If you’re short on time and just want the highlights of this article, here it is:
The Edifier R1280TS Two-Way Powered Bookshelf Speakers offer a decent audio experience at a reasonable price. With an RMS of 42 watts of undistorted output, the 4-inch bass driver and the silk dome tweeter produce an impressive soundstage when listening to music, movies, and gaming. The soundstage is especially evident when using the soundfield expert feature, which allows the user to optimize channels or send out signals to improve separation.
The speakers also feature two stereo RCA inputs and a 3.5mm auxiliary input for connecting various digital devices. The connection is also plug-and-play, making it easy to get up and running quickly.
The sound quality of the Edifier R1280TS is good overall, but not spectacular. The low end of the speakers does not have a lot of depth to it, and the sound is quite room-dependent. Additionally, the range is limited, but should be enough for most personal use cases.
All in all, the Edifier R1280TS are an affordable and versatile option for those looking for an easy-to-use audio solution for their home or office. While they may not be the best choice for audiophiles, they are a great option for those who are looking for an enjoyable listening experience without spending too much.
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Now let’s get to its bolts and nuts.
Edifier R1280TS 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.