Description
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Build Quality
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Performance
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Ease of Use
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Sound Quality
Summary
In this price range, the Edifier R1280T’s audio quality is impressive. Budget-friendly PC speakers rarely sound this good and deliver this much power. These are some of the wired PC speakers we’ve tested in recent memory and easily earn our full recommendation. Add a Bluetooth audio adapter and you get a bargain in terms of the quality of sound.
User Review
( votes)Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers – 2.0 Active Near Field Monitors – Studio Monitor Speaker – Wooden Enclosure – 42 Watts RMS
Bookshelf speakers come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and prices. The Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers want to provide a quality audio experience at a price that won’t leave your ears ringing. They’re designed in a traditional rectangular shape, measuring approximately 9 ½” x 5 ¾” x 7” (H x W x D) with the front speaker grille attached. The sides have a nice wood construction while the top is a composite material of some sort. The front speaker grille is simply grey with a silver band across the middle and the Edifier name mark at the bottom. Removing the speaker grille shows off the 4” bass driver, the bass reflex port, and the 13mm silk dome tweeter.
The right side of the main speaker includes adjustment knobs for volume, bass, and treble allowing you to fine-tune your audio as well as a small green power LED. The back of the passive speaker only includes a pair of speaker wire clips, which connect to the corresponding clips on the active speaker. The active speaker also includes the power switch, power cable, and two RCA inputs.
The speaker comes with one RCA to 3.5mm audio plug which can plug into your computer, your phone (as long as it still has a 3.5mm audio jack), or anything else that will create audio via a 3.5mm port. You can attach a second device via the second RCA inputs provided you have the necessary cables. The speakers are both completely magnetically shielded, so you can place them next to your computer and monitor without fear. The speakers also come with a small remote control that allows you to adjust the volume as well as mute the speakers.
These speakers may have just a couple more steps than your basic pair of computer speakers, but nothing is really even remotely challenging. If you’ve never connected a pair of speakers using speaker wire, that will be the most challenging part of the setup, and it’s really not that difficult. The included speaker wire comes with the tips already exposed, meaning you just need to open the speaker wire clips on the back of each speaker and insert the wires. Good to go. The only challenging part of that process is that you need to be sure you’re attaching the same wire on both ends of the cable. Edifier makes this relatively easy by having one copper-coloured wire and one grey-coloured wire. You can really plug either cable into either clip as long as you’re consistent on both speakers.
Once that’s out of the way, you can plug the RCA cables into either of the inputs — again, ensuring that you plug the red and white RCA cables into their appropriate inputs on the speaker, and then plug your 3.5mm cable into your source device. As long as you’ve plugged in the power and turned the power switch on, that’s really all you need to do.
Speakers and audio products, in general, have made some pretty great strides when it comes to audio quality. What used to be reserved for more expensive products can be replicated with pretty good consistency in more budget-friendly offerings. The Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers really do sound quite good. With the bass and treble controls at their default setting, you’re able to get good, strong audio with a pretty decent mix. The bass is present but not overpowering, and the mids and highs are clear. Even at high volumes (and these speakers can definitely get loud) there’s no distortion and your audio will come through clearly.
You can tweak the treble and bass using the dials on the side of the right speaker, though the effects aren’t huge, but more subtle. You can absolutely make a difference in the bass and treble levels using the adjustment dials, but you’re just not going to get thumping bass simply by turning the dial. These speakers will give you a really good quality sound.
Conclusion
Bookshelf speakers range in price from the very cheap (which are usually very cheap for a reason) to the exorbitantly expensive. Edifier has priced the R1280T speakers at a good price, especially when you consider the solid construction and huge sound that these speakers put out. If you need a new and rather good pair of bookshelf speakers, whether it be for your computer, your stereo, or just a nice pair of speakers to plug into your phone, the Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers are worth a look. You’ll get some really good sound at an affordable price with a pair of speakers that are easy to set up and use.
