How To Connect Wicked Audio
Gundenia Ransbottom
When I was first looking into a set of computer speakers, many brands tickled my ear but few really caught my eye. Edifier are a perfect example of a brand renowned for their unique styling, providing a very unorthodox and even artistic take on the conventional computer speaker. While the E25 Luna Eclipses seem to have taken the spotlight with their striking crescent housings and opposing passive radiators, the e30`s by pure specification and numbering hierarchy alone, once represented Edifier`s flagship computer speaker. Recently, through aggressive price cuts, the Spinnakers now carry the same $300 AUD RRP as the E25`s yet offer additional active bass drivers and features on top. This asks the question, do the Spinnaker`s remain competitive with newer, smaller speakers and can they best Edifier`s own Luna Eclipse? These are my experiences as a long term owner of both speakers.
I would like to thank Edifier very much for sending me a set of Spinnaker speakers in exchange for my honest opinion. I am not an employee of Edifier, nor is there any monetary incentive for a positive review. I will be as objective as possible and provide an honest evaluation of the product.
I generally prefer a slight v-shape to my sound, but still closer to neutral. I like a lot of detail and clarity, but can appreciate a smooth, laid back sound such as that on the X10`s. I prefer a more neutral midrange within a relatively tight tolerance, but I`m probably more forgiving of brightness over darkness. I`m not particularly treble sensitive and can tolerate large amounts without fatigue, though too much ruins the enjoyment. If I use a different eartip/pad/cover during the review I will note that and describe the sound changes.
The box is similar in design to Edifier`s other more premium products and the distinct look will no doubt be familiar to returning Edifier customers. The two tone white face with black sides design is certainly catching, providing a nice sense of contrast to the images on display.
Inside buyers will find two Styrofoam inserts sandwiching the speakers, accessories and papers. Opening up the top face reveals the Spinnakers wrapped within a nice drawstring bag, the controller, power adapter and interconnect cable (Identical to the Luna Eclipse). Underneath is the user manual and warranty papers.
The included remote has an intriguing design and rather impressive build quality when compared to the e25`s plastic remote. It`s largely featureless, comprising mainly of an aluminium dome with a matte button replacing the apex and a rubberized base helping to maintain stability. A transparent ring runs the perimeter of the base, illuminating red to denote function. Of note, the controller connects to the speakers through Bluetooth as opposed to IR. As such, the remote does not require a line of sight connection and can be used much further from the speakers. Its range spanned the length of my entire house which will be sufficient for pretty much any use.
The controller is powered by an in-built rechargeable battery that is claimed to last for 2 months, I got just over 7 weeks in my testing, not bad at all. It`s easily charged through a conventional micro-b port on the base, the illuminated ring slowly pulsates when charging and turns off when fully charged. The remote feels solid in the hand, the base adheres well to your desk and the rough texture of the aluminium allows for fluent usage.
I appreciate the additional functionality of the Spinnaker`s remote over the Luna Eclipse, or a standard remote at that. Functions are controlled through the button, rotating the aluminium top and a combination of both. The rotation mechanism is well weighted with a slight ratchet for more precise steps. I find this rotating remote to be far more satisfying than a simple button remote, it`s similar to using an analogue pot or a home theater amp for example.
For those wondering what functions the remote offers, basic rotation controls volume with each ratchet pertaining to 1 of around 50 volume steps. The button at the top controls the mute function and holding down the button while simultaneously rotating will skip tracks. Notice mute function, the remote has no play/pause button, it simply quiets the speakers in isolation from the source which will continue playing.
All these functions worked reliably for me, but the speaker`s lack of physical buttons did still bother me. I understand that they would be difficult to implement given the speaker`s design, but the Spinnakers are not even equipped with a power button, you can only power on/off through the included remote (more on this later).
There is method behind that quirky build, the Spinnakers have a split identity as a TV/Home speaker, with an exotic and premium look to match. This is exemplified by the speaker`s dimensions. Although they`re smaller than I had imagined, the Spinnaker`s stand very tall, just exceeding 40cm (twice that of the e25`s). They somewhat make up for this with their small footprint, if you have the vertical space, then the Spinnakers will fit comfortably on pretty much any desk. And this height actually does work to the speaker`s advantage as the treble and midrange drivers are at ear level, negating the need for a speaker mount whilst omni-directional bass tones radiate from the bottom.
