Edifier R1700BT Review
Review Tech

Edifier R1700BT Review

Here’s my Edifier R1700BT Review. Yes, that’s right I’m back with another review of an Edifier product. And, this is probably one of my favorites so far.

The Edifier R1700BT are relatively small in comparison to some of the other bookshelf speakers featured in my reviews. And, whilst these mains powered speakers are small they pack some serious punch.

Let’s get into the review and find out why these are among some of my favorite Edifier bookshelf speakers.

Edifier R1700BT Review: Side Profile looks great.
Edifier R1700BT Review: Side Profile looks great.

Edifier R1700BT Review

First impressions then! They were shipped in a strong, branded outer Edifier box which was quite boring. But, it gave an overview of what’s lurking inside, so it’s decent enough.

The inner box looks great, Edifier branded and fairly typical in terms of design. It’s quite a common box across the range. Opening up the inner box I was greeted with a fair bit of plastic packaging which is a big disappointment.

The last thing I wrote for an Edifier product was my Edifier H850 Review and I know it’s not a great comparison due in part to the size difference, but the H850’s had hardly any plastic packaging at all.

After removing them from the box I was greeted with a lovely wood grain finish. The wood looks fantastic against the black vinyl covered MDF edges and the black drivers.

I normally prefer to keep the dust covers off and these are no exception. The drivers look great, especially with the exposed screws holding them in place. It gives an overall utilitarian feel to the front of the speaker.

They look chunky but at the same time they’re a lot lighter than similarly sized speakers I’ve reviewed previously. I’m also a big fan of the angled design. I’m sure it’ll help improve the sound staging as well, as you can direct the driver towards your ears a lot easier.

Edifier R1700BT Review Sound Quality

Considering these are a fairly budget offering, they sound really good. The sound is smooth, but I felt that they’re missing something in the high frequencies that I just can’t put my finger on.

When you crank the volume all the way up there is some slight distortion from the woofers and some crackles from the tweeters. But, it’s not often you’ll have the volume on maximum so it’s not too big of an issue.

The best part about the sound profile on the R1700BT is the low frequencies. The bass is powerful and comes through strongly. Play a few tracks where there isn’t such a focus on the bass though and you may find that it’s a bit too focused and a bit too dominant.

The middle frequency ranges are pretty much spot on. It’s here that I became really impressed. The mid ranges can make or break a speaker. The vocals need to be heard and it’s an area that, in the past hasn’t had a great deal of effort placed into getting it just right.

But, fear not. That isn’t the case at all with these. The mids are strong, refined and rich in texture. Listening to something such as Bring me to Life by Evanescence is a great litmus test for any speaker.

It has all of the required constituent parts that can really test all areas of the speaker. At the start of the song there’s a piano and vocal solo for the R1700BT’s to contend with. And, they’re soon met with a heavy collection of drums and other instruments.

It passes the test with flying colours, Evanescence have never sounded so good!

I’m not too sure if I prefer bass ports to be on the front or back of the speaker. But with this set, having it on the front is a wise choice. The speaker isn’t big enough to cause the escaping air (turbulence) to be loud enough for you to hear it.

If the woofer is fairly punchy, you’ll probably end up with a large port. If you front-mount it, you either have to increase the height of the speaker by quite a bit, or use a slotted port.

A four-inch driver and a 19mm tweeter mean that Edifier have been able to front mount it without sacrificing any sound quality. If you want to place your speakers near a wall, then a front-facing bass port is probably the best option.

Bass port placement is an interesting area of debate. Audio enthusiast forums the world over are full of people giving their arguments for both cases. But for me I like to listen to the speaker and let the sound be the judge.

Overall the sound quality is great and I really like how detailed each instrument or vocal track is. Next, lets have a look at the build quality.

The build quality is good for the price.
The build quality is good for the price.

Design & Build Quality

These are made from a super high-quality MDF. As with almost all of Edifiers line up, they’re extremely well-made. They have a strong, robust feel to them as well.

