Edifier MR4 Review (Budget Monitor)

[Lambdalorian]

We have this speaker currently on sale in our country brand new for approx. USD 65.00. I'm just concerned if it is still worth it in 2024 or if there are better options for budget speakers out there.

They are a steal for $65. And no, there are no better options at that price.

 

[thewas]

Some friends of mine got them as well also similarly sized Presonus Eris E4.5 which usually are significantly more expensive but were offered at Black Friday for a similar price so I did some quick in room measurements and blind AB listening comparison (the placement at measurement and listening was of course not of the photo):

A kind of listening window MMM average of both with significant room influence below 300 Hz (will always post first the Presonus measurements):

It can be that the LW of the Edifier is smoother and the Presonus one more bit V shaped.

This can be also seen at the gated horizontal 0°-60° measurements of both:

It can be also seen that the deeper and wider Edifier waveguide gives a smoother directivity and also shows less diffcration issues which can be seen for the Presonus.

Harmonic distortion at a medium level around 80 dB at one meter look quite similar:

Multitone distortions differ a bit more with the highs of the Edifier looking a bit cleaner:

Listening the corresponding multitone signal on both showed the limitation on such small loudspeakers which was though less audible with music at "office" levels.

In a quick blind AB approximate level matched comparison (a friend switching between both) it was very easy for me to recognise each due to the more V shaped tuning of the Presonus which sounded more like a typical Hifi loudspeaker while the Edifier sounded a bit austere. In typical low desktop listening levels I even kind of preferred the Presonus tuning as it was like a loudness compensation and the mid bass boost also kind of compensated the missing deep bass of both. I finally made some equaliser filters with the LW differences of both and tried to simulate the tonality of the one by the other which worked quite well, showing again that with EQ (which is easy and free to have nowadays at desktop usage thanks to Equalizer APO) someone can get quite far at such nearfield listening conditions. Concluding I would say both were good for the price paid for them although if space isn't an issue I personally would rather recommend a pair of used JBL 305 MK1 or MK2 which often isn't much more expensive but plays in a different league and is also a real active loudspeaker while those two are just passive crossover powered speakers.

 

[pathtonowhere]

The Presonus measurements look like HIFI nightmare, not proper HIFI. I'd call the Presonus austere, not the Edifier, because the midrange is at least as important as the bass and the highs, if not more important...
The Presonus response graph looks like the B&W that were reviewed and bashed by Amir and that horrified many buyers/listeners.
Also, horrible directivity measurements for the Presonus, too.

 

[AnalogSteph]

It can be also seen that the deeper and wider Edifier waveguide gives a smoother directivity and also shows less diffcration issues which can be seen for the Presonus.

The "diffraction" in the 4-9 kHz range may actually be woofer breakup. The crossover - being of the dreaded single capacitor variety - was always the E4.5's Achilles heel.

 

[xavx]

Just picked up a pair for my home office. I use Adam T5V at my work office, where I have significantly more space. I needed something small, didn’t want to deal with the fiasco of my AudioEngine experience, so took a chance with the Edifier after seeing this review.

I was surprised that Edifier classifies these as bookshelf speakers, not computer speakers, on their website. I would not use these as studio monitors or as bookshelf speakers. You are not going to play these loud, but in the 85 db range, they are great for vocals (e.g. Zoom meetings, YouTube videos) and for playing music while I work. For this purpose, they are exactly what I needed - decent quality speakers at a relatively low price.

I rated them as “fine” without thinking about price or value, but based purely on my need for a very small pair of powered speakers. This rating may change as the included speaker wire hasn’t broken in for the required 200 listening hours yet - that attaches the right speaker to the left. I expect the harshness to be mitigated a bit with significantly more detail and fluidity in the midrange and more attack in the low end, as soon as the break in period is over.

Could you clarify for me the main differences you perceive between the MR4 and T5V, both after PEQ ?

