INTRODUCTION

   Ever since i moved from a “affordable” 2.1 speaker system to my very first 5.1 Dolby surround sound system back in 1997 it became quite clear to me that there was always room for sound improvement at least as long as i was willing to invest more on that. Well it did take a while for me to put enough money on the side but when i did i got a better (and higher wattage) 5.1 Dolby digital/DTS surround sound system for my TV set followed soon afterwards by two very good floor standing speakers for my brand new (at least back then) Marantz CD player. Today i may not have any floor standing speakers (limited space compared to back then) but sound is still very important to me so whenever i get the chance to test and/or use a new set of speakers i always tend to get quite excited. Today and after two weeks of non-stop tests we're going to take an in-depth look at the latest S1000DB Multimedia Speakers by our friends over at Edifier.

   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.

   For a set of bookshelf multimedia speakers the S1000DB by Edifier pack some very interesting features including wireless Bluetooth v4.0 support, aptX codec by CSR for CD quality audio, electronic crossover, DSP tone control, input status indicator (primary speaker), compact wireless remote control, and both digital and analog wired inputs allowing the consumer to connect them with media players, Blu-ray players, PCs, consoles and even smartphones and tablets (optical, coaxial and dual stereo RCA inputs). In terms of specifications thanks to a built-in amplifier the titanium dome tweeters and aluminum full range/bass drivers of the S1000DB deliver a total power output of 120 RMS (25Wx2 treble / 35Wx2 mids and bass) and have a frequency response of 48Hz-20KHz with a signal to noise ration equal or smaller than 85dBA.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Edifier ships the S1000DB inside a regular cardboard box that has a product drawing at both the front and the rear right over the main product features.

Some of the product features are showcased on the right side of the box while on the left side we see a SPL vs Frequency graph.

Both speakers are wrapped inside two fabric covers and placed between two thick foam spacers (the entire bundle is placed in the top piece).

Edifier packs quite a few things inside aside the S1000DB speakers including an interconnect cable, optical cable, 3.5" to dual RCA cable, dual RCA to dual RCA cable, warranty information paper, user manual and the remote control.

THE S1000DB

Starting with the bundled RCA cables they may not be of the highest quality possible but their connectors are all gold plated as you can see from the above picture.

The interconnect cable is one of the thickest I’ve ever seen bundled with a pair of desktop or bookshelf speakers.

Edifier bundles a compact remote control made out of plastic with the S1000DB which thanks to its coating it actually feels like it's made out of metal.

Measuring 340mm in height, 272mm in depth and 205mm in width the S1000DB speakers are quite large (primary materials used are wood and metal).

As a matter of fact the S1000DB are much larger than any other desktop/bookshelf set of speakers we have here including the previously reviewed R980T again by Edifier, the S3-BT by NuForce and the NOVA Wireless by Harman Kardon.

According to Edifier the angled design allows for larger sound with lower frequency and we have no reason to doubt them.

We don't know what type of wood is used with the S1000DB but it looks and feels very nice.

The grills look very nice and according to Edifier also reduce attenuation.

At the front of both speakers we see a single 1 inch titanium dome tweeter and a single 5.5 inch aluminum bass driver (full range).

The status indicator is placed at the lower end of the main speaker.

As usual the built-in amplifier and the Bluetooth receiver are both placed in the main speaker and this time over features rear facing controls and connectors.

From top to bottom at the rear we see a bass port, digital volume dial, two analogue bass and treble dials, on/off power switch, two stereo RCA inputs (PC/AUX), optical input, coaxial input, speaker interconnect port and the power cord.

At first i thought it was strange that the digital volume dial has no markings and can rotate freely on both sides but so do my audio/video amplifiers.

POWER CONSUMPTION

We've heard people ask about speaker power consumption and volume levels so since power consumption is tied directly to volume levels we decided to measure every desktop/bookshelf speaker we have here. Measurements were recorded with the speakers turned on sitting idly and while playing audio at full volume (max recorded consumption).

CONCLUSION

   Right now the S1000DB by Edifier is the best desktop/bookshelf set of speakers we have here but that wasn’t the case two weeks ago when we took them out of the box. True build quality is pretty much excellent (the wood used feels and looks great and so do the metal/aluminum parts) and volume levels are very high for such a speaker but audio clarity and accuracy was not what we had expected from a high-end speaker model. That changed after 10 days of using the speakers almost all day long so my guess is that they need a bit of burning-in to shine so do take that into account if you end up getting a pair. As we speak mids and highs are very balanced, detailed and accurate while bass largely thanks to the large drivers is warm, deep and quite substantial (although you can adjust it according to your preference). We also didn’t encounter any distortion while listening to music even at full volume something which we didn’t really expect from such a powerful set of desktop/bookshelf speakers. Size is the only tiny “drawback” the S1000DB have since they might be too large for some desks but you can’t really have the power output without an increase in size so it all comes down to what you’re looking for in that area.

   So just how much is Edifier asking for their premium S1000DB Multimedia Speakers? Well the S1000DB is currently their flagship bookshelf model so it does feature a rather high price tag and do be more specific they currently retail for USD349.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 399.80Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). The real question is whether or not the S1000DB is worth their money and the answer is a definite yes. The only problem for some people may be the light wood used which may not blend in with their TV sets or desks but other than that since build quality and audio clarity/accuracy/detail are near excellent and volume levels are very high the S1000DB are well worth our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Audio Clarity/Accuracy/Detail
- Deep And Warm Bass
- Active Speakers (No Amp Needed)
- Very Good Volume Levels
- Wireless Bluetooth v4.0 With aptX and Wired Connectivity (Optical/Coaxial/Dual RCA)
- Remote Control
- Volume, Treble And Bass Control Dials

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Size (For Some)
- Control Knobs Location (Side/Front Would Be Ideal)