INTRODUCTION

   Although the majority of people i know have paired 5.1/7.1 surround sound systems with their primary TV sets, consoles and PCs most of them listen to music with a pair of the good old fashion stereo speakers (many say stereo is better than surround when listening to music and i tend to agree with them - that depends highly on the speakers however). Of course stereo speakers come in different shapes and sizes and are also manufactured with various different materials but in the end it all comes down to what your needs are and of course how much you're willing to spend (for example the usually more powerful and expensive floor standing models are more suited for large rooms while the usually less powerful bookshelf/desk speakers are ment for smaller spaces). However leaving out audiophiles most people are not really looking to spend much on a stereo speaker set and since floor standing models take too much space bookshelf models are usually the obvious choice. Edifier currently has many bookshelf powered/active speaker sets in the market but their R980T model which we have here today aims to cover the needs of consumers who want to get their hands on a low-budget stereo speaker set with good audio quality and plenty of bass.

   Edifier specializes in premium sound systems that showcase technological innovation and design elegance. We deliver outstanding audio experience through a wide range of headphones, speakers and music systems, for personal entertainment and professional excellence. Established in May 1996 in Beijing, China, Edifier is the brainchild of a small group of enterprising music lovers. Guided by the principle “a passion for sound” over the past two decades, Edifier has emerged as a world-class designer and manufacturer of award-winning sound systems. Throughout our journey, we adapt to the way music is made, shared and enjoyed. We pride ourselves on products that showcase bold design and premium quality, but at the same time affordable. Today, Edifier serves music lovers worldwide through our distributors in over 70 countries, with operations in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. The growing Edifier family consists of 3,000 dedicated employees worldwide. Our state-of-the art manufacturing facilities produce 8 million units every year for home, consumer electronics and PC multimedia applications.

   The R980T is a active 2.0 stereo speaker set with a total output of 24WRMS (12WRMS each) that features a frequency response of 70Hz-20KHz with a signal to noise ratio of 85dB and a distortion of roughly 0.5%. Each speaker is made out of MDF (medium density fiberboard) wood and contains a 13mm silk domed tweeter (4 Ohm sensitivity), 106mm subwoofer/bass driver (6 Ohm sensitivity) and a calibrated flared bass reflex port. In terms of connectivity the R980T features two RCA input options (4 ports in total) so it can be connected with two devices simultenously. Also thanks to two adjustment knobs placed at the rear of the main speaker (the one also housing the 110V-240V universal switching power supply) you can adjust both the master volume and the bass levels (a handy on/off power switch is also placed at the rear). So let's see if the R980T active 2.0 stereo speaker set delivers as advertised.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 The main product features and a product picture are placed at the front of the box.

Product pictures are also placed on both sides of the box right over four pictures showcasing the main product features and next to the specifications table which is printed in 4 languages.

At the rear of the box we see another product picture, the features list in 4 languages (again showcased via 4 pictures) and the color selection (the R980T is available in black and cherry/brown.

The speakers are placed between two thick cardboard spacers and inside two plastic bags.

Edifier ships the R980T with a RCA to 3.5mm cable, RCA to RCA cable, speaker cable, warranty information paper and the user guide.

THE R980T

 Much like most bookshelf speakers these ones are quite compact and so they sit 226mm tall, 140mm wide and 197mm deep.

As always you can remove the front cover either to clean it or to access the tweeter and bass driver.

Build quality is overall quite good not only thanks to the MDF enclosure but also because of the materials used in both the tweeter and bass driver.

The 13mm tweeter is silk domed while the 106mm bass driver features a paper cone.

Taking a look at the rear of both speakers we see that the one with the power supply has all available connectors and knobs while the other just has the two speaker ports.

To be more precise the right speaker has the volume and bass control knobs, on/off switch, 4 RCA ports, speaker ports and of course the power cord.

Both speakers sit on 4 round rubber feet (removable).

CONCLUSION

   The R980T 2.0 stereo speaker set has already been around for slightly over 2 years but unlike most of the electronics industry the technology behind speakers hasn't really changed much no matter how far back I look. Because of that although the R980T is a really affordable stereo speaker set it produces good mids and highs (we also noticed no audio distortion in our tests) with sufficient bass for even demanding consumers. Granted it may not be able to directly compete with a 2.1 system in terms of bass levels (although I’m certain it should be able to surpass some of the really low-cost models) but it does extremely well for a 2.0 speaker set. Unfortunately the built-in switching power supply doesn’t supply much juice to the speakers so when used with let’s say a media player you may not be impressed with its volume levels. That of course depends a lot on the type of source you use them with so when used with for example a PC, tablet or a smartphone volume levels are actually quite good (for their size always).

   So how much does the R980T 2.0 speaker system retail for today? This is actually one of the strong points of this particular speaker system since Edifier has priced it very aggressively so to get it you only need to spend USD69.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) or 67Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). It really goes without saying but you can find better stereo speakers from Edifier and a large number of manufacturers if you climb more in price but what’s new? Overall we all liked the R980T, sure it may not produce the highest volume levels we’ve ever heard from a pair of bookshelf speakers but build quality is good, audio quality is quite crisp and accurate with plenty of bass and all that at a very good price tag which is why we give it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Crisp Audio 
- Good Bass Levels (For The Size)
- Active Speakers (No Amp Needed)
- Overall Volume Levels (Depends On The Source)
- Dual RCA Inputs
- Volume And Bass Control Knobs
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No Treble Control Knob
- Relatively Low Volume Levels (With Some Sources)
- Control Knobs Location (Side/Front Would Be Ideal)