I love these active speakers' stacked feature-set, but they lag a little in one key area

Date:
Tue, 30 Dec 2025 10:30:00 +0000

Description:
The Edifier S880DB MKII active bookshelf speakers look great and shine at the top end but lack bass are up against cheaper, and better, alternatives.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Edifier S880DB MKII: Two-minute review

As the best small-format active speakers go, the Edifier S880DB MKII are pretty swell. They go toe-to-toe with a great many other low-to-mid-range hi-fi pairs, thanks to a prodigious array of forward-thinking inputs both analog and digital. Theres also a subwoofer output to fully extend the practicality of these little (and surprisingly loud) actives, and a gesture-controlled remote puck to access a bunch of different functions, from input switching and volume control to handling various EQ sound profiles.

Excellent as the S880DB MKII are on paper, between their swish aesthetics and versatile, future-friendly control options, small frustrations abound with
the remote controls reaction time and bass-representation issues inherent to the small-bookshelf format.

These frustrations are just that: small. But theyre made all the larger when other active speaker models in Edifiers roster, namely the excellent MR5 monitors , are simultaneously cheaper and better-performing.

Ultimately, though, the Edifier S880DB MKII do a lot of things right, and as many things well. Im thusly inclined to score it kindly, in recognition of what its achieved over what its competing against. After all, its a MKII, and well and truly a well-upgraded successor in a competitive niche. (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Edifier S880DB MKII review: Price & release date $449.99 / 335.99 / AU$595.99 Launched on 4th September, 2025

Edifier is a key figure in the budget audio space, with a pretty wide-ranging roster of audio bits and bobs that punch well above their figurative weight.
I can prove it, too: I was happy enough to review Edifiers new MR5 monitor speakers some months ago, and happened to think mighty well of their performance (and even mightier of this performance against their frankly astonishing budget price point).

These speakers, though, exist in a different paradigm to the
musician-oriented active listening monitors that the MR5 very much are. These are the Edifier S880DB MKII, a second-gen successor set of multidisciplinary active bookshelf speakers that ably straddle a broad set of use cases.
Bedroom hi-fi system? Small desk-friendly active monitors? Subsidiary speaker set for your small cinema system? Why not!

This versatility is courtesy of some powerful internal amplification, some smart user-friendly features, and some future-friendly upgrades that make
them more able (and better-sounding) than ever before. But do they make the grade, and do their updated features do them justice? (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Edifier S880DB MKII review: Specs

Type

Active

Tweeters

1.25-inch titanium diaphragm dome tweeters

Woofers

3.75-inch long-throw aluminum diaphragm mid-low drivers

Frequency response

50Hz - 40kHz

Inputs

RCA-in x2; USB-C; Optical; Coaxial

Outputs

3.5mm TRS subwoofer out

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3; LDAC, SBC

Output (total)

88W RMS

Extras

RCA-to-RCA cable; RCA-to-3.5mm aux cable; USB-C-to-USB-C cable; 5-pin DIN speaker connector cable; remote control puck Edifier S880DB MKII review: Features Multifarious inputs, plus sub output Hi-res Bluetooth LDAC connectivity Handy remote-control surface

The S880DB MKII are a highly connectible set of small-form active bookshelf speakers, designed to settle suavely into a wide variety of different at-home listening scenarios. Being a successor model to Edifiers OG S880DB, theres a lot of familiar stuff in here. But that familiar stuff is part and parcel of
a pretty comprehensive upgrade, that brings some improved acoustics and techy quality-of-life updates.

The biggest auditory updates come from the new drivers. The 1-inch titanium dome tweeter from the first model has been sized up to 1.25-inch, with a bigger voice coil to match. The mid-bass driver has also had a ground-up redesign, with the impact of more low end, any of which is a gift in small-format speakers such as these.

With their small size, large 88W RMS output and surprisingly broad frequency range, the S880DB MKII are excellent low-profile partners for a home office
PC system and theyll slide just as effortlessly into a multi-faceted living room hi-fi or home theatre system, with especial thanks to an expansive set
of inputs.

