If you’re short on time and just want the highlights of this article, here it is:
The Edifier R1280T powered bookshelf speakers offer decent sound quality at a budget-friendly price. With the help of the 4.17” woofer and the 0.51” silk tweeter, the sound quality is surprisingly balanced and the treble and bass knobs offer plenty of flexibility. Additionally, the dual RCA inputs and remote control add an extra layer of convenience.
The most ideal user profile for the Edifier R1280T speakers is someone who is looking for a pair of affordable yet good-sounding speakers without breaking the bank. However, they may not be the best choice for anyone looking for a more powerful and punchy sound.
Overall, the Edifier R1280T speakers are great for anyone looking for an affordable yet good-sounding pair of powered bookshelf speakers. They deliver balanced sound with good clarity in the highs and decent bass response. The soundstage is wide, and the separation between instruments is good. With all this in mind, I would highly recommend the Edifier R1280T speakers to anyone looking for an affordable pair of powered bookshelf speakers.
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Now let’s get to its bolts and nuts.
Edifier R1280T Review: Sound quality
Let me tell you something right off the bat.
The sound quality performance you'll end up getting from a speaker will always depend on your room acoustics - particularly room dimensions and speaker positions.
The impact of the combination of these two is actually so strong that in most cases, it doesn't even make sense to utter a single word on sound quality without speaking of them.
This is also why it's not unusual to see completely different reviews of the same speaker.
In one case the speaker might be placed in a sweet spot inside the room and hence the user might be satisfied. In other cases the same speaker might be ill placed and hence user might even have returned it.
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The point most people miss here is that it mostly isn't even about the engineering behind the speaker itself. It's about where you place the speaker inside which room.
So, in order to solve this problem, I've partnered with Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD Andrea Cicero from AC Acustica and created Soundton - a simple, 2D, browser accessible online speaker placement calculator.
With Soundton, now there's a way to figure the sound quality of most speakers before you buy them.
Read more about its working principles at soundton.com.
The end colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) acoustics.