If you're in the market for a high quality wireless speaker and want it to look as good as it sounds, Edifier would like to introduce you to the Edifier D32. It's a Hi-Res Audio speaker with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 and LDAC support, and whether you go for the Black Walnut or White options you get an accordion-style switch selection that looks like it's been beamed in from the dash of a 1950s automobile. This is definitely a good thing.
Edifier says that the hand-made wooden cabinet has been acoustically treated to minimize unwanted resonance and distortion. The 4-inch long-throw midrange driver is supplemented with dual bass reflex ports and twin 1-inch silk dome tweeters, and there's dual Class D amplification delivering a total 60W RMS (15W each from the tweeters, and 30W for the mid/low). Hi-Res Audio is supported at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
Retro looks with today's tech inside
Bluetooth here is Bluetooth 5.3 with dual-device pairing. There is support for LDAC streaming at up to 990kbps. Although you can stream directly from iOS or Android, the Edifier D32 also works with Edifier's own ConneX app for source switching, playback control and audio customization. There's also an aux-in port and USB-C.
Unlike most of the best wireless speakers with this kind of classy design, there's a battery inside too, so it's portable for taking out of the home, with a claimed 11 hours of play time between charges. But think transportable rather than really portable: the D32 weighs 3.04kg (6.7lbs).
The Edifier D32 is available now from Amazon for $169.99. That makes it a little more expensive than our current best Bluetooth speaker, the Sonos Roam, but it's a lot more powerful – and cooler. It'll be interesting to see how it compares in terms of audio quality; in our Sonos Era 100 review, which we rate as the best multi-room choice for most people, and costs a little more than the Edifier, we felt that that device was close to being the "ideal small and flexible speaker".
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