Edifier R2850DB Review (Opinion)

[andy88]

Hey guys,

I recently picked up these speakers off e-bay to replace my Kanto YU6 speakers. I was always a bit disappointed with them even though they seemed to get decent reviews.

The 2850DB seem to lack a lot of information and the only reviews I could find about them were just videos on you tube. They were released in the US in 2021.

These speakers are on the larger size for "book shelf" speakers and really seem to push the boundaries of what a bookshelf can be. They measure at 18"Hx10"Wx12D. Each speaker weighs approx. 23.5lbs.

View attachment 296659

an active design and come with a wide array of inputs for all your needs. 2xRCA, 1xOptical (Toslink), Coax and Bluetooth 5) and 1xSubwoofer OUT. The speaker cable bridging the active right unit to left is attached on the right speaker and an XLR connection on the left. The cable length is approx. 8ft long. Unit comes with a remote control with very basic functionality (Power, mute, volume, track advance/back/play, input select, mute and bluetooth toggle). Unit has a SUB OUT for further bass extension. The speakers come with all cables to hook up your devices except for COAX. The RCA Cable is both RCA to RCA and RCA to 3.5mm (nice touch). The remote is powered by one CR2032 battery (included).

As for the speakers themselves they are made of some form of MDF, though they certainly do not feel cheap.

Side of the speaker:
View attachment 296667
Speaker has volume control and DRC - +/-6dB Bass/Treble. ON/OFF switch on back of unit.

As for the front:

View attachment 296666

Speaker is a ported design with an 8" woofer, 4" mid range and 3/4 tweeter. The unit comes with removable grills to give them a sleek and classic look.

As far as tonality is concerned the speakers are flat. Really flat. A slight brightness to the upper mid range, but it's not harsh or shrill. The bass is extremely well balanced and warm. It's tight. Not boomy or boxy and can stand out without being overpowering. Listening to some crazy metal bass songs was highly enjoyable and offered a great experience that you typically don't see in a speaker in this price range.

The speakers frequency response is: 42hz - 20khz

It is important even with the 8" woofer that Edifier included a subwoofer out. The connection is 3.5mm. The speakers come with a 3.5mm to RCA cable. It is short. Real short. About 4' if that. You'll probably need a longer one.

The subwoofer port is hard set to a cross over of 100hz at a slope of 24dB/OCT. To me, I like the slightly higher than THX crossover. I also like how it slopes off and allows the sub to really handle the low end. Blending is natural and effortless.

Overall, these speakers are tight. They are a great addition to an office workspace or someone looking for a bigger speaker but not willing to pay the really high cost. Bass is warm, detailed but not overpowered. Mids and treble are bright but not shrill and fatiguing. Out of the box they sounded great and that is a good sign for when my ears burn in to the speakers.

I cannot for the life of me understand why these speakers aren't talked about more or why reviews are so scarce.

Retail cost is: $449 on Amazon. I sold my Kanto YU6 + SUB 6 to recoup some of the price. Well worth it.

Can you help me out about the DRC please. i dont understand how can i adjust it or turn it on/off. volume/bass/treble ok. thanks for your review anyway.

 

[malone-m]

@andy88 It is fully automatic and no manual control is possible. It is a function to prevent amplifier overload. But there's no need to worry about any volume fluctuations etc. in normal use, it's only there for *really* extreme cases.

 

[genXSound]

Hi Guys, I hope you’re doing well! I need your precious advice, Can I connect a vintage amplifier to the Edifier? I am thinking to use the pre-out of a Pioneer A626 to the Edifier. Would that function? PS. I know you may wonder why but first I’d need to know your technical advice and then will discuss also the reson. Thank you in advance,

 

[xon]

Hi everyone, this is my first post.
I felt like I should jump in this conversation and give my 2c as I have searched this site for a lot of information, which has been very helpful! I owe it to everyone in here.

First, regarding the edifiers, I would like to point out that I bought a few years ago the smaller version, the R2750DB.
Since I had no way to listen to them, here in Portugal, I relied on lots of listening on youtube of speakers comparisons and what not. For what it's worth, and even considering the differences in recordings, YT compression, etc., I ended up choosing these speakers, even over some of edifier's flagship models, like the S3000 Pro, for example. I realized that being a 3 way speaker gave the air I needed for my listening pleasure . And of course, price-wise, Other brands could not compete with these.