On the wired side of the equation, we have two separate channels of RCA
input, a Toslink optical in, coax, and an all-new USB-C connection the
latter of which enjoys its own DAC architecture, so you can connect a laptop directly to it without any dongle-y jiggery-pokery. Sadly, this USB-C port doesnt also provide the option of 5V power when USB ports are a commodity at your desk, a spare port for powering peripherals (foreshadowing alert!) would be a welcome gift. Also new is a 3.5mm TRS output for optional connection to
a subwoofer unit, giving whats nominally a small-form set of active bookshelf speakers a great deal more oomph potential.

On the wireless side of the equation, the Edifier S880DB MKII are handily equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, up from the previous versions 5.1, and now supports Sonys hi-res LDAC codec, too. On-board youll find the requisite rear-mounted treble, bass and volume controls, and within, a set of five EQ presets for different sound profiles: Classic, Monitor, Dynamic, Vocal and Customized.

A new 2.4GHz wireless remote-control puck eschews black plastic and clicky buttons in favour of a silver-and-white gesture-control surface. It senses your hand on approach, and can be used to switch audio inputs, access Bluetooth, control the volume and switch between the aforementioned sound profiles. Any and all changes are heralded by a cheery little vibration from within the puck itself. The MKII is also tweakable via Edifiers ConneX app, which gives you access to the same controls as the remote, and a six-band EQ with which to customize the, er, Customized sound profile.

A small OLED screen on the front displays the necessaries defaulting to your current audio input, but also showing you volume changes and differing sound profiles as you cycle through. Its subtle, but subtly futuristic. And I like it. Features score: 5/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Edifier
S880DB MKII review: Sound quality Excellent high-end clarity Exceedingly powerful for their size Unfortunate handling of low end

The Edifier S880DB MKII are loud , and impressively so for the format. I dared, hubristically, to test them at full volume while sat at my desk a crime for which my ears paid dearly, and for which I undoubtedly owe my neighbour an apology bottle of wine.

When theyre not being loud, theyre being remarkably consistent. Whether listening via RCA-in or Bluetooth, there are no discernible shortcomings on the fidelity front. As for character, these speakers are decent all-rounders, but particularly and delightfully tactile in the upper register. Knik by Portugal. The Man is a delight of swishy cymbals, woozy guitars and stacked chest- and head-voice vocals. Itd be fair to say, generally, that the S880DB MKII speakers are extremely vocal-forward, a function of those tight
mid-range drivers and titanium tweeters.

That overall handiness, bolstered by high-end tactility, trades off against
an under-representative low end. Knik ends with an explosion of fuzzed-out guitars and blooming bass, all lost to a set of speakers that dont have the stature to platform them properly. At least, this was the first impression I had of the S880DB MKII, predicated on an initial listen through the automatically applied Classic sound profile.

Cycling through other modes revealed a decent wedge more boom on all fronts, the more neutral Monitor mode immediately the most musical to my ears. The Dynamic mode adds a little treble-y urgency, giving a little more love to transients in the process, while the Vocal mode seems to target upper mids, doing exactly what youd expect it to (with a little compensatory ducking of lower mids). Personally, I dont see why the Classic sound profile is the default option, when its so clearly the worst of the bunch.

Better as the other modes sound, all bear out the same essential conclusion that bass isnt the S880DB MKIIs strong suit a fundamental truth of the speakers small form. This isnt to say theyre entirely without punch, though. Across all EQ profiles, theyre tuned exactly as youd expect a jack-of-all-trades hi-fi device, with plenty of presence for hi-hats, voices, and kick-drum clicks, the latter of which grab you enough to insinuate the oomph youd otherwise miss much more dearly. And if you crank them, you get plenty of somewhat-indistinct bassy bloom from their ported rear faces.

Of course, Edifier are deeply aware of this form-borne shortcoming, and have even made adjustments towards improving it in this second go-around
including greater low-end extension and a new subwoofer out port. I didnt
have an active subwoofer with which to pair the S880DB MKII, but Id wager
that most potential buyers of such speakers dont either. Besides which, I wouldnt want to colour my straight opinion of these things with something else. All the same, its a credit to Edifier that theyre working with the
size, rather than against it!

