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It was fun watching the courier struggle to get the huge box to the front door, but the smiles disappeared when we began moving the box into the loft for testing. If weight was the only benchmark for audio quality, then greatness would be evident from this unit. Heavy products need protection and the Edifier e255 comes double-boxed with 4 full-size polystyrene foam waffles ready to sacrifice themselves to protect your investment.
Despite multiple impact points on the outer box, the speakers themselves arrived in perfect condition, each wrapped in its own white cotton pouch with pull ties. What was missing was the on-the-shelf printed packaging, suggesting that Edifier might not be expecting to sell this product in a high street environment.
The box also featured a smaller plastic casing for the user manual and cables, as well as a plastic pouch with an Edifier handkerchief. We wiped the speakers with it, but it could also be used for clearing the sinuses to increase sound quality.
The hand-held remote is a good size and weight with rubberised buttons that are easy enough to find. It would be more effective with a touch of backlight.
The user manual is straightforward, with simple diagrams that make connectivity easy. However, we had an issue with one of the plugs during set up, which made us believe the wireless speakers were not connected.
The reconnection process involves pairing the subwoofer and rear speakers by pressing a button, while the centre speaker is in ‘happy to be found’ mode. While there was a distinct button on the subwoofer, the rear speakers had only a circular indent with a smaller circular indent within.
We were about to try a paperclip, when we realised the actual issue and all was well – the wireless speakers automatically found each other.
Alongside the hefty subwoofer (we placed a household plug on the base – to give you a sense of the scale) and clever central speaker unit (detail shots shows its Dolby credentials), you essentially get 4 speakers that are nearly the same, except that the FR/FL have a cabled data connection, while the SR/SL have wireless connectivity.
Overall, for a set of speakers that includes the word ‘wireless’, there are still quite a lot of wires. In this case, one power cable each for the subwoofer, centre speaker, front speakers and each of the rear speakers.
The front mounted OLED is situated just under the tweeter on the central speaker. It has a basic, blue look and feel – reminiscent of an early generation digital alarm clock. The advantage of having a screen on your speakers is that you can see that they’re working (and in which mode), without having to refer to a computer screen.
That said, its small size makes it hard to read from 3-6 metres away while laying on the sofa in an average living room.
The tweeters on all the speakers are protective by a curved piece of metal. All of the surround speakers have 2 additional passive base speakers located in the gap. Edifier claim that this enhances overall bass output.