So, sound quality, for me, is very pleasing and airy. Don't get me wrong, I am no expert. There are debates here about gear that I could only dream of having, but I like my sound to be on the flat and clear side. These give me exactly this. A little tweak here and there sometimes is enough to correct anything that I feel needs to be corrected.

For TV - for me the 2750 (so, the 2850 from the thread as well) are more than enough to get the house shaking. First thing I did was to sit down with my kid and watch a Transformers movie. The walls felt it!

@genXSound I would also like to hear what people have to say about that. I am thinking of buying a Yamaha A-S301 and later add some passive speakers, but for the time being, I cannot afford the speakers. So, I would have to use the edifiers in the meantime. I can only imagine that there wouldn't be any problem connecting the speakers to the pre-out/rec-out of an amplifier. It's a line level, and the speakers are ready to receive line level. My thoughts on this is that you (we) start with the volume on the speakers down, and gradually go up, and see what happens.

Nonetheless, I would love to read the input of more educated people on the subject, if possible.

Thanks guys, have a nice one!

 

[genXSound]

Hi everyone, this is my first post.
I felt like I should jump in this conversation and give my 2c as I have searched this site for a lot of information, which has been very helpful! I owe it to everyone in here.

First, regarding the edifiers, I would like to point out that I bought a few years ago the smaller version, the R2750DB.
Since I had no way to listen to them, here in Portugal, I relied on lots of listening on youtube of speakers comparisons and what not. For what it's worth, and even considering the differences in recordings, YT compression, etc., I ended up choosing these speakers, even over some of edifier's flagship models, like the S3000 Pro, for example. I realized that being a 3 way speaker gave the air I needed for my listening pleasure . And of course, price-wise, Other brands could not compete with these.

So, sound quality, for me, is very pleasing and airy. Don't get me wrong, I am no expert. There are debates here about gear that I could only dream of having, but I like my sound to be on the flat and clear side. These give me exactly this. A little tweak here and there sometimes is enough to correct anything that I feel needs to be corrected.

For TV - for me the 2750 (so, the 2850 from the thread as well) are more than enough to get the house shaking. First thing I did was to sit down with my kid and watch a Transformers movie. The walls felt it!

@genXSound I would also like to hear what people have to say about that. I am thinking of buying a Yamaha A-S301 and later add some passive speakers, but for the time being, I cannot afford the speakers. So, I would have to use the edifiers in the meantime. I can only imagine that there wouldn't be any problem connecting the speakers to the pre-out/rec-out of an amplifier. It's a line level, and the speakers are ready to receive line level. My thoughts on this is that you (we) start with the volume on the speakers down, and gradually go up, and see what happens.

Nonetheless, I would love to read the input of more educated people on the subject, if possible.

Thanks guys, have a nice one!

Hi @xon could you have look here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...p-stack-to-active-speaker.52183/#post-1883881 . BTW did you manage to advance into this topic? As I am nit yet decided if should look for an amp with pre out or with only tape out. Best!

 

[xon]

Hi @xon could you have look here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...p-stack-to-active-speaker.52183/#post-1883881 . BTW did you manage to advance into this topic? As I am nit yet decided if should look for an amp with pre out or with only tape out. Best!

@genX Hi there!
I did dive into it and bought the Yamaha. I connected the edifiers to the "rec" out and it works just as it should. But I can only control volume and tone on the speakers, as the sound coming out of the amp through the rec out is "as is".
The only complain I have is listening to vinyl, as it throws all the power out at once, and it's easy to get some noise, but I still manage to go up to loud volume without it being noticeable.
Because of this, I took the amp (yesterday) to my parent's to test with actual passive speakers, and it's great, no noise unless I go all the way up.
So, all in all, until I buy the passive speakers, I have no worries. I can listen to my music perfectly.
I hope this helped.

By the way, any good budget passive speakers (clean sounding) anyone recomends with this amp?

Thanks!