If you’re an audiophile, you want your speakers to sound as rich and full as possible. You won’t settle for less than amazing sound quality, and I’m right there with you. Edifier produces some of the best speakers in the industry, but their most popular model (the E25) always seemed lacking to me. The mids and highs were great, but the bass lacked punch. When Edifier announced the successor to that model—Edifier E235—I was anxious to take the new system for a test listen. Here’s my ears-on review of the Edifier E235 speakers.
The Nitty Gritty Details of the Edifier E235 Speakers
Let’s take a look at the nominal specifications, first. The Edifier E235 Luna E 2.1 speaker system is THX-certified, and the manufacturer is proud enough of that fact to emblazon the logo across both satellite units. They can connect to your amplifier or computer via Bluetooth, RCA-to–3.5mm connector or through the industry-standard TOSLINK optic cable.
The satellite speakers each feature two drivers, a 4-inch exposed woofer and a 19mm silk dome tweeter above it. Each satellite pours forth 16 watts from its tweeter, and 22 watts from the integrated woofer.
The subwoofer, a 100-watt beast, has an eight-inch driver augmented by two eight-inch radiators pointing to either side of the speaker. All told, the 2.1 system provides up to 176 watts of listening power.
Looks Aren’t Everything, but They Count for Something
Now, the aesthetics of the system. If you’re into modern or futuristic designs, these speakers are absolutely gorgeous. The right satellite has touch-buttons to control volume and mode (auxiliary, optical, or Bluetooth input). However, you probably won’t use those much, because a handy remote control is included to control those functions and more.
The subwoofer is gigantic, and stunningly beautiful. The first time you connect it to the satellites, it switches into 5.8GHz wireless mode, so you can place it where ever it makes the most sense for your audio situation.
I have just two issues with aesthetics. First, keeping the speakers clean is a challenge. The plastic surface is fine, easily cleaned with a soft cloth. However, the silk dome tweeter collects dust like crazy, as do the rubber pads on the bottoms of the speakers.
Finally, there’s a break in the consistency of the overall package. I would have loved to see the included remote control match the color scheme of the speakers, but instead it’s silver. Given my Luna speakers are bright red, that’s a very striking color difference.
The Quality of the Sound – What Really Matters to Audiophiles
Where the E25 lacked in low-end, the E 235 definitely makes up the difference. Even without the subwoofer connected, the satellites have a heck of a lot more bass punch. Yes, you can run the satellites without the subwoofer, if you want. The larger central speaker has its own power cable, so it’s easy to disconnect if you don’t want the pounding bass.
With the subwoofer in the mix, though, you’ve got a sub-bass and mid-level richness that will make you sit back and sigh with contentment (unless you’re thumping the bass so loud and fast it speeds up your heart rate.)
The highs and mids are punchy in all the right places, but still sweet and mellow when they’re supposed to be. I used these speakers to listen to everything from movies (Star Wars: Rogue One and Iron Man 3, for example) to heavy metal and plenty in between. For testing sound quality in a variety of musical genres, I listened to the soaring trumpets of Maynard Ferguson and the deep bass pounding of the bass drum riffs of Metallica’s “One,” along with quite a bit of Linkin Park’s anthology. I even listened to some “gangsta” rap to get the full bass effect, and it was glorious.
They Sound Great, but What’s the Catch?
These speakers sound fantastic, unless you really max them out. At top volumes, the treble gets a bit splashy and tinny, but only at 100 percent volume all around. I’d estimate that 90 percent is about the sweet spot before things get messy. The satellites are also a tiny bit weak compared to similarly-priced 2.0 systems, but just barely.
Truly, the only complaint I have with this speaker system is the price. They sound glorious, but that comes at a steep price. They retail for almost $500 at the time of this writing. Still, a true audiophile will quite likely be happy with the sound quality, overall. I certainly was. You won’t find these speakers on Amazon, unfortunately. I was able to locate them for sale through Edifier’s website, Walmart, and Jet.