Pros & Cons
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- Rich, brilliant audio
- Many wired connection options
- High-quality Bluetooth with LDAC
- Stylish design
- Useful app
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- Lacks deep sub-bass response
- Don’t work with some subwoofers
Edifier MR5 Specs
| Bluetooth | |
| Channels | Stereo |
| Physical Connections | 3.5mm |
| Physical Connections | Stereo Balanced TRS |
| Physical Connections | Stereo RCA |
| Physical Connections | XLR |
The Edifier MR5 desktop speakers ($349.99) feature a three-driver setup in a handsome and compact footprint, making them ideal for casual listening, gaming, and even audio production. Most importantly, the speakers deliver refined, full audio. They also offer a wide range of wired and wireless connectivity options to accommodate varied setups, and even support high-quality Bluetooth codecs for cleaner wireless audio. Further, we appreciate the powerful companion app that includes a user-adjustable EQ, though we wish the speakers supported subwoofers. In the end, the Fluance Ri71 speakers ($399.99) have a similar design and support many of the same connections, but add a dedicated subwoofer port and produce even finer audio for $50 more, making them our Editors' Choice.
Design: Good Looks and Great Functionality
The Edifier MR5s have a clean design with a single-color construction (black or white), visible black driver membranes, and brass accents around the tweeter, at the center of the midrange driver, and covering the knurled volume knob. The plastic components feel sturdy, but a slim gap I spotted between the front panel and the main body of the cabinets prevents me from calling the construction refined.
(Credit: Mark Knapp)The speakers are modestly sized. The active speaker measures 10.39 by 6.26 by 11.02 inches (HWD), while the passive speaker is slightly shallower at 10.39 by 6.26 by 10.11 inches. By comparison, the Fluance Ri71s measure 12.2 by 7.3 by 7.8 inches. While each Edifier enclosure features built-in rubber feet to minimize vibration transfer, they don't ship with angled stands to help direct the drivers toward your ears; you’ll need to supply your own stands or wedges.
A 3.75-inch midrange driver and a 1-inch silk dome tweeter grace the front of each speaker. Further, a downward-firing, 5-inch, long-throw woofer is tucked inside each unit, with ports located on the side and rear panels. This extra driver is part of what makes the MR5s so deep from front to back.
(Credit: Mark Knapp)The woofers hit 30W, the midrange drivers hit 15W, and the tweeters hit 10W for a combined output of an impressive 110W. Though three drivers might seem like a recipe for a wider frequency response range, the speakers are only rated from 46Hz to 40kHz. In other words, you’ll still need a subwoofer if you want to dig down deep.
The MR5s connect to nearly anything, from the professional to the everyday. Around back, there are balanced XLR inputs, balanced quarter-inch TRS inputs, and stereo RCA jacks. On the front, there's a 3.5mm jack for auxiliary input and a headphone output. It’s a little surprising there's no USB-C input, given the speakers' full digital signal processing, but this is not a deal-breaker.
What you won’t find? A subwoofer output. That leaves you with limited options if a subwoofer is important to your setup or needs. The Ri71s, meanwhile, include a subwoofer output with an 80Hz low-pass cutoff, HDMI ARC input, and a grounding post for use with some turntables.
(Credit: Mark Knapp)Since the speakers feature a three-way active crossover design, the left and right speakers aren’t connected with simple speaker wire. Instead, they use a proprietary 9-pin mini-DIN cable provided by Edifier.
Extra features include high- and low-frequency tuning knobs; diagrams explaining the positive, negative, and ground pin layouts for different ports; details on the behavior of various app settings; and a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button.
The MR5s are the first audio product I’ve encountered that uses the newer Bluetooth 6.0 standard. The high-resolution LDAC codec is enabled by default. The Fluance speakers also support the AAC, aptX Low Latency, aptX HD, and SBC codecs. What's more, the MR5s can play sound from multiple inputs at the same time, so no need to worry about swapping between input settings—Bluetooth can play right alongside wired input. Unfortunately, the speakers don't support Wi-Fi audio, which would enable even higher-resolution playback.
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App Experience: Perfect for Tailoring the Sound
The MR5s work with the Edifier Connex app for Android and iOS, which doesn’t require an account. It’s not essential for the speakers, but it does enable access to some features that wouldn’t otherwise be available. For example, the app lets you easily switch between the Monitor and Music audio modes (though there isn't a discernible difference between the two), and you can also create your own 9-band EQ to customize the sound.
(Credit: Edifier/PCMag)A special Acoustic Tuning menu lets you adjust the low-frequency cut-off point and slope (Low Cutoff) anywhere from 20Hz to 100Hz and -6 to -24dB per octave, adjust the bass reduction to compensate for speaker placement (Acoustic Space), and set the correct frequency boost when the speakers are on a desk (Desktop Control). These features make it easy to adjust the sound on the fly without creating a custom EQ setting.
(Credit: Edifier/PCMag)While the active speaker defaults to the right channel, you can switch this in the app (this is also easily achieved by reversing the wired inputs). Lastly, the app lets you decide whether to use LDAC and whether to run at 44.1/48kHz or 96kHz sampling rates. This last set of tools goes well beyond what most Bluetooth speakers offer.
Sound: Lively Audio That Makes You Smile
The MR5s are heavy hitters, readily pumping out enough volume to fill spaces up to 300 square feet. And they’ll fill it with relatively pleasant, balanced audio.
The speakers can reproduce some sub-bass frequencies, such as those in The Knife’s “Silent Shout.” The tune kicks off with forceful bass triplets that the MR5s keep up with easily. When the sub-bass quarter notes come in, the MR5s show they’re more than ready to boom. Set apart widely, the speakers readily create a phantom center and provide clear stereo separation, accentuating the phrasing of the vocal harmonies. The synth line rings out brightly, and all the track’s little subtleties are preserved. The presence and brilliance of the speakers really help bring the cymbals and higher-register instrumentation to life.
(Credit: Mark Knapp)Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty,” however, helps highlight the MR5's limits. The drums rock with the heavy weight of the bass and the brilliance, making for lively cymbals. But 35 seconds in, the track introduces a sub-bass line that the speakers can’t really hit. These low tones are far too low in volume, with only the highest surfacing at all. Thankfully, the roll-off is smoother than that of other speakers. In testing, other speakers often burp a few of these sub-bass notes out, but the MR5s squeeze them out a bit more gracefully.
The speakers make a great show of Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” which is well within their sonic capabilities. Callahan’s baritone vocals boom out in the phantom center while the drums patter steadily to the sides with a nice heft that’s never overwhelming. The fiddle and electric guitar sing out clearly, playing with the stereo positioning. And cymbals hit with a poignant and pleasant sharpness.
(Credit: Mark Knapp)The speaker’s ability to handle heavy lows and brilliant highs while still providing space for different elements in the track is notable. This plays well with an orchestral score like John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary. Bells and chimes ring through in the background, and plucked bass notes hang in the air while the eerie vocals of the choir sing clearly in Act I, Scene II’s “En Un Día de Amor.” The sub-bass shortcomings remain an issue, as some depth is missing, but clarity elsewhere helps cover the areas where the bass is lacking.
For sound purists, the MR5's use of digital signal processing with dynamic range control may be worrisome, but Edifier's implementation is intended to prevent the speakers from blowing out if they receive a too-strong signal. In practice, the speakers were capable of generating loud audio across their frequency range without dynamic range control affecting the audio.