They measure 8.4 x 9.1 x 9.9 inches and will comfortably fit most bookshelves, desks or TV stands. They weigh around 6kg each so weight won’t be a problem for your placement location either.

The walnut wood finish looks attractive and as these are loan units I din’t do a scratch test of the vinyl, but just by experiencing the feel of it I can tell it won’t scratch easily.

The wood matched with the black is a classic design. This means it’ll go with the decor of most homes. One thing I din’t like about the design though are the foam feet. They seem like an after thought, it’s as if someone in the factory almost forgot to attach them, so at the last minute they were quickly glued on.

But I guess cost cutting had to be made somewhere and it doesn’t affect the overall quality of the sound, build or design.

The side of the speaker is where you’ll find the controls. They’re slotted into a recess on the right hand side (active) speaker. It’s a nice idea, easy to find but won’t distract you from looking at the front of the speakers, as they are really nice to look at.

Overall it’s what I’d describe as a solid build. The R1700BT’s have some some nice features. And, the size, sound quality and price make these one of my favorite bookshelf speaker sets so far.

Individual bass, treble and volume controls.
Individual bass, treble and volume controls.

Connectivity & Controls

The 3 control knobs are for the treble, bass and volume. The volume control features a safety mechanism, turn the speaker on and it’ll set a default level, which is fairly quiet to be honest. But, this feature is really handy if you are listening at high volume and turn them off before you turn the sound down. It helps prevent damage to not only your speakers but your ears too!

The volume knob also controls the connectivity. By pushing and holding it down it will allow you to select an input source.

On the back panel there’s nothing too out of the ordinary. The back features a power switch and a connector to allow you to wire up the passive speaker.

You’ll also find two sets of RCA inputs, which is handy as it’ll connect two devices using a 3.5mm output. You can switch between the two external sources at the same time without unplugging the other which is a neat touch.

The remote control is basic but it’s a good addition to the speakers. It offers limited functionality, but still proves useful for the usual tasks of changing the volume, muting or selecting an input source. I’ve mentioned the remotes being basic before, but on a speaker at this price point it’s not much of a concern. The higher end stuff more often than not get’s a dedicated remote control.

The R1700BT has Bluetooth connectivity, you can pair up your computer, phone or tablet and it works flawlessly across iOS, Android, Windows and Mac. It’s really easy to connect and once connected the connection is really stable. I didn’t have any drop outs or interference issues.

What’s In The Box?

1 x Active Speaker

1 x Passive Speaker

1 x Remote Control

1 x RCA to RCA cable

1 x Speaker to Speaker cable

1 x Instruction Manual

It’s ready to go right out of the box.

How Much & Where To Buy?

We found these brand new for £129.99 / $149.99 on Amazon. There are also refurbished units listed and sold by Edifier Refurbished for $119.00 which seems a good option! Hit the affiliate links below to check them out.

Brand new for £129.99 / $149.99.

Edifier Refurbished for $119.99.

Edifier R1700BT Review Verdict & Score

Score: 8.0 / 10

Edifier have made a very good bookshelf speaker set at an affordable price. Again, they have shown that you don’t have to cut corners and skimp on the quality to make an amazing product that’s just about budget friendly.

At this price point I think you’ll struggle to find something as good. Something like the Pyle PBKSP52 by PreSonus sound like they’re a decent competitor on paper, but we’d have to review those to find out for sure!

In terms of the score, I said that these are among my faves, and they are. I really like that everything seems to fit together almost perfectly. The design, size and sound are all amazing. I just felt as if the excess plastic packaging and the flimsy dust covers let it down slightly and that’s the reason for the 8/10.

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Disclosure:

If you use any of the Amazon links in this article they are affiliate links. This means that if you go onto buy something from Amazon I may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra but it helps me to pay for the running costs of the blog and allows me to bring you great content! Thank you so much for your support.

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