Edifier R1280T Review: Versatile Bookshelf Speakers 

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The Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers provided awesome sound quality with a warmer sound signature that added a layer of depth to them. Audio quality was smooth with minimal distortion, which I feel allowed them to be excellent near field monitors or stereo speakers. Their design was also nice looking.

 

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Another day, another look at an awesome product in the home theater sphere. This time it’s the Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers review, a quick look at a particular set of truly compelling speakers.

But what exactly makes them so interesting, and why might these be worth a look?

Well let’s find out.

 

 

 

Features

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This is a pretty novel speaker, particularly because of the various features it touts.

 

One Active & One Passive Speaker

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For starters, one speaker is an active speaker while the other is passive. The active one plugs up into the wall via a power cord, while the passive one connects to the active one with speaker wire.

 

4 Inch Bass Driver

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A 4 inch full range bass reflex driver is included for more impactful audio output.

 

13mm Silk Dome Tweeter

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A 13mm (.5 inch) silk dome tweeter is present for higher frequency notes.

 

Flared Bass Reflex Port

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A flared bass reflex port is present to minimize distortion.

 

Adjustable Bass And Treble Knobs For Sound

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The right speaker has master volume control, bass, and treble knobs to adjust the sound of both speakers to how you want it.

It goes from -6 to +6 so you can really get granular in terms of control. Plus it comes with a wireless remote control which is also pretty useful.

 

Dual RCA Inputs & Auxiliary Connectivity

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There’s a terminal that accepts the speaker wire and 2 different connection types; RCA and auxiliary.

Dual RCA inputs allow you to use RCA to RCA, or RCA to auxiliary connections; meaning support for external music sources like a phone, tablet, or laptop is there.

 

Wood Veneer Paneling

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The Edifier R1280Ts have a wood veneer paneling laid atop an MDF wood cabinet.

 

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Specs

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In terms of the speakers themselves though, they’re not too big coming in at 6.9 x 9.5 x 5.8 inches and weighing 10.8 pounds.

The frequency range goes from 75Hz-18kHz and there’s 21 watts of power.

 

Setup

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Since these are active speakers, to set them up, plug the active one into the wall via the connected power cord.

Then connect the passive speaker to the active one that’s already plugged into the wall with the included speaker wire.

If you plan to use an external device with these speakers, RCA or auxiliary inputs would be needed on that device to connect them.

 

 

How They Sound

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Initial Impressions

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My initial first impressions after setting them up was really positive.

Audio quality was crisp, and there was no signs of distortion, crackling, or anything like that even at the highest volumes.

I will say this though; they seemed to have a really warm sound signature to my ears, so they’re aren’t neutral sounding from what I noticed.

At lower volumes they’re very subdued and mellow, and when cranked up, they sound really smooth.

The sound quality itself is really good, but it’s almost kind of relaxed even when loud if that makes any sense.

These seemed to really favor the lower end frequencies honestly which reminded me of the Edifier P17s in a way.

I personally love that, but some may not; especially if they’re an audio purist that prefers accuracy or even just a lighter sound.

If that’s the case, something more like the Klipsch R 41M may work for you.

The Edifier R980T also has slightly more of a neutral sound from what I listened to.

My thoughts were maybe it was due the fact that the tweeter was .5 inches so it maybe it wasn’t as focused on higher frequency sounds as speakers with a 1 inch tweeter, but who knows.

Actually if anything, they almost sounded retro too; similar to speakers in the 80s with that warmer sound signature which I personally think is awesome.

 

Their Treble Quality

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By no means did they sound muddy, imprecise or anything like that though

Their treble output and quality was still loud and clear.

Be it movies, games, music, etc. content in general just sounded really nice with these.

 

 

Their Bass Quality

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That being said, like most speakers, these things aren’t going to produce crazy amounts of bass or anything like that, but they do handle the lower end well.

Though there are ways to optimize the speaker that may help in that regard.

 

What They Did Particularly Well

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Not sure why, but one specific thing I noticed that these speakers did a fantastic job with was voices in movies.

I felt they added a layer of depth to them that made things immersive.

I would suggest adjusting the tone knobs too since those did seem to have an effect on the sound quality.

 

Overall Thoughts

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But for just listening to music or stereo sound in general, they’re awesome.

They have a respectable audio quality that’s smooth with very little distortion, and they look good — making for excellent near field monitors.

Chances are, you just might enjoy them.

 

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Appearance

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When taking a look at their appearance, the R1280Ts are pretty distinctive in that regard.

With the soft fabric grille on, it’s actually pretty low key from the front, with a small logo towards the bottom and a gray stripe through the middle.

It’s the kind of look that looks pretty normal from first glance.

However once it’s removed, it’s a completely different story.

With the grille is off, you’re immediately greeted with a driver that seemingly takes up half the speaker, a tweeter in the upper left and right corners of each respectively, and a flared bass reflex port to minimize distortion.

The middle is also a grayish color, and is a stark contrast to the grained MDF wood that makes up its perimeter.

For me personally, I ppreferred the look of it with the grille on since it looked more subdued, but some might prefer it with it off.

Overall, I’d say it kind of has a retro look that brings about sense of nostalgia from its distinct look.

You can definitely tell a lot of time and care went into the design which definitely shows.

In my opinion, I think they’re really cool looking speakers that have even made my recommendations page.

 

Likes

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• Audio quality excels in every category
• Can be used as desktop or stereo home theater speakers
• Auxiliary inputs meaning they can also be used with a smartphone
• Bass, treble, volume knobs on the side give you precise sound control
• All the wires you need are included
• Not too big
• Vintage look

 

Dislikes

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• .5 inch tweeter might not provide the most intricate details at highest frequency levels

 

Final thoughts

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Hopefully you enjoyed this Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers review, and learned what makes these such a convenient yet awesome pair of speakers.

Overall, if you’re looking for speakers to provide you enjoyment for years to come, but don’t want a gigantic speaker, then this is definitely a solid choice.

It provides an awesome sound quality while also being an absolutely incredible performer.

In short, I certainly recommend them due to their awesome sound quality.

 

Check Availability Of The Edifier R1280T Bookshelf Speakers