Edifier R1850DB Review
Edifier is an audio manufacturer from China, enormous at the market in Asia and getting more and more popularity worldwide. When you hear the name Edifier, you don’t get the same recognition as when you hear more popular and established brands such as Bose or Bowers. But, never the less its products are of good quality and value for the money you pay.
The most similar comparison would be something like Xiaomi but in the audio world.
Today we will review the Edifier R1850DB, small bookshelf speakers, but with a big sound.
- Nice design and finish
- Clear sound
- Good price
- All cables included with enough length
- Versatile inputs
- Lacking bass
- It can use a bit more accuracy
Design
Edifier R1850DB come in a box with all the parts you need for the speakers to install and run. Edifier provides four cables (an RCA to RCA, an optic cable, a 3.5 mm to RCA, and a cable for connecting the speakers), remote control with batteries included, speaker grilles, even a branded cleaning cloth. The coaxial cable is only missing here, and you have to buy it separately.
The R1850DB has a very similar look to the R1800BT model, made by Edifier as well. The build quality is impressive, and the speakers look elevated and classy. There are no different color options to choose from, but instead, Edifier offers a couple of shades of matte black.
The surface is finger-proof and doesn’t attract fingerprints.
MDF is the primary material used for most speakers in this price range. It does a perfect job in reducing the resonance and feels much better than the plastic cabinets. The speakers have a 10-degree angle to direct the sound better towards your ears, which works if they are on a desk, not so much if placed on a high bookshelf.
The size of the speaker’s cabinet is 154 mm in width, 254 mm in height, and 224 mm in depth. The weight is 6.63 kg.
Once you remove the grille covers of the Edifier R1850DB, you reveal the 4-inch woofer responsible for the low end and midrange and the 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter that handles the top end. The speaker is front-ported so that you can place it close to the wall without any interference in the bass.
The frequency response is 60 Hz to 20 kHz, so there is enough depth for the low and high end, and these speakers can get loud, up to 85 dBA. The total output of 35W RMS per speaker shows that R1850DB is loud enough for most rooms.
Both speakers look the same, but the rear of the right speaker has all the inputs and dials for manual control. IR sensor for the remote is on the right speaker, so keep that in mind when pointing the remote at the speaker. There is one peculiar thing about the remote control. It has two volume up and two volume down buttons. Both the pairs do the same thing, so not sure what is the point of it.
There are three knobs on the rear end of the right speaker for treble, bass, and volume/input selection. The back is also where you will find the connection ports for RCA, optical, etc. The input ports are compatible with almost any type of audio device, while the Bluetooth connectivity helps to connect with portable devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. To enable Bluetooth mode, you can do it with the remote control or press the central volume control knob on the active speaker.
There is a light on the active speaker that will change its color to blue when the Bluetooth mode is on.
There is the subwoofer port and the port for connecting the left speaker via the included cable on the back of the active speaker. The cable that connects the two speakers is 5 meters long, which is more than enough for almost any setup.
Sound quality of Edifier R1850DB
Edifier is a company that produces speakers that sound much better than you would generally think, considering the price. That is the same thing with R1850DB, which sounds something between a bookshelf speaker and a monitor, with boosted highs and lows.
Cymbals hit clean and without any distortion, with plenty of sparkles.
The mid frequencies are with details and crisp clear. There are no muddy tones, and the balance between mids and lows is excellent. Spoken words are with such clarity, perfect for movie dialogues and vocal performances in music.
As mentioned before, the frequency range is 60 Hz to 20 kHz, which can be expanded even more by adding a subwoofer. The subwoofer will improve the low-end performance and add the boominess that is lacking.
The balance can adjust in detail, with the two-band tone control on the right speaker’s back. If you know-how, you can balance the sound enough to make the R1850DB great for music production and mixing. If you pair them with good studio headphones, the Edifier R1850DB speakers can serve as monitoring devices for music studios on a budget.
The speakers, despite being loud, the sound doesn’t distort even at higher output volumes. The quality of the sound remains smooth, without distortion, with the balance shifted more to the upper end of the frequency spectrum.
Verdict
The Edifier R1850DB speakers deliver full, loud sound, and they also look good while doing it. The built is excellent, and they have a two-year warranty.
They might need a bit more bass, but you can solve that by adding a subwoofer.
They are fantastic for PC speakers or everyday use connected to the TV. Overall, R1850DBs are all-rounders for a reasonable price. If you are on a budget, you should consider them as an option.
