Edifier MR4

Mostly praised by ear, qualified by the lab. TechRadar, Mighty Gadget, techreviewer.de, Passion for Sound, Kyle Erickson and most owners call it balanced — "not flat", perhaps a touch warm or with a little upper-mid lift, but honest enough to edit on. Amir and Erin measured a response that is "not the most neutral" (roughly ±3 dB) with a treble dip and small midrange resonances, though Amir found it "warm and reasonably nice sounding" and both say it takes EQ well. A minority of owners