Back in December '12, my faithful Logitech Z-2300s died and when I was looking for a pair of high-quality PC speakers to replace them. Unfortunately, even though there’s a large selection, I couldn’t find a 2.1 speaker set that not only was high-quality, but powerful. Anything above $300 were either 5.1 systems or studio monitors (Which are good, but wanted a separate subwoofer), and everything below that wasn’t what I was looking for. Eventually I found and bought the Edifier S730 300W speakers.
Technical Specifications
- Total power output: RMS 75W x 2 (Satellites) + 150W (Subwoofer)
- THD + N (testing level): 10%
- Signal to noise ratio: ≥85dBA
- Frequency response: Satellites: 160Hz - 20kHz | Subwoofer: 20Hz - 130Hz
- Distortion: ≤0.5%
- Input sensitivity: Satellites: 650mV ± 50mV (PC) / 1,200mV ± 50mV (CD) Subwoofer: 250mV ± 50mV (PC) / 450mV ± 50mV (CD)
- Input impedance: 10KΩ
- Audio Input Type: 3.5mm stereo line-in, optical and coaxial audio inputs, PC to PC and CD to CD/AUX digital inputs (RCA)
- Adjustment: Master volume control, bass/treble trimmer, left/right balance Subwoofer / bass unit: 10 inch, magnetically shielded, 8Ω
- Midrange / high unit: 3½ inch, Magnetically shielded, 4Ω
- Tweeter unit: Ф25mm silk dome tweeter, Magnetically shielded, 6Ω
- Remote control: Wireless: Standby/on, Mute, Volume, Balance, Bass/treble trimmer, Subwoofer adjustment, Input selection, LCD light control, Digital input recognition Wired: LCD Display, Full Function EQ adjustment knob, Standby/on, Input selection, Headphone output
- Control panel: Power
- Dimension: Satellite: 116mm x 203mm x 160mm | Subwoofer: 367mm x 397mm x 489mm (WxHxD)
- Weight: ≈28.00Kg (Net) / ≈30.00Kg (Gross)
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Initial Impressions:
These speakers definitely aren't cheap coming in anywhere from $250-500. When I received the Edifier S730, it was definitely the heaviest order, and perhaps the biggest, I've ever had to carry in to my house. The weight of the packaged was close to 66 lbs. (~30 kg.) and carrying it up two flights of stairs and through some narrow doorways took quite a bit of effort. I felt bad for the UPS deliverer who had to drop it off. Opening the package, you can can definitely tell Edifier put effort into protecting their product. The speakers were cased in two separate boxes, one for protection during shipping and another for the actual product. Not only that, but each item was securely wrapped and fitted in custom cut styrofoam. Removing the satellite speakers were no problem, but the subwoofer was fairly tricky and heavy to take out as it houses the powerful 150W subwoofer with built-in amplifier for the speakers.
Other items received were:
- 2.5" LCD speaker controller and base stand
- Wireless remote
- Pair of speaker cables
- 3.5mm to dual RCA connector cable
- RCA to RCA connector cable
- Digital Coaxial connector cable
- User's Manual
- Edifier Warranty Card
Going through the individual looks of the items, they just scream quality. The satellite speakers themselves are done in a black piano finish encased in wooden MDF housing. The satellite speakers themselves is a dual-speaker design with a tweeter and mid-range unit. On the backside, they have a terminal for the speaker cables and a bracket for mounting. It also comes with a removable mesh face that can be left on or off. Even though it wasn't nearly as heavy as the subwoofer, each satellite speaker has heft to them.
Moving on to the subwoofer itself, I can't stress enough of how big and heavy it is. But just like the speakers, the subwoofer has a high-quality build. It uses a front-firing design (the woofer's direction runs parallel to the floor), and the 10" driver is encased in a wooden cabinet with a passive radiator enclosure. The front of the subwoofer has a metal grill which I find looks good (Some might not). Located on the backside are the connections for audio inputs, speaker terminals, LCD controller, and power, and the heatsink to cool the unit.
The last major item is the LCD wired controller. The controller is made of a black plastic and has a 2.5” LCD to display settings and a plastic adjustment knob. Near the bottom of the controller are buttons for for the standby function and input selection. On the side is a 3.5mm headphone output jack. Surprisingly, even though it’s plastic, the LCD controller is also fairly hefty.
All in all, the speaker set and LCD controller makes a visually appealing product.
Functionality:
Thankfully, I have the room to fit the massive subwoofer under my desk. However, when connecting the speakers and subwoofer with the cables that came with them, I realized that they were slightly short. I have a fairly big desk (~60" in length) and positioning the subwoofer directly underneath it made it difficult for the wire to reach my PC that was ~40” inches away. I like to keep my wires tidy, but the length of the connectors that came with the speakers made it difficult to do so. The wire length for the LCD controller might also be short for people who might want to position the sub away from their speakers.
Looking at the LCD wire controller, it gives you control of your speakers by using the control knob to turn and click to peruse through settings. The settings that you're able to adjust are:
- Volume (0 to 50 w/ +6 Boost setting)
- Subwoofer adjustment (-10 to +10)
- Bass trimmer(-6 to +6 w/ increment changes of ±2db)
- Treble trimmer(-6 to +6 w/ increment changes of ±2db)
- Left and right balance (-9 to +9)
- LCD brightness (1-7 w/ "1" being the dimmest and "7" being the brightest)
Other features that the controller have are a 3.5mm headphone jack, Input selector (PC/CD for RCA connections and Digital (Coaxial and Optical input)), and a standby button. The infrared wireless controller has buttons that mimics all the features of the LCD controller and has a very good range (~30 feet when testing).
Another great thing about these speakers is the magnetic shielding. With some other speakers I've used, an incoming cell phone call would usually cause elecctromagnetic interference creating the infamous buzzing noise. However, with these, I do not hear distortion or interference even at the highest volume with a wireless router next to them.
Taking everything in consideration, the practical design of the S730 is very complete. The LCD controller has settings that a user would possibly want to adjust at or away from their computer. The shortness of the wires could be a bothersome, but these can be switched out for longer cables.
Testing:
Testing the speakers, I used the the following system specs:
- Intel i7 2600K 4.5Ghz
- Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB DDR3 2133
- Gigabyte P67A-UD7-B3
- Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 240GB SSD
- Asus Xonar Essence STX (Tested using default opamps (JRC2114))
For audio settings, I used the following settings:
- Audio Channel: 2 Channels
- Bit-Depth: 24-bit
- Sample Rate: PCM 44.1KHz
- DSP Mode: Hi-fi only (Disables all post-processing effects)
Testing these speakers, I used neutral/stock control settings (Bass: 0, Treble: 0, Subwoofer: 0) and only lossless formats such as FLAC, ALAC, and WAV. Songs that I tested were based on my familiarity with them and their complexity.
Crips, clear, full, warm. I could say a lot of positive things about these speakers. However, I do not want to spout off as an audiophile elitist. Bottom line, these speakers are fantastic for multimedia use. Through all my genre of music, the S730s were able to give me the highs for cymbals and violins, mids for distinguishable vocals and instrumentals, and lows of powerful, but tight baselines. One song I played over and over was “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. This song incorporates everything from a drum baseline, to pianos, cymbals, tambourines, guitars, etc. The sound produced by the speakers made all the vocals and instruments easily distinguishable and lush. Not only that, but also low-level details such as John Deacon’s bass guitar can be clearly heard.
However, the area where these speakers really shine for some is the sheer power of the subwoofer. As a electronic music fan, using these speakers makes any song a concert experience. Running through some Bass Mekanik’s bass tests, the items on my desk would shake and the windows would rattle violently. However, even though the subwoofer is powerful, it produces a tight, quality bass. This is due in part of the passive radiator enclosure. One disadvantage I'd like to point out of this design and this subwoofer is the roll off is early at <40Hz (Noises below this point become harder to hear).
Since this is a gaming hardware review, I’ll give some input from games. Usually, when I play first-person shooters, I wear headphones for positional accuracy. However, I sometimes just want to take it easy and use my speakers. With Battlefield 4, the diverse sounds of explosions, gun fire, and footsteps can create an environment of hectic and complicated sound perceptions. The S730s seem to not only replicate the positional accuracy that my 2-channel Denon AHD2000 headphones would, but the additional explosive bass creates an overall immersive gameplay experience. Even ambient noises and background noises come forward that would otherwise be receded.
Conclusion:
So who is this for? The Edifier S730 speakers caters to the enthusiast who is looking for a simple set of powerful, refined speakers and are willing to pay a premium. The S730 provide more power and quality compared to most PC speakers on the market. Everything from build to sound quality is excellent. If you’re in the market to purchase a high-quality set of PC speakers and don’t mind the price point, I highly recommend taking a look at Edifier S730s.
Pros:
- High-quality build
- Crisp, and clear high-mids, and highs
- Powerful and tight bass
- Functional LCD controller and remote
- EMI shielding
Cons:
- Pricey (but worth it)
- Cables and LCD controller length (Could be swapped out though)
- Needs a fair amount of space
Verdict: 9.25/10
Further thoughts and comparisons:
As I've had the S730 for almost a year now, I've had a long time to burn them in and mess around with the sound signature a little bit. I've swapped the opamps of my Asus Xonar Essence STX multiple times and these speakers have been able to reproduce the sounds based on those changes. While sound signature is a personal taste, these speakers will be able to complement a good audio source. Another thing that should be noted is that there is the possiblility of changing out the satellite speakers to something better if see fit. Personally, the stock speakers are still great.
Before receiving the S730, I happened to purchase the Bose Companion 5. While the sound quality was good and the product itself looked sleek and minimalistic, the sound signature is limited to the speaker's dedicated sound driver via USB. This means that adjusting a sound signature to your liking is only possible through software equalizers. Also, the adjustment knob for subwoofer is located on the back of it and makes it difficult to change settings on the fly.
Another comparison I'd like to make with these speakers is with my old legendary Logitech Z-2300. The Z-2300 was, and to some still is, a great set of speakers for users providing great sound quality and bass production for the original $150 price tag. However, when compared to the Edifier S730, these pale in comparison and to some the difference might seem night and day. One reason is that the S730 has tweeters in addition to a mid-range unit on the satellite speakers giving it better frequency response to reproduce mids to highs. Not only that, but the Z-2300's subwoofer uses a vented/port design which can cause distortions and a loose bass when using high volumes. The S-730 remedies this by having a passive radiator enclosure for the subwoofer which creates an accurate and tighter bass.
