In an age of wireless connectivity, Bluetooth reigns over all. So many of our speakers and headphones allow for a cord-free connection to our phones or laptops. It’s incredible, right?
What happens when you want to upgrade your speaker setup for an existing device? Maybe you’ve got an old turntable record player or favorite TV and you’re looking to improve on the audio front. You can’t sprinkle wireless connectivity on a device and pair it with some new speakers.
Edifier, a Chinese brand with more than two decades of history, has an answer for this quandary. Its S880DB bookshelf speakers are a compact set that allows all sorts of sources. With RCA, AUX, USB, optical, coaxial, and Bluetooth 4.1, it mixes both old and new.
Smaller than you might expect, these speakers measure about 5.5-inches wide , 6.5-inches deep, and 9-inches high. They fit perfectly on a bookshelf, sure, but they look right at home on desktop, too.
The S880DB are active, self-powered and do not require any external amplifier. As it pertains to those ports, Edifier throws in cables for 3.5mm to RCA, RCA, USB, and an optical cable. It’s small stuff like this that make a big difference. The last thing you want to do is have to run out to the store to grab a cable to make your new speakers work with your old audio source.
Additionally, the S880DB also come with a wireless remote which controls power and pairing as well as a few other tricks. Use it to control your Bluetooth audio or choose from four EQ settings: Vocal, Monitor, Dynamic, and Classic.
On the back of the speakers you’ll locate controls for audio settings like treble, bass, and volume. These are great if you have a particular sound profile that you like and don’t want to mess with settings.
The USB, coaxial, and optical inputs have a sample signal rate up to 192Khz so, with the right audio files, you’ll get a high-res sound that does your music justice.
The 19mm 12 watt treble drivers and 32-watt 3.75-inch bass drivers are solid and do a great job of filling a room. An office, mid-size dining room, or bedroom are perfect places to put the S880DB speakers. They look at home in all modern environments, and fill rooms nicely.
We often find that when listening to audio at low levels the mid and bass sounds seem to fall off. If you’ve ever turned the volume down on EDM to just above minimal levels, you know that everything sounds like high hat and repetitive treble. That doesn’t happen as much here as the Edifier speakers do a good job of keeping things equal across the board.
It might take a few days of listening to get your favorite profile set, or to determine which of the EQ settings you like best. Once you do, though, you’ll no doubt enjoy the quality and volume of the music. And, if you tend to jump from podcasts to block-rockin’ beats, you’ll appreciate the wireless remote.
At $300 these are considerably more expensive than a simple Bluetooth speaker. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend them for just a singular role like that. But, if you have an office where you tend to spend time, these are an excellent all-around option.
Pairing to a phone is nice and all, and so is casting from your device. Where these shine is in being able to plug in multiple sources at once. Set them up on a desk and you’ll be able to connect to a PC, turntable, and other devices.
We should also point out the two-year warranty of the speakers, something that you don’t normally get in with products like these. Or, if it’s offered, it doesn’t come free. Kudos to edifier here.
If you’re in the market for a new set of speakers for your computer or living room, we have no qualms about recommending the Edifier S880DB for your short list.
