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The Mother Of All 2. Speakers! 1

Edifier S730
BY Terence sTephen

This month Edifier sent us what has to be the mother of all 2.1 speaker systems the S730. Initially, when we received the review unit we thought that Edifier had sent us their latest 5.1 system as the package was a rather big and heavy box. However, upon unpacking we realized that the large packaging was mainly to house the humongous subwoofer that Edifier bundles with the system. The large metal and MDF wood cabinet houses a 10 long throw woofer thats flanked by Passive Radiators on either side to exaggerate bass performance. Theres no bass reflex port but youll find a huge metal heatsink thats about as tall as the subwoofer cabinet itself on the rear. To the right of this large heatsink are spring-loaded connectors for the speaker cables, two sets of audio inputs, coaxial and optical inputs, a power switch, serial connector for the Wired Controller, fuse and connector for the power cable. Edifier rates the subwoofers output at 180W RMS more than ample to reach room rumbling levels we think. Matched to the subwoofer are a couple of handsome, sats with piano black gloss finishing. These wooden speakers each house a 3 1/2

full-range driver and a 2 tweeter. These relatively heavy sats are rated at 75W per piece and can be wall mounted. You also get smart-looking removable cloth grilles as well to add to the stylish looks. Edifier supplies two controllers with this system. Theres a wired one with 2.5 LCD display, headphones jack, a large function/level adjustment knob, input selector and power button. The wireless card remote lets you mute the speakers, dim the LCD display on the wired controller, toggle between audio inputs and make all the volume/level adjustments to the subwoofer and sats. You can also activate the Volume Boost feature as well. Edifier bundles their own proprietary speaker cables with the system that are supposed to perform much better than the standard red and black stuff that comes with budget speakers. We proceeded to hook-up the two sats to the subwoofer and placed them as far apart as the speaker cable would allow. The subwoofer was placed under our desktop in the listening area. Our listening tests revealed that the S730 has lots of power on tap. As we turned up the volume, furniture and the ceiling in our listening area started to vibrate and rattle. No system has been able to do this previously! Still, at reasonable

volume levels the S730 presented a warm and spirited rendition of our test tracks. Gaming and movie watching also benefited from the systems sheer power. Edifiers S730 speakers are a boon for anyone with a large room and a wallet to match. Some might say the sub is a little overkill in a 2.1 system but we say kudos to Edifier for bringing the current mother of all 2.1 systems to Malaysia!
SPECIFICATIONS
TotalPowerOutput

Configuration

Feature
Wired controller with LCD display

Color

Price

330W RMS

2.1

Black with gray trim

TBA

Total Power Output : 2 x 75W RMS (sat.) + 180W RMS (sub.) Satellites (each) : 1x 31/2 midrange & 1x 2 tweeter, magnetically shielded Subwoofer : 1x 10 long-throw woofer, magnetically shielded with Passive Radiator on both sides Frequency Response : 20Hz ~ 20KHz Signal to Noise Ratio : 85dBA Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) : 10% Remotes : Wired controller with 2.5 LCD display (dimmer included), Wireless remote controller Others : Switchable dual audio inputs, Volume booster, Wireless remote, Coaxial and optical inputs Contact : Inter-Asia Technology Sdn Bhd Telephone : (03) 6276 6292 URL : www.inter-asia.com.my

Available at

HWMS VERDICT

Physique: 9.0 Features: 9.0 Sound Quality: 9.0 Value: 8.5

9.0
Out of 10
FEB 2008

If sheer power is your main consideration, these Edifiers will never disappoint!
The largest subwoofer in a 2.1 system that weve ever seen! You get both - wired and wireless controls! Check out the huge cooling fins on the heatsinks

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