Edifier’s QR65 Active Speakers Pack A Mighty Fine Punch And Look Cute

The audio brand Edifier quietly works away turning out some excellent headphones, speakers and soundbars. I don’t think the company always gets the exposure it deserves, but the audio market is super-competitive and making a mark isn’t always easy. However, that could be about to change with the launch of Edifier’s new QR65 active speakers which have just arrived on my desk for review.

These powered speakers are available in white or black leatherette finishes and feature one of the most innovative lighting effects I think I’ve ever seen. Lines of LEDs recede into the body of the two speakers like some crazy hall of mirrors effect. It’s positively mesmeric and hypnotic. What’s more, those lights can be customized to an infinite degree using the companion Edifier ConneX smartphone app.

My instinct when I see speakers with fancy light shows is to think the bling of the lights is only there to mask a mediocre sound. Not so with the Edifier QR65, these are monitor speakers that can hold their own with many others, such as the superb Kanto Audio ORA that I reviewed recently.

As well as the clever light show and superb sound, these stereo-powered speakers also house a high-powered GaN charger that can output 65W of juice, enough to power a lot of modern laptops, or you could use it to top up your smartphone. It’s a nice-to-have feature and means one less set of cables on the desktop.

The Edifier QR65 offer Bluetooth, USB and RCA line-in inputs so you can have multiple devices connected. The Bluetooth function supports the LDAC codec and the speakers are certified for Hi-Res audio if your smartphone also supports LDAC, enabling you to wirelessly stream audio with resolutions as high as 24bit/96kHz.

If you don’t have an LDAC-compatible phone, then just connect to your computer via USB and enjoy Hi-Res audio that way. Finally, there is a connection for analog sources via a stereo pair of RCA phono sockets so you can attach an old Walkman, FM radio or even a cassette deck.

As with most pairs of powered speakers, the Edifier QR65 has one main unit and one passive satellite speaker. The two units connect via a special DIN-style cable that gives you around two meters of separation. It’s more than enough for using the speakers as desktop monitors for a computer which is where most people will probably be using them. The main unit sits on the right side and the satellite on the left. There’s no way of reversing this as you can with some powered speakers.

The main unit is powered by a figure-of-eight power cable so there’s no chunky external transformer. That’s a nice touch. At the rear of the main speaker are the USB and RCA inputs as well as a rocker power switch for turning the speakers off permanently. In addition, there are two USB Type C power ports and one USB-A version. You can charge up to three items at once, sharing the 65W budget between all devices. There’s a reflex port at the rear of both speakers to allow those luscious bass frequencies to escape.

On the right side of the main speaker are the day-to-day controls for things like volume levels, input source, play and pause, plus lighting effects and brightness. The input source is easily toggled with a single press from Bluetooth to USB then analog. The volume knob beneath the input/power button controls the master volume of the speakers. Set this to somewhere high and then dial back on your audio source, whether that is a computer or smartphone.

The final control is a rotary knob for the lighting effects. Pressing the knob toggles through the many lighting patterns and dialing the knob turns the brightness up and down. I only wish there was a permanent way of turning the LEDs off.

There’s a lot of power on offer and plenty of oomph to fill a large office or bedroom. The power output of the QR65 is rated at 70W RMS and the sound is fed through a 1.25-inch silk-dome tweeter and a 2.75-inch woofer that handles the midrange and bass on each speaker. The driver units are superb and with a bottom end of 55Hz, the QR65 pack a deep punch.

There are two dual TI Class-D digital audio amplifiers feeding a two-way active crossover which does a great job of separating the frequencies for the two drivers in each cabinet. In Bluetooth mode, the speakers will support SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs so that should please both Android and iOS users. The version of Bluetooth is the latest 5.3 and the sound quality is excellent, especially if your phone supports LDAC.

I carried out most of my testing using my Mac mini to feed the Hi-Res output from Tidal’s top-tier subscription. With FLAC files up to 24-bit/96kHz, the Edifier can do justice to the excellent Tidal sound quality. Incidentally, Tidal has just dropped the price of its monthly subscription to its Hi-Fi tier so it offers great value for streaming high-quality audio.

These are superb-sounding speakers and the balance between bass, midrange and treble is spot on. If you want even more bass, then there is a sub-woofer output for connecting to an active sub if you need more grunt. This might be something for gamers or movie watchers but for me, the bass was more than enough.

Another feature I liked about the Edifier QR65 is that they ship with angled speaker stands for placing the cabinets on a desk. These metal stands are like a wedge that angles the speakers up at 15 degrees so the sound aims perfectly towards your ears as you sit at your computer. If only all manufacturers of desktop monitors would supply stands with their speakers… I’m looking at you Kanto Audio.

Verdict: The Edifier QR65 Active Speakers are sublime. The sound is powerful, controlled and wonderfully tuned to deliver Hi-Res audio. They also can play music from smartphones, tablets and computers using the Bluetooth function, which supports Hi-Res wireless audio via the LDAC codec. Finally, you can even plug in an old analog source. There’s no optical input but that’s possibly a sign of the times as the TOSLink standard is getting a little tired. If you want a pair of speakers for superb computer sound or making music, then the QR65 are stunning. The light show will please those who like colorful lights and the effect is special even though I chose to dial it down. As for the built-in GaN charger, it’s a bit of a gimmick but laptop users might find it handy. For the money, the Edifier QR65 deliver high-quality sound in a well-made package. Highly Recommended.

Pricing & Availability: The Edifier QR65 Active Speakers are on sale now from Amazon.com for $369.99 / £329.99 / €299.99.

More info: edifier.com