Edifier are known for their affordable bookshelf speakers, but the Edifier MR4 is the company’s first foray into studio monitors. At a price of US$129, it is an affordable option for anyone looking to own a pair of studio monitors for content creation, or simply for audio consumption as well.
Unboxing
In the box, you’ll find the following:
- Edifier MR4 Studio Monitor Speakers
- User manual
- 3.5mm -RCA audio cable
- 3.5mm – 3.5mm audio cable
- Speaker connecting cable
Tech specs
| Size | Active speaker (right): 140 x 228 x 197.5 mm Passive speaker (left): 140 x 228 x 184 mm |
| Weight | 4.5kg |
| Power output | 21W + 21W |
| Drivers | 4-inch carbon fibre woofer 1-inch silk dome tweeter |
| Frequency response | 60Hz-20KHz |
| Inputs | TRS Balanced RCA unbalanced AUX unbalanced |
| Input sensitivity | TRS balanced input: +4dBu AUX/RCA unbalanced input: -10dBV |
Build quality and design
The Edifier MR4 comes into two colour options – (1) white, and (2) black.The unit I have is the latter, which features an all matte black look as the tweeter and woofer are black coloured as well. If you prefer lighter colours, the Edifier MR4 also comes in white with the drivers in black colour for a bright and contrasted look. The bottom of the Edifier MR4 is raised with four circular rubber feet to help with grip and vibration.
The drivers of the Edifier MR4 are housed in a 2-piece cabinet of MDF wood and a front plastic casing, that offers a very simple boxy design. I like how minimalistic the Edifier MR4 looks. Build quality is fantastic and the MDF wood used feels solid and not thin. The speakers are hefty at a combined weight of 4.5kg, and are about as tall as a 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The size of the speakers should be suitable for a 1.2m length desk setup. The front dial on the right speaker doubles as a volume rocker as well as a power button, which is stepped with a fixed start and end point.
Connectivity and ports
There are three input connections – (1) RCA, (2) 3.5mm AUX, and (3) TRS. I’d recommend using either the RCA and TRS inputs as they are located at the back of the speaker unit. And save the front 3.5mm for one-off uses. Edifier supplied a 3.5mm to RCA audio cable in the box so it is easy to connect to your PC or laptop. The Edifier MR4 does not have Bluetooth, so do be mindful that this is a strict plug-and-play speaker setup.
Do note that both the RCA and 3.5mm AUX-in ports are unbalanced. I did notice some hiss especially if the volume dial is over the halfway mark. But as long as you’re playing content, I don’t think you’d notice much of the hiss anyway. I’d recommend using the TRS port since it is a balanced input.
If you want to quickly listen on your headphones, the headphone jack is conveniently located in the front. But since it is located on the right speaker unit, the wire may get in your way since most people are right-handed. The volume knob is stepped and has a fixed start and end point when rotating it. You can press on the volume dial to switch between ‘Monitor’ mode and ‘Music’ mode.
Sound quality
The Edifier MR4 has two music modes – (1) Monitor mode, and (2) Music mode. Compared to Monitor mode, Music mode slightly amplifies the low and high end for a more dynamic sound. I will be sharing my experiences of the audio quality on the Monitor mode below.
As a studio monitor, the Edifier MR4 has a relatively flat sound signature. Bass is nice and tight, which is something I’d describe as a flat response, or clean sounding. There is not much sub-bass presence which is expected given its stated frequency response of 60Hz, so if you’re expecting warm booms and rumble, the Edifier MR4 does not offer too much of that.
Midrange and treble are delivered with very good clarity. Mids are forward and detailed, allowing vocals and instruments to stand out. Watching movies are also enjoyable on the Edifier MR4 as the dialogue is kept clear in the overall mix. Edifier MR4 also offered good imaging as well, allowing you to discern the various elements of instruments and sound elements, which was particularly enjoyable when watching movies.
The back of the right speaker unit feature two knobs for bass and treble control, which offers up to 6dB of adjustments both ways. Personally for my liking, I’d turn the bass knob to its maximum on Monitor mode. It’s a slight shame that Edifier did not include a subwoofer out port on the Edifier MR4. Since the sub-bass isn’t the most prominent response on the Edifier MR4, having a subwoofer out allows for flexibility of adding one based on user audio preferences.
Conclusion
At its asking price of US$129, the Edifier MR4 is a brilliant option if you looking for a set of desktop speakers that is capable of producing powerful, uncoloured clean sound. I really like the clean minimalistic design of the Edifier MR4 as well. And since it comes in both black or white options, there is definitely one that will fit seamlessly in your setup.