Review on Edifier R1280Ts Powered Bookshelf Speakers: 🔊 Superior Studio Monitor Speakers with Subwoofer Line Out by Tina Hall

*Edited to include subwoofer output information. ** Rating increased from 4 to 5 stars. explanation at the end. It appears to be a slightly updated version of the popular and widely used R1280t speaker. There are hundreds of reviews of this column on the Internet, both from professionals and consumers, so I will not rewrite them. The main differences are (1) the addition of a subwoofer connection with appropriate circuitry to provide an electronic crossover* when a sub is connected, and (2) the addition of a signal processing function to create a wider stereo image and the modification of the remote control to add a switch for this function. I cannot categorically state that the "R1280ts" version sounds identical to the earlier version. Dimensions, driver kit and design appear to be the same. The specifications also appear to be the same. Everything indicates that its acoustics are in line with other 1280 models. Most of the reviews you will see end up with one or the other "for the money" version. And that's the correct way to look at these speakers. These aren't the best bookshelf speakers in the world. Not the loudest. Not the bass player. Not the stretched highs, not the most neutral sound. But for the money they offer more than one might expect. They sound good as long as you don't turn them up too loud when sitting close enough and not trying to fill the room with sound. They make great computer speakers that let you listen to music without sacrificing too much bass, or hear podcasts or the news clearly. , to be honest, is usually a hallmark of much more expensive speakers. But at the same time they aren't boomy, muffled, harsh or any of the other drawbacks that most budget speakers suffer from. I think for the money they are excellent value for money. I plan to add a small powered subwoofer in the near future. If this changes anything about the sound of these speakers beyond the obvious I will change this review. I have an Edifier subwoofer connected to the subwoofer's line inputs (requires a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable; you can use the one that came with the speakers if you haven't already). This setting works well. Extending the bass by an additional octave or more enriches the sound without changing the character of the speakers. This is by no means a necessary or transformative upgrade, but it's worth it. * (continued) Edifier's auxiliary output is essentially a headphone jack. It's the full range; there is no "intersection". It's affected by all the controls - bass, treble, volume - and surprisingly the "expander" too. I do not recommend using a spacializer when using a subwoofer. (Using that headphone jack doesn't mute the speaker, of course. There's also something unusual about the full-range audio coming out of that port; there doesn't seem to be complete separation and it comes across as a bit shrill, but for subwoofers, it works fine.) the subwoofer there want to place where these controls remain accessible. I use a crossover frequency of around 100Hz and of course adjust the volume by ear. Of course, adding a subwoofer output without increasing the price is a worthy upgrade. He does what he has to do and no more. It would be nice to include a low pass filter, but this is not usually necessary. After about 50 hours of use, the "squareness" mentioned in the main text has largely disappeared and the sound is more natural than before. The upper range is still sufficient, but overall the sound is acceptably neutral and uncolored, especially for speakers in this price range. It's not a 5-star rating compared to the best bookshelf speakers, but it doesn't deserve a disadvantage compared to its direct competitors.