifiers depends on the particular music being played through them.

 

[Vincent3]

Update: I think the sound quality issues I was having with the R1280DB were caused by a loose RCA plug. I found another cable with tight plugs, and now the speakers sound much better. I'm going to stick with the Sony receiver and speakers, though, because the receiver has other features that I want (FM tuner, headphone jack, sleep timer).

 

[Vincent3]

Fast forward from 2019 to a few weeks ago when I visited them again, and the same Edifier R1280DB pair sounded very, very good. Very clear and very solid bass. My guess is that they take a LOT of time to break in.

Steve Guttenberg posted a video a few days ago that might shed some light on the experience you had between 2019 and a few weeks ago. I've had the same experience. One day, I think the Sony receiver and speakers sound better; another day, I think the Edifiers sound just as good or a little better.

 

[peterp1]

Steve Guttenberg posted a video a few days ago that might shed some light on the experience you had between 2019 and a few weeks ago. I've had the same experience. One day, I think the Sony receiver and speakers sound better; another day, I think the Edifiers sound just as good or a little better.

In my case, I was there for 2 weeks in 2019 and again for another 2 weeks just recently, so I had pretty long-term exposure to them in both cases. By the end of my 2019 visit after I had bought them, I'm sure we had more than 100 hours on them as we were using them every day for large chunks of the day (either listening directly when we were gathering/eating in the kitchen area, or as background music when we were in the living room). They really hadn't opened up to my ear by the end of that trip. I had the same "muffled treble" feeling as you, even though I've seen reviews saying they are bright.

When I listened to them again just recently (again over a period of 2 weeks), the treble was opened up and the bass seemed much more defined than when they were new. You may find that after MANY hours, the Edifiers get better and better.

The Edifiers have the inherent advantage of having the amp AND speaker/enclosure known at the time of design (versus a separate receiver that is designed to work with any speaker (unknown at the time of the design), and a separate speaker that is designed to work with any amp -- so the DSP incorporated in the Edifier's internal amp can work in direct conjunction with the speaker/enclosure to work around it's limitations and unique characteristics. The downside, of course, is that the Edifier's low price limits the quality of components used. There is a lot of processing going on -- probably the antithesis of what an audio purist would want to see -- but it can work wonders (particularly in the bass response out of its 4" woofer). It will be interesting to see if you find that your Edifiers improve over very long term use.

 

[Vincent3]

The Edifiers have the inherent advantage of having the amp AND speaker/enclosure known at the time of design (versus a separate receiver that is designed to work with any speaker (unknown at the time of the design), and a separate speaker that is designed to work with any amp -- so the DSP incorporated in the Edifier's internal amp can work in direct conjunction with the speaker/enclosure to work around it's limitations and unique characteristics. The downside, of course, is that the Edifier's low price limits the quality of components used. There is a lot of processing going on -- probably the antithesis of what an audio purist would want to see -- but it can work wonders (particularly in the bass response out of its 4" woofer). It will be interesting to see if you find that your Edifiers improve over very long term use.

I've listened to them some more, and they are a joy. They look great too. They're now the heart of my bedroom system.

I agree about an active speaker allowing for the amp, speaker components, and DSP to be optimized to work together.