Book
yourself in.
We've
looked at many weird and wonderful Edifier speakers in the past; some
wired, some Bluetooth, some that were beautiful, and one that looked
like a giant alien egg. Edifier usually have something interesting
and bizarre on the go, so when we were approached to review yet
another set of speakers from the company, we were expecting something
bat-shit crazy. What we got was... well, normal. We review the very
sensible looking Edifier R1700 BT Bookshelf Speaker.
Look
at them. They look like the kind of speakers your dad would consider
buying, or indeed probably owns already. As the name suggests these
are speakers designed to fit on a bookshelf and have books pressed up
against them on either sides. So they are blocky and cuboid and...
speaker-looking.
This
is actually refreshing. Enter 'speaker' into the search bar of this
website and you'll be shown a collection of weird-shaped objects that
we have previously reviewed – many of them from Edifier. So to get
something that just sits there without you having to wall mount it,
perch it on a stand, or worry about he cat breathing and knocking it
over, is a nice change.
But
although the looks are classic, the technology inside the speakers is
anything but. First off, these are in fact Bluetooth enabled (hence
the 'BT' in the name) so they will easily and wirelessly connect to
your phone, tablet, and laptop. There's also a little remote to help
you switch it on, so you don't even have to get out of your comfy
chair, you lounge lizard. Of course there is also a wired connection
option to attach it up to things like an iPod dock. Or, you know,
like your vinyl record player. Dad.
Joking
aside, the Edifier R1700 BT Bookshelf Speaker is actually extremely
practical. The boxy shape makes them easy to place almost anywhere,
and the removable grill covers help to make their presence discreet
and subtle. What is not subtle is the noise these babies can churn
out, ans the R1700 is definitely a bass-lover's speaker. The depth
and clarity of the bass produced seems to be up there with speakers
that tend to weigh in at more than twice the cost. We had them hooked
up to our TV while watching a few old episodes of Star Trek: TNG and
you really could feel the low hum of the Enterprise's engines
throughout the show.
Yet
despite that clear engineering focus on the bass, a decidedly
non-bassy spoken-word podcast also sounded extremely clear. In fact
all genres of music sounded great – simple as that – and because
the speaker comes as a pair, allowing you place them apart, the
feeling of immersion is immense and enjoyable.
Conventional-looking
it might be, but when fired up and pumping out the tunes the Edifier
RT1700 BT Bookshelf Speaker is surprisingly ear-catching.
“Ear-catching”? Yes, we just coined that.
Around
£90
Visit
www.edifier.com