When it comes to listening to music, there are two primary camps these days. On one side are the wireless speakers. These are relatively inexpensive, designed for streaming, often portable, and compact. They’re ideal for small spaces, streaming music, and modest audio budgets. On the other end of the spectrum are traditional component stereo systems, anchored by an amplifier or receiver, and a pair of speakers. They offer superior audio performance, the inputs to physically connect sources like a turntable or TV, but are more expensive and take up considerably more space. In the middle are powered bookshelf speakers like the Edifier S2000 Pros.
First Impressions and Setup
The Edifier S2000 Pro speakers make a big first impression. Physically, they’re about average for bookshelf speakers (each measures 8 x 13.5 x 10.5-inches), but they are heavy. The pair combine to tip the scales at nearly 40 pounds, with the right speaker being slightly heavier than the left because it houses the amplifiers and power supply.
The speakers themselves are very attractive. They have a modern look, raked back at an angle so the dual drivers point up slightly. Matte black paint is paired with thick wood baffles with real birch veneer on the sides, and a removable, shaped metallic speaker grill. They sit on gold-colored pads to elevate the speakers, reducing vibration.
On the back of the right speaker are dial controls for volume, bass and treble.
Edifier includes a generous package of accessories in the box. There is literally everything you would need to connect audio sources to these speakers. In addition to the 16.4-foot, 5-pin speaker connection cable that connects the two speakers and a remote control (batteries included), are RCA cables, an optical cable, and an RCA to 3.5mm cable.
Basic setup is simple. Plug the 5-pin cable into the corresponding input on the back of each speaker and plug in the power cable. That’s it. You’ll want to position the speakers for optimal sound (to enjoy the full effect of stereo separation that means at least six feet between speakers), but you can now connect and play music.
Connectivity
The Edifier S2000 Pro speakers support Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity. So you can easily pair with a smartphone and stream music from your favourite source — just like any Bluetooth wireless speaker. However the right Edifier S2000 Pro speaker is also equipped with RCA, optical, COAX and XLR audio inputs.
This means you can physically connect a range of different audio sources into these speakers. A computer, a TV, or a CD player, for example. You can also connect a turntable, so long as it has its own pre-amplifier. In fact that turntable option is one of the big wins for Edifier S2000 Pro speakers. Turntables just keep getting more popular (check out my list of the best new releases for 2019), but many owners are reduced to plugging them into a portable Bluetooth speaker. Go with the Edifier S2000 Pro speakers instead, and records will sound vastly better. The combo makes for a compact, powerful stereo listening setup.
During testing, I used these speakers with streaming audio using Apple Music on my iPhone, but I also plugged in a turntable.
Audio Performance
Edifier packs the S2000 Pro speakers with technology.
Each is equipped with a 5.5-inch aluminum cone woofer, a planar diaphragm tweeter and a bass reflex port. Inside the right speaker cabinet, you’ll find advanced audio tech including three digital amplifiers, a Burr-Brown DAC and ADC, Two Texas Instruments DSPs and support for digital audio signals of 24-BIT 192KHz. Total power output is 62W per channel.
When streaming using Bluetooth, the Edifier Pro speakers did a nice job. If you use an Android smartphone, you should get a better experience — they support aptX high quality audio, but not Apple’s AAC — but even without AAC the overall experience is vastly superior to single wireless speaker. Not only is there far more power on tap (plenty enough to fill a large room), but the big woofer really pumps out the bass. And the audio is in true stereo.
The real magic happened with a physical connection; in this case a Pro-Ject turntable. These are two-way speakers, not three-way, but they sound really good. The premium drivers definitely pay off. The big aluminum cone woofer in a speaker cabinet with lots of room and a bass port combine for surprisingly robust low end performance. The tweeter delivered a crisp high end, while mid-range and vocals were nicely detailed. The audio was tinted ever so slightly toward the warm side, which suited vinyl playback nicely. In short, the S2000 Pro speakers offered performance on par with a nice set of bookshelf speakers paired to a decent stereo amplifier. Pretty good for under $400!
The combo of the Edifier S2000 Pro speakers and the Pro-Ject turntable makes for a handsome, compact and highly capable music listening system, capable of playing vinyl, streaming audio and connecting to your TV or PC, for $800 or less…
As mentioned, the speakers have physical bass and treble dials if you want to tweak the sound. But Edifier also includes some more complicated EQ profiles (accessed via the remote control) that let you instantly optimize the sound. The settings included are Vocal, Monitor, Classic and Dynamic.
Key Specs:
- Two-way, three-amplifier design with vented rear bass ports
- 5.5-inch aluminum cone woofer, planar flat diaphragm tweeter
- Frequency response 48Hz to 20KHz
- Burr-Brown DAC and ADC
- Supports up to 192KHz, 24-bit digital audio signal
- DSP digital electronic crossover
- 50W per channel mid-range and bass + 12W per channel treble
- Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX
- On-speaker adjustable volume, bass, and treble
- Four on-board EQ settings
- RCA, optical, COAX and XLR audio inputs
- Birch veneer sideboards, removable metallic speaker grill, raised feet
- Each speaker measures 8 x 13.5 x 10.5-inches
- Includes 16.4-foot, 5-pin speaker connection cable with professional transparent black metallic yarn, RCA cables, RCA to 3.5mm cables, optical cable, remote + batteries
- Optional speaker stands are sold separately
- MSRP $399.99
Recommendation
Edifier’s S2000 Pro powered bookshelf speakers are an excellent alternative to a traditional component stereo system, or a wireless speaker.
They offer the connectivity to make them the focal point of a compact home entertainment system, with inputs for a TV, PC or even a turntable. You can also stream music using Bluetooth. At $399.99, they are priced at the level of a premium wireless speaker, but deliver far more power than most of these systems, and true stereo sound — something a single box simply can’t pull off. With their stylish design and premium look, they’ll be something you’ll want to show off rather than hide.
If you are short on space, or don’t have the budget to shell out for an amplifier and a pair of decent bookshelf speakers, the Edifier S2000 Pro powered bookshelf speakers should make you very happy.