I'm quite satisfied with the MR4 and pierreaubert PEQ, only lacking on the low bass side. I'm even using them for amateur music creation, mostly needing my headphones for mixing the bass. His preference score for the MR4 shows 5.72 after PEQ.
I'm wondering if the T5V would be a step up worth 260€/pair (3x price of MR4). The preference score for the T5V shows 6.01 after PEQ, which doesn't look much higher than the MR4.

Thanks

 

[SimpleTheater]

Could you clarify for me the main differences you perceive between the MR4 and T5V, both after PEQ ?

I'm quite satisfied with the MR4 and pierreaubert PEQ, only lacking on the low bass side. I'm even using them for amateur music creation, mostly needing my headphones for mixing the bass. His preference score for the MR4 shows 5.72 after PEQ.
I'm wondering if the T5V would be a step up worth 260€/pair (3x price of MR4). The preference score for the T5V shows 6.01 after PEQ, which doesn't look much higher than the MR4.

Thanks

T5V have significantly more bass, as you mention, and can play much, much louder. T5V have, IMO, a better installation process, specifically balanced inputs. I've got a lot of wires on my desk and stopped using the MR4's because I didn't want to spend $150 for super shielded RCA cables. Amazon basic cables, the ones that came with the MR4's and a pair I had sitting around all were picking up interference. I switched to the Kali LP-UNF's and the same interference issue continued when I plugged in RCA cables. However, once going to balanced the problem was solved.

I'm going to be checking out the new Adam Audio DV3's soon, and if they're worth it, I'll free up more space on my home desktop.

 

[5ynth3t1k]

Update:

I'm mixing like a pro ( in my own head ...) and my tracks are IMPROVING.

The Mr4's and SUB and definitely working. And DARN IT THEY ARE LOUD. ( medium treated room )
I tend to move around to listen to mixes, I find the sweet spots for various frequencies etc. I even listen in different rooms .
( natural filtering .... to focus on " does it sound like next door to a night club " ...)

They are still pumping.

QUESTION :

Is it possible to fiddle a stereo bass system ? I am not so sure about 2.1 and Mono Subs. This might be a thread somewhere.
A three way system... MR4 then BASS then SUB. a stack.

I guess an amp ( EQ ) , speaker and cab. then fiddle the EQ to mix the new cab in. so the cabs sit under the MR4's ,tighten up the
bass stereo image and fill in the gap between the MR'4 and the sub.. ( I am sure there is one... well at least where I sit.

I could drive the sytem with my DAC that has four outs. 1 ) tops ( cut the lows ) 2 ) bass and subs ( cut the highs, and fidle the EQ on the sub ) .

Phase issues I hear people yelling from the back. Quite..

ANOTHER QUESTION:

If I was to go bigger and better than the MR4's ( taking the MR4 and Sub cast/value into consideration ) where can I go that is not going to blow my bank account out of the water ? If I pay six times the price ( with out a Sub !!! ) will I get a monitor that is six times better than the MR4 ( im looking at you JBL ) ...

Still rocking ! ( actually playing bass synth pads like Jean Micheal Jarre meets Mettalica meets Gary Numan... woo ! )

:- )

 

[xavx]

T5V have significantly more bass, as you mention, and can play much, much louder. T5V have, IMO, a better installation process, specifically balanced inputs. I've got a lot of wires on my desk and stopped using the MR4's because I didn't want to spend $150 for super shielded RCA cables. Amazon basic cables, the ones that came with the MR4's and a pair I had sitting around all were picking up interference. I switched to the Kali LP-UNF's and the same interference issue continued when I plugged in RCA cables. However, once going to balanced the problem was solved.

I'm going to be checking out the new Adam Audio DV3's soon, and if they're worth it, I'll free up more space on my home desktop.

Thanks for your reply. The MR4 are loud enough for me as desktop speakers. Lower bass would be nice but I got used to the lack of rumble. I might look at the Kali as well. If the biggest gains are loudness and bass compliance, best to buy the ones easy to PEQ and reaching the lowest bass frequency possible or buy a complementary subwoofer.