I oughtnt have spent so long on the lower end of the S880DB MKIIs frequency spectrum, not when theres so much to love a little further up the graph. Queens of the Stone Ages Everybody Knows That Youre Insane is an explosive delight, jangly guitars and croon-adjacent vocals giving in to gratifyingly grabby power chords and pingy snares.

Getdown Services Blooze , meanwhile, is right at home on these speakers, with a boxy, idiosyncratic mix that attains a woolly, three-dimensional presence
on my desk and brings out the best of the S880DB MKIIs miasmic-bass
potential in the process. These are truly some high-definition performers, bringing some densely detailed magic where it counts for most. Sound quality score: 3.5/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Edifier S880DB MKII review: Design Aesthetically delightful little things Breezy to set up and
use Remote is cool but slow

The Edifier S880DB MKII are incredibly pleasing to behold, with their two-tone, multi-textured, veneer-sandwiched visual design. There are two colorways on offer: one a black-and-walnut affair, the other a white-and-pine-y sorta deal. My review sample matches Nordic pine vibes with
a leatherette finish to make something wholly more living-room friendly than other bookshelf-style speakers, many of which fall prey to the same sort-of boring anthracite proclivities, and stick out like lead-stained thumbs accordingly.

The OLED panel on the front runs the risk of being gaudy, but is
understatedly smart in execution. It doesnt clamor for your attention, and only ever shows you whatever you need to know at the time.

As for the practical side of things, its as easy as it could be to situate these speakers. Installation is simply a matter of connecting one speaker to the other via the supplied DIN cable, connecting power and making the various audio connections you require. The S880DB MKII have two RCA-ins, USB-C connectivity and Bluetooth 5.3, so youre unlikely to struggle, though some
may understandably miss the convenience of a HDMI ARC option for their telly systems.

Realistically, the biggest challenge youll face setting these up is sorting your wireless connections but Edifiers made that a breeze, too. You put the speakers in search mode by touching the dedicated Bluetooth space on the remote, and they pop up a moment later in your devices list of available connections. Thats it. With Bluetooth connected, you can stream audio and access the ConneX app, which also makes messing with your speaker settings breezy as can beezy. [Careful now. Ed.]

The only shortcoming on the design front is the remote and this is in spite of its relatively inspired gesture-control schema. Every time you go to use it, it needs a moment to wake up first; what could be a smooth one-touch experience becomes a couple of frustrated jabs before your request is recognized. Its hard to design around this, since the alternative is that the remotes battery drains so much quicker, but its still a minor hiccup in an otherwise butter-smooth setup.

If only you could wire it straight to the speakers via a handy 5V-powered USB-C port Design score: 4.5/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw)
Edifier S880DB MKII review: Value Comprehensive feature-set is great Performance is better in other, cheaper Edifiers Buy these if you value convenience over sound

The question of value is a difficult one to answer with respect to the S880DB MKII. Theyre undeniably an excellent prospect as desktop speakers or a small-room sound system, irrespective of their cost; their connectibility, ease of use and perfectly serviceable sound performance make them
functionally excellent. But cost is relative, and something else entirely.

The RRP of these speakers is $449.99 / 335.99 / AU$595.99 not a lot in a world of high-valued mid-range hi-fis and break-the-bank audiophile speaker systems, but still a fair whack to put down (even if what youre getting is a completed integrated, powered audio system). Its especially difficult to
judge fairly when another set of Edifier speakers the aforementioned MR5 monitors are simultaneously cheaper and, to my ears, far better.

The question of value, then, is a question of what value you place on certain things: convenience, aesthetics, fit. The Edifier S880DB MKII are compact, easy to place, easy to look at and handily controllable with a wireless
remote all things that could justify a little uplift in price, but only to those of you that value them.

For me, this is hard. I genuinely like these speakers, and I think theyre pretty faultless for most of the things you reasonably expect from them. But when I enjoy another set of Edifier speakers far more, which cost quite a bit less, its difficult to say this is a good-value purchase. Value score: 3/5 (Image credit: Future / James Grimshaw) Should you buy the Edifier S880DB MKII?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Fully kitted out, with six different input options and a new sub out for better bass; better speakers and internals than their predecessor.

5/5

Sound quality

Excellent mid-to-high-end communicators, with bright, clear and vocal-forward articulation. Bass is lacking in some sound profiles.

3.5/5

Design

Hard to fault aesthetically, they're unreasonably fetching on ones desk. Easy setup but remote can feel laggy.

4.5/5

Value

Hard to say these are great value if only due to the fact that Edifier have
a much more capable, and cheaper, set of active monitors on their roster.

3/5 Buy them if...

You value convenience
The Edifier S880DB MKII are hugely convenient active speakers, with a remote control that makes it so easy to switch between the wide variety of inputs both analog and digital on offer.

You like your speakers prominently displayed
My favorite thing about the Edifier S880DB MKII is the design. My pair were a dashing cream-and-pine affair, but the black-and-walnut dealies look The Business, too. Don't buy them if...

You want a fully representative soundstage
The Edifier S880DB MKIIs stereo image is great, but, despite its wide frequency range, it struggles with low-end representation. Youll want to use that subwoofer output!

Youre not too fussed about a remote control
The S880DB MKIIs remote is a nifty way to access a bunch of helpful controls but if youre not too bothered about wireless control, Edifiers MR5 monitors provide a lot more bang for a little less buck. Edifier S880DB MKII: Also consider

Edifier S880DB MKII

Edifier MR5

Kanto Ren

Type

Active

Active

Active

Price

$449.99 / 335.99 / AUS $595.99

$349.99 / 279.99 (approx AU$570)

$599 / 599 (around AU$1,199)

Tweeters

1.25-inch titanium diaphragm dome tweeters

1-inch silk dome tweeter

1-inch silk dome tweeters

Woofers

3.75-inch long-throw aluminium diaphragm mid-low drivers

5-inch woofer, 3.75-inch mid driver

5.25-inch aluminium concave cone

Frequency response

50Hz - 40kHz

46Hz - 40kHz

50Hz - 22kHz

Inputs

RCA-in x2, USB-C, Optical (Toslink), Coaxial, Bluetooth 5.3

Dual XLR, dual TRS, RCA, 3.5mm aux, Bluetooth 6.0

HDMI ARC with CEC, USB-C, Optical (TOSLINK), Bluetooth 5.3. RCA, 3.5 mm aux

Outputs

3.5mm TRS subwoofer out

3.5mm headphone out

RCA subwoofer out

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3: LDAC, SBC

Bluetooth 6.0 (two devices): LDAC, SBC

Bluetooth 5.3: AAC, SBC

Output (total)

88W RMS

110W RMS

100W RMS

Extras

RCA-to-RCA cable, RCA-to-3.5mm aux cable, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 5-pin DIN speaker connector cable, remote control puck, power cable

x1 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, 1x RCA to 3.5mm aux cable, power cable

Remote control, 2x magnetic grilles, power cable, speaker wire, rubber feet



Kanto Ren
Kantos Ren speakers are a multiferous hi-fi delight, with a hugely musical sound profile and a peerless level of connectibility. Theyre a bit pricier, but that extra cost gets you HDMI ARC as well as some nifty internals, nifty bass representation and even niftier living-room-friendly aesthetic.
Read more in our full Kanto Ren review

Edifier MR5
You dont have to spend much money to get a set of Edifier speakers with more overall oomph. The Edifier MR5 active monitor speakers are aimed more towards music and music-making than the S880DB MKIIs broad remit sounding bigger and bolder, but losing some small conveniences in the process.
Read our full Edifier MR5 review here

How I tested the Edifier S880DB MKII Tested for 3 weeks Used in attic
office, as primary desktop listening speakers Predominantly tested using
audio output from a Universal Audio Volt 4 audio interface, and Bluetooth transmission from a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE

The Edifier S880DB MKII found their home on my attic offices desk, as a primary pair of monitor speakers for my work setup.

They received audio via RCA-in, from my trusty Universal Audio Volt 4 interface; I also tested the USB-C input directly from my HP Pavilion 15 laptop, and Bluetooth connectivity using my Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone.

Over four weeks, I rotated through some new and familiar artists on Spotify and in my personal digital music library, to get a feel for the S880DB MKII
in different musical contexts.

First reviewed: December 2025

Read more about how we test at TechRadar



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