Sound radiates through three honeycomb vents (one for each driver) in the Spinnaker`s plastic frame, peaking through the fabric that encases the outer surface. A thin matte black band runs just beneath the midrange driver, I`m assuming it marks the separation between the bass driver enclosure and the rest of the drivers (no passive radiators here). The band meets up with a similarly finished plastic strip that runs down the rear of the speakers.
The plastic feels to be quite thick and no aspect of the speaker ever feels hollow or cheap, but that`s to be expected of an expensive flagship product. There`s not much to say about the design really, apart from the unorthodox shape of the speakers, they`re otherwise clean and solid. While this simple design does grant the speakers a very distinct look it can make them appear awkward in photos. Take renders with a grain of salt, the Spinnakers are a very good looking speaker in person.
Just like the Luna Eclipses, the right speaker houses the bulk of the speaker`s electronics and interfaces. The very top of the right speaker houses a small LED that displays the speaker`s status through various colour changes; red for optical, green for aux and blue when connected over Bluetooth. The LED will also flash when the speakers have been muted. It`s a reasonably simple system, but due to the curved top of the speakers, the LED is often hard to see, especially if you intend to use them as a bookshelf speaker.
In addition, cycling through these four modes is a little more difficult than it should be, requiring the user to hold the centre button on the remote for 3 seconds to switch to the previous mode. It can get a bit tedious, especially when powering off the speaker`s whilst connected over Bluetooth as you must first hold the button to exit Bluetooth mode, hold to enter standby then hold an additional time to power off. There`s also no sound prompts to signify connection or power (which I personally appreciate), if you`re not familiar with the LED system then the speakers can be unjustifiably difficult to operate. I often have a hard time explaining this mechanic to new users who are intrigued by the speakers looks, it should be easier, but I digress.
Each speaker has an aluminium support which provides some additional stability. The supports are well machined with a pleasing concentric texture and are laser etched with the Edifier logo. The base of the speakers are covered in a ring of rubbery foam that`s surprisingly grippy and prevents the speaker from scratching your desk. Even during maximum volume playback, the speakers did not wander or rattle. As the bulk of the electronic circuitry is housed within the right speaker, this is also where the majority of the connectors are found. On the bottom of the right speaker lies the power-in port, a bass expansion port (to connect an external sub-woofer), an optical/aux connector and a port for the interconnect cable that powers the left speakers.
The bottoms of the speakers have in-built cable management grooves to keep everything in order, this will limit the use of some third party cables, but most should fit in just fine. The aluminium supports also have cutouts for the cables, routing them towards the back of your desk for a cleaner look.
The speakers connect either through wired or Bluetooth 2.1 connection, unfortunately they do not support apt-x, but wireless range and reliability is very good. I got through 3 rooms (double brick) before sound became intermittent, quite a bit better than both the Edifier Rave and Luna Eclipse in my uses (both cutout around 2 rooms). Again, I very much appreciate Edifier`s Bluetooth system, rather than defaulting to your previously connected device, the Spinnaker simply goes into pairing mode when powered on, making for simple multi-devices connection.
The Spinnakers vary from the Luna Eclipse mainly through their more extensive driver setup. Utilizing a triple driver, triple amped configuration, each driver has plenty of power and plenty of space given the speaker`s tall cabinets. Up top is is a single 19mm silk dome tweeter with a 70mm midrange driver just below. At the very bottom, Edifier have mounted a 25W, 116mm downward-firing subwoofer to provides some low end kick. This provides the speakers with a combined output of 90W RMS, about 20% more than the Luna Eclipse, along with a frequency response stretching from 50Hz to 23kHz.
It`s also worth noting that the speakers have a remarkably higher SNR than the Luna Eclipses (90dB vs 85dB). I didn`t notice a lot of noise on my set but a few reviewers found it intrusive. The Spinnakers have no such issues, apart from a small pop when first powered on, they`re pretty much silent. Edifier also includes their signature DSP with a 6-way digital crossover. I find Edifier`s DSP to be pretty sensible on a whole. It helps with high volume playback in particular, altering the FR to prevent clipping and helping the drivers maintain coherency and composure, but there`s a strange soundstage effect that can make female vocals sound a bit artificial. Regardless, Edifier provide a lot of product for $300, few 2.0 computer speakers pack such intricate setups and the ability to add an external sub will be appreciated by media lovers.
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