Edifier e235 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker Review

Rating: 8.5.

When you think of home speakers, you may well think of small dull rectangles. Edifier has definitely been breaking the mould with its simple, rounded approach to futuristic speaker design. But, as any audiophile knows, looks don’t make the speaker. We’re searching for the sound. The separation. The punch and clarity. That’s what will influence our spend. That leaves only one question: While the Edifier e235 2.1 set is great to look at, will it produce a sound worth £400?

When we first looked at the Edifier e25 Luna Eclipse HD speaker set back in November, the only outstanding negative was a lack of presence. Shortly after, we put the e255 Surround Sound Speaker Kit through its paces. The full line up of stylish speakers had no problem inducing tremors in the atmosphere, but at £600, the wobble continued through to your wallet. Let’s see if the e235 does a good job of plugging the gap.

Once upon a time, PC chassis were beige boxes and the word ‘speaker’ conjured a black or brown rectangular shape in your mind’s eye. When squirrelled away in a loft, basement or man cave – the physical design or a product takes a definite back seat to pure audio quality. But, in a design-conscious world, living room speakers need to satisfy a more demanding visual aesthetic.

As well as optical and aux connections, Edifier’s e235 features Bluetooth 4.0 (aptX) and claims to be able to sustain signal reception at close to 100 metres. You can then control them through your paired device or the supplied remote control unit. It is THX-certified and has built-in DSP (Digital Signal Processing), DRC (Dynamic Range Control) and 3D sound.

Depending on which account you believe, THX was the result of an experiment by Tomlinson Holman while working with George Lucas on the original Star Wars trilogy. Its aim is to create reproducible sound fields – where the intention of the film/game-maker is accurately reproduced in a cinema or home environment. THX has been developed over the years and is now owned by Razer – lock, stock and barrel full of intellectual property.

Holman also came up with the concept of a 10.2 speaker set-up, which seems logical for a man focused on creating the perfect cinema experience. For the purist, THX is the stuff of floating floors, acoustic dampening and asymmetrical room design. Quite how THX-certification helps a set of 2.1 speakers we’re not sure, but it looks cool to have the logo on the product.

Features

• THX certified home entertainment system with wireless subwoofer
• Bluetooth aptX technology
• Optical input ideal for digital audio devices including Playstation® and Xbox® for gaming
• 5.8GHz wireless active subwoofer with two 8” speakers delivers 100W RMS power
• 2-way 38W RMS bi-amplified satellite speakers with natural silk dome tweeters and passive radiators
• Total power: 176W RMS
• Built-in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Dynamic Range Control (DRC), and 3D sound processing
• Touch sensitive controls for volume, track change and power

Specifications

• Power output : RMS 16W × 2 + 22W x 2 + 100W
• Signal to noise ratio : =85dBA
• Input sensitivity : AUX: R/L: 550±50mV
• SW: 800±50mV
• Optical: R/L: 300±50mFFS, SW: 250±50mFFS
• Bluetooth: 300±50mFFS, SW: 250±50mFFS
• Input type : Optical/AUX/Bluetooth
• Bass unit : 8 inch (210mm)
• Mid-range unit : 3 inch (82mm)
• Treble unit : F19mm silk dome

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