Edifier QD35 Speaker Review – Bluetooth LDAC High Res Speaker with RGB & USB charging

Edifier is one of those brands with consistently good products, and I think they excel with their active bookshelf speakers. I personally use the Edifier S3000 Pro for my office, which is one of the best speakers I have ever reviewed.

They have recently been launching some slightly different products. This time last year, I reviewed the excellent MS50A Smart Speaker, which was their first smart speaker with Alexa and Spotify Connect. Then the MP230 is one of the most attractive speakers I have reviewed and is affordable, considering the design.

The Edifier QD35 is the most unique yet. This is a wired tabletop speaker with a striking modern design with RGB lighting. It is a high-resolution speaker using the LDAC codec for Bluetooth, Aux or USB-A. The overall design and features make this an excellent option for PC gamers wanting a speaker to complement a gaming PC and RGB peripherals. 

Specification

• Hi-Res AUDIO and Hi-Res AUDIO WIRELESS certified
• 3″ Mid-bass + 1″ Treble Drivers 
• 40W (RMS) total audio output power
  • 25W (Mid-bass) + 15W (Treble)
• Ultra-fast 35W GaN charging via USB-A and USB-C ports
• Splendid light effects
• Preset EQs and shareable customised EQs
• Seamless wireless music streaming via Bluetooth V5.3
• AUX and USB-A audio input
• Works with the Edifier Connect app

Design

With the exception of the GravaStar Mars Pro, this is the most striking speaker design I have reviewed.

This is clearly designed to appeal to gamers with its modern looks and RGB lighting. It is not an aesthetic I am personally fond of, but I think it works quite well with this speaker.

The dual-driver design is a central focal point. The drivers are exposed and sit in a transparent plastic front panel. The inside of the speaker is just decorative with a metallic inside and industrial-style elements that look like pipes.

Below the plexiglass panel sits a digital clock with indicators for the input source, volume, RGB effect and the Edifier logo.

The other sides of the speaker are a bit less noteworthy, all being white plastic. The top of the speaker has a large Edifier logo, and it is perhaps a little excessive with the branding.

On one of the sides is a button for power and input selection, then two dials/buttons which can be used to control volume/pause and lighting effects

One handy feature is that on the side of the speaker are two additional USB ports, one USB-A and the other USB-C. This is actually a GAN charger that supports up to 35W power delivery with the USB-C port or 18W with the USB-A. You can never have too many USB-C chargers lying around.

RGB Lighting

There are various lighting options, including “Breathing”, “Ambient Lighting” and “Static” and you can control the brightness directly from the speaker itself. If you pair the app up up to the speaker, you get a wider range of lighting controls allowing you to customise this to your liking.

Most of the lighting effects are a bit much for me. It draws my attention away from what I am trying to do. However, the breathing effect is quite subtle, and within the app, you can dial down the light modulation rate, reducing the speed the lights change colour.

You can also switch the RGB lighting off; however, you can switch the digital display off underneath. This wasn’t an issue for me, but it may be a bit annoying if you are using it in your bedroom.

Edifier App

With the Edifier App, you can control three presets (Music, Game, Movie) or adjust it to your own liking – you can also change the lighting effects, colour and brightness.

While my Pixel 6 showed the LDAC option within the Bluetooth settings, if you want to make the most of this high-resolution codec, you will need to go into the settings and enable it. Like most LDAC devices, you have the choice of a lower 48kHz sampling rate for a stable connection or a higher quality 96kHz which is more prone to interference.

Sound Quality

This is a dual driver speaker with a 3-inch mid-bass with a power output of 25W and a 1-inch tweeter with 15W. That’s not very powerful for a speaker at this price point.

The MS50A had a similar driver specification, however, that had a reduced frequency response. It is also much less powerful than the Marshall Middleton portable speaker I reviewed recently, even though that’s physically smaller (but much more expensive).

Due to this speaker configuration, it is not the punchiest of speakers. At first, I thought it was a bit too bright for my liking, but over time, I started to appreciate the sound quality.

The subdued bass allows you to get more detail in the mids and highs, but the highs were not too harsh for my liking.

For some hip-hop and electronica tracks, I was surprised at the level of bass when it did kick in, so it is quite capable of decent low end, it is just less emphasised than many any other products that lean towards being very bass-forward nowadays.

You can tweak the EQ in the app, the music mode seems to be the bassiest, the movie mode sounded like it recessed the low end, but this will help make voices clearer. You can also use a custom EQ to customise the settings to your liking.

I was impressed at how loud the speaker can go, it is much louder than I need when using it in my office as a PC speaker. At higher volumes, there does not seem to be much or any distortion.

As there are only two drives with this speaker, there isn’t really any stereo separation.

Price and Alternative Options

The Edifier QD35 is currently available from K&B Audio for £190

If the looks are not important to you, Edifier has the Edifier D12 desktop speaker for around £100, which has a superior speaker specification, using 2×4″ woofers and 2x19mm silk dome tweeters with an output of 70 watts.

I suppose one selling point of this speaker is that I can’t think of any other speaker I could recommend over this if you want an all-in-one speaker with a striking modern/gamer aesthetic.   

Overall

The Edifier QD35 speaker is an excellent option if the overall aesthetic suits your tastes.

My initial reaction was that I thought it was a bit expensive as you could get better audio for less money from plenty of other products, especially other Edifier speakers.

However, once you factor in the unique aesthetic, RGB lighting, USB-to-PC connection and USB charging, then it does justify the price.

Originally posted on Mighty Gadget

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

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