Edifier MR5 Review: Can These 3-Way Speakers Replace a Subwoofer?

The Pros and Cons

How to get clean bass from the Edifier MR5 on a desk

The MR5 needs some setup if it is going on a desk or near a wall. Out of the box, that bass can be a muddy mess in that position. The rear dials adjust treble at 10 kHz and above, and bass at 125 Hz and below, by plus or minus 6 dB. There is also a nine-band EQ in the Edifier app.

I mainly boosted the mids, upper mids and treble while reducing the mid-bass. The crucial settings are in the acoustic tuning menu: I set Acoustic Space to -2 dB for close-to-wall placement and turned on Desktop Control. To me, Desktop Control seems to reduce the bloated area around 200 Hz caused by the 5-inch woofers vibrating on the desk. Those changes make the bass much cleaner.

You can also switch between Monitor mode, Music mode and your custom EQ from the app or by pressing the volume knob. I do not personally want a flat sound for music, so I preferred adding a little treble crispness without pushing it into sibilance or harshness.

Edifier MR5 sound quality: deepish bass and crisp treble

Each MR5 speaker uses a 1-inch tweeter, 3.75-inch mid-range driver and 5-inch woofer. Edifier advertises bass down to 46 Hz, and in my testing these tickled pretty close to 40 Hz. They also have 110 W of total power and get seriously loud for their compact size.

The bass is not the punchiest response, but the mid-bass is a standout once it is dialled down. Even in the last two volume clicks towards maximum, the bass does not rise relative to the volume, which I believe is there to reduce distortion. There is plenty of weight here for a desk, record player or TV setup, but do not expect proper subwoofer bass.

Treble is the main strength for me after EQ. High hats, crashes and cymbals have the crisp detail I like, without becoming harsh. The mid-range is decent rather than special: vocals are well separated and natural with pop or less busy tracks, but can fall back slightly with metal, orchestration and more complex music.

Can the Edifier MR5 replace the S360DB 2.1 system?

The Edifier S360DB still sounds cleaner to my ears. Its separate 8-inch subwoofer gives it a fuller bass response, more punch, cleaner bass and better instrument separation. It also has 155 W of total power.

The MR5 does have a slight treble advantage because its app-based EQ is far more capable. On certain songs, having its 5-inch woofers right on my desk also gave the MR5 a more powerful bass response, and it could basically keep up with the S360DB. Once the track reaches below 40 Hz and towards 35 Hz, though, the S360DB pulls ahead.

So, can it replace a 2.1 system? It depends on what you need. If you want genuinely deep low bass, no. If you want compact desktop speakers with powerful sound, deepish bass and outstanding customisation, the MR5 makes a strong case without needing to add a subwoofer.

Edifier MR5 specifications and connections discussed in this review

Connectivity, build and the MR5 drawbacks

Connectivity is excellent. The MR5 supports Bluetooth 6.0, SBC and LDAC high-res, plus multipoint for two connected devices. For wired sources, it has RCA, TRS and XLR inputs, while the front of the right speaker adds an auxiliary input and headphone output. Edifier includes an RCA-to-auxiliary cable and a regular auxiliary cable.

The speakers are available in black or white. From the front, they look only slightly larger than the S360DB speakers, but the cabinets are much deeper, so they take up more desk space. If your desk is not deep, they may end up too close to you. Build quality is okay for the price: they do not look or feel as nice as the S360DB bookshelf speaker finish, but they are well built and clean looking.

My main frustrations are the rear-mounted sound customisation knobs, the lack of a remote and the absence of a subwoofer connection. Much of the adjustment can be handled in the app, but physical controls on the back are still less convenient than the S360DB arrangement.