Edifier's affordable wireless speakers bring a funky light show and hi-res connections
Who says speakers just need to play music? The Edifier QR65 will light up your life and charge up your phone
The QR65 active desktop monitors from Edifier are a bit different from the average best wireless speaker. While their built-in amplification and multiple inputs are familiar sights in this sector, they also pack some features that rival speakers don't deliver.
In addition to the 70W RMS total audio output these speakers can also put out 65W of laptop-friendly power via two USB-C connectors and a USB-A, all of which are connected to a built-in TurboGaN fast charger. And like the best computer speakers, there's customizable lighting too, making these a fun option for gamers or just for brightening up your workspace.
Edifier QR65: key features and specifications
We'll come to the extra stuff in a moment, because of course the most important thing is the sound. The QR65 promise a high quality acoustic architecture and support LDAC, Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless. Each speaker contains a 15W 1.25-inch silk dome tweeter and a 20W mid-low 2.75-inch long-throw aluminium diaphragm driver. There's also a subwoofer output for extra thump, a two-way active crossover and digital signal processing. Frequency response is 55Hz to 40kHz and the connectivity covers all the key bases with Bluetooth 5.3 as well as USB and RCA line in.
The charger is capable of up to 65W power delivery via its two USB-C ports and 60W via the USB-A port. If you use multiple ports simultaneously, that changes accordingly, so for example if you use both USB-Cs together you'll get 20W from one and 40W from the other, which is still a lot of power for charging even pretty big devices.
Last but not least, there's what Edifier calls its TempoAbyss system. That lights up the QR65 speakers with a range of effects that look like "layers of light ribbons falling down apart from the mirror". There are 11 presets for you to play with, and you can create your own colours and effects via Edifier's ConneX app.
The Edifier QR65 speakers are available now from retailers, including Walmart, for $369.99 in the US, £329.99 in the UK (the EU price is €369.99, all of which would make them roughly AU$635, although this particular price is not official).
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.