Ah, Edifier. Your products have graced my ears time and time again. At this point, I actually can’t remember ever owning another speaker brand, and with the arrival of the MR4, I feel as though my set-up may never need another pair of speakers again. These speakers straddle the line between casual use and audiophilia (anyone else still feels slightly uncomfortable using words that end in philia? Let’s just stick with enthusiast) perfectly. They are at a fantastic price point, they deliver high audio quality even at greater volume, and they look great too.
Build Quality
Edifier has a little bit of a reputation for, let’s say, interesting satellite speaker design. That being said, I haven’t seen them put out anything interesting in quite some time, and certainly in the case of the MR4, it’s all business. This is a sleek pair of monitors with a premium finish – no cheap MDF or rough, squared edges here. They’d fit in almost anywhere, and while they do have a slightly bigger footprint than your average 2.1 setup, they’re on the smaller side for this type of speaker.
If you’re limited on space, the MR4 monitors may actually be a better option. While they do take up a bit more space on the desk itself, they don’t need a subwoofer, which means less cabling and no giant boxes underfoot. Bassheads worry not – these monitors still deliver an excellent, rounded sound all by themselves.
Audio Quality
My main gripe with the MR4 is the lack of specific granular control of volume. The dial jumps up in increments, which makes it quite hard to get the volume you actually want. If you’re not listening to music, this is actually a bit of a problem, as you have to continually tweak the output volume on your device to try and find the right balance. The lack of proper volume control is a real flaw with these speakers – it’s actually mind-boggling that they went with increments so far apart. One notch is the difference between barely being able to hear it or just being too damn loud.
Once you’ve figured the volume out though, the sound quality is glorious. It’s absolutely fantastic for music, as it should be – everything is crystal clear and distinguished. They even do an excellent job with games and other media. My Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough has been much enhanced by the speakers driving that fantasy soundtrack like the orchestra is sitting under my desk. The volume control is a little problematic for games – backing scores are beautiful but ambient dialogue and sound effects are often easily lost.
These speakers do an excellent job of bringing out mid-range sound, which is pretty transformative for certain genres of music. Metal in particular sounds fantastic, as does any sort of classic or modern rock. The new Royal Blood album was glorious.
Aesthetics
These are, essentially, a beautiful pair of straight-up speakers. There’s no Bluetooth functionality or remotes, which may be offputting for some but doesn’t really occur as an issue for me personally as a casual PC user. For RCA input, the MR4s employ the old-fashioned clip-in red/white wires – you know the ones with a bit of exposed wiring you have to stick into the back somewhat unceremoniously. These do the job, but I always worry about their longevity.
It also features input jacks to connect to other professional audio equipment, but I doubt the price/quality of these would really match up to the sort of setup that would employ those. They’re a fantastic entry-level set of speakers, so if you’re a hobby/amateur mixer you could do much worse than these.
Availability & Pricing
The MR4 is currently available on Amazon for the sum of £109.99, and they only have the white version in stock. That still comes in at under half the price of some competitors but does place it rather squarely in a price bracket that also includes models with a bit more ease-of-use functionality. You can find the black models at some other sites, including K&B Audio.
MR4 Specification
- Total Power Output (RMS): 21W + 21W
- Drivers: 1-inch tweeters, 4-inch woofers
- Frequency Response: 60Hz – 20kHz
- Signal-to-Noise Rate: ≥ 85dB (A)
- Audio Inputs: TRS, RCA, 3.5mm AUX
- Audio Outputs: 3.5mm headphone jack
- Net Weight: 4.5kg
Edifier MR4 Studio Monitor Speakers’ overall thoughts
My final verdict – if music and gaming are equal loves in your life, these speakers are perfect all-rounders for that use. They do both incredibly well and look great in the process. If you’re moving from a cheap 2.1 setup, you’ll be blown away. The lack of proper volume control is a bit of a pain, but this can be overcome by tweaking your system/game volume individually to get the levels you want.
The Edifier MR4 Studio Monitor speakers are available on Amazon. Check out more of our reviews HERE.
