Here’s my comprehensive Edifier P12 Review. The Edifier P12 is a passive book shelf speaker system, which means you’ll need an amplifier to make use of them. If you’re wondering whether or not your should buy these for your passive speaker of choice then read on because this review is for you. I know that finding the right bookshelf speaker can be tough. It’s often confusing because no two speaker systems are the same.
In the review I’ll also help talk you through setting up your amplifier. If you’ve got experience in this area feel free to skip this section! That’s a long enough intro, let’s get into the review. First up, first impressions.
Edifier P12 Review
The Edifier P12 arrived well packaged and damage free. A good start then. When I first opened the box I was greeted with a pair of speakers that looked quite basic at first glance in terms of features, but I guess that’s the point. You’ll need to wire them up to a good quality amplifier to really allow them their chance to shine.
When I removed them from their plastic (more on that in a minute) dust bags I thought that they’re really quite understated in terms of design. Don’t get me wrong, these speakers look pretty nice, but at first I thought the styling line through the middle of the grille was a little off center. That styling line eventually grew on me and actually makes the speakers look really good when you place them either side of your desk, or in my case the TV.
Single Use Plastic
Having just discussed the differences in plastic packaging in my review of the Edifier TWS NB2 Pro’s, I was expecting quite a lot of single use plastic. But, I have to say they was a distinct reduction in the overall packaging quantity when directly compared to the Edifier D12. The only plastic used in the packaging were the dust bags the individual speakers came in. I guess they could replace this with a recyclable or compostable alternative, but it’s a decent reduction in plastic use.
First Impressions Summary
I’m impressed so far, I like the subtle, understated styling and the packaging. The real litmus test will be the sound quality, but I only have an entry level two channel amplifier by Cambridge Audio. While I hope will be able to provide enough juice to the P12’s, they won’t sound their best unless they get the right amount.
Let’s take a look at my thoughts on the features and design.
Features & Design
The Edifier P12 are a passive speaker. As I’ve mentioned, you’ll need an amplifier to power them. This makes them really quite flexible in terms of placement. There’s no power cable length concerns to worry about.
On the back of each speaker you’ll find two spring loaded connectors. One for the positive terminal and one for the negative. The springs in the connectors are quite stiff and it was a bit fiddly to get the cable in. But I guess the reason for this is that they need to hold onto the speaker cable. The stiffness ensures that once you’ve set them up, the wires aren’t budging!
The back is also where you’ll find wall-mount brackets built into the speakers, which is a nice touch, they’re keyhole style mounting brackets. All you’ll need is a couple of screws and wall plugs and then just hang them up.
The speakers have a wonderful curved design at the top and bottom edges which make look them look quite stylish. The wood grain effect that covers the MDF looks fine against the white of my TV stand.
On the front of the each of the speakers is a removable grille. This has a lovely grey fabric finish and silver styling line running almost centrally through the middle of it. They look great with or without the grille.
At the bottom of each speaker are some foam feet that help elevate it off of the surface and reduce vibrational noise exchange through other surfaces or walls. I think they should have used slightly thicker feet though, as the bass is quite loud. Speaking of bass, let’s segue into my thoughts on the sound quality.
Edifier P12 Review Sound Quality
These sound really good. I can tell right away though that the audiophile purists probably won’t buy these. Even the budget conscious among that demographic may look elsewhere.
In my opinion they lack a little bit of accuracy. If accuracy is your number one priority you’ll need to spend a little bit more or get some cheaper studio monitors such as the Mackie CR4’s.
Because they lack that little bit of accuracy, it got me asking the question, ‘who are these speakers for?’. They’re for people who want a decent passive speaker system at your desk or as part of a budget friendly home theatre setup (either side of your TV for example).
The bass comes from the 4inch driver and it’s really punchy. They have a bit of boom to them and they easily fill my home office / games room.
I listened to Mac Millers ‘Watching Movies With The Sound Off’ album and the bass elements in the track ‘Avian’ sound fantastic. My ear’s tell me that the speakers have no problems at all landing every bass note perfectly. The sound is clear and it doesn’t distort unless you really crank it all the way up.
Vocals really do sound great and the booming bass seems to make the lyrics stand out a little bit more. Mac Millers voice is distinctive and I think it really sounds true to life on the Edifier P12’s.
The 19mm silk dome tweeter provides an accurate high-frequency response. But, that’s the only thing I didn’t like about the sound quality, there’s an ever so slight lack of clarity at the higher frequencies. If you’re looking for something with a bit of oomph in the treble, you may want to look elsewhere in the Edifier range, a powerful, powered speaker like the S1000DB would be good!
Overall I’m impressed with the sound quality. They’re perfect for a games room or as a casual listening speaker. Now let’s move on and take a look at the build quality.
Build Quality
The Edifier P12’s are made of predominantly MDF which makes them really strong and also helps reduce cabinet sound resonance. The grain effect vinyl wrap looks fabulous and is finished well around the edges; there aren’t any sharp edges or gaps. In all of my reviewing experience I’ve only seen Edifiers XM3BT’s with relatively poor edging, they’re usual flawless to be honest, so I didn’t expect anything less.
I didn’t do ‘the scratch test’ on these as they look far too good; I didn’t want to risk damaging them. I don’t think they’d scratch easily though, it’s not as if it’s a portable speaker where you’re constantly moving it around, so the P12’s should do just fine sitting on your shelf or TV stand.
As usual Edifier’s build quality is fantastic and what’s more, they back this up with a 2 year manufacturers warranty, which was a pleasant surprise. If you do buy the P12’s (the link will be below) make sure you activate the warranty. Read the included booklet for instructions on how to do that.
The Edifier P12 comes with a 2 year warranty! 
The edging is finished well and there are no sharp edges.
Setting up the Edifier P12 With An Amplifier
Setting up the Edifier P12 with an amplifier is fairly simple. I’m setting it up with an entry level Cambridge Audio amplifier that I was gifted about 2 years ago. Before you do anything make sure the power is off and ensure you’ve got two free channels spare on your amp of choice.
- Power down and unplug your Amplifier
- Connect the speaker cable to spring loaded connectors on the P12.
- Connect the other ends to the Amplifier channels.
Caution – make sure to keep the same side; Positive to Positive, Negative to Negative. If in doubt consult the manufacturers manual.
How Much & Where To Buy
You’ll find the Edifier P12’s available to buy from Amazon. Hit the affiliate link here to go straight to the item page on Amazon. They’ll set you back just under £60 / $80.
Summary & Verdict
My only real concern is the power rating is quite low, so you can’t really get them loud enough to fill a large room without some level of distortion at the higher end. However, if all you need these for is a casual listening session or for something to keep your games room in song, these are perfect for that.
The feature list matches the price point. And, for the price you’ll pay I think you’ll be really pleased with them.
For more information head on over to Edifier’s official website.
Score: 8.0/10
Disclosure:
The Amazon links in this article are affiliate links. This means that if you go onto buy something from Amazon after clicking on them we may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra but it helps us pay towards the running costs of the blog. It allows us to bring you great content! Thank you so much for your support.
CodeWithMike is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.co.uk.
CodeWithMike is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com
The Edifier P12’s were sent to us in exchange for writing our Edifier P12 Review.
