We've been reviewing Edifier speakers for years now, and they are quickly becoming our go-to power house manufacturer. If you need a speaker that delivers knock-out sound at alarmingly competitive prices, the chances are that Edifier will have a system that suits your style. Recently we've been listening to one such noise-maker, and this proved to be just as versatile as it is slim and sexy. We check out the Edifier S50DB Soundbar.
As the name suggests, the S50DB is a soundbar, meaning it features a series of speakers arranged in a row, designed to be as sleek as possible to fit into a number of spaces. Instead of sitting happily upon your bookshelf (like these Edifier speaker would), the Edifier S50DB Soundbar longs to sit beneath your flatscreen TV, your gaming monitor, or mounted on your wall.
The headline here is that this thing can deliver quite a wallop: 88W of sound energy, to be precise. For comparison, that small Bluetooth speaker you have in the kitchen for when you're doing the dishes, probably knocks out five to ten watts at the most. So yeah, powerful.
But it isn't just the sheer sound that this thing can knock out that caught our eye; it was the quality of that sound, too. Edifier have used aluminium bass drivers, while the treble drivers are made from titanium. This means the oomph of the bass is vastly improved, offering reverberating bangs and crashes, while the treble is crisp and clean, sliding smoothly from the front grill.
On that note, the look of the Edifier S50DB Soundbar impressed us, utilising a modern mesh grill and LCD display up front, and a pleasant curving wood top. The small remote is nicely laid out, with a circular design with thumb-friendly buttons. It is a tad on the tiny size, though, so we'll probably lose it at some point. Jus' sayin'.
That remote is handy for flipping between the three EQ modes, however. You can choose between Movie, Music, and - interestingly - News. Movie and Music both place emphasis on deep and complex tones, with the bass upped to extreme, yet effective, levels in Movie mode. News mode, however, is more for general TV listening, and seems as if the vocals are picked up and amplified, making conversations in shows easier to hear.
In terms of connectivity, the Edifier S50DB Soundbar is very much a wireless speaker, as you might expect. You get Bluetooth as standard, but - and TV users should take note here - there is also aux in, coaxial, and good ol' line in. No HDMI though, unfortunately.
Despite all that power, the S50DB isn't massive, nor is it heavy, and we could easily see most people wanting to wall-mount it below their TV. And, thanks to that Bluetooth, when you're not watching the latest blockbuster on full volume, you can stream the music to your phone and enjoy greater-than-room-filling tunes. Another winner form Edifier in our book.
£249.99
Available from www.amazon.co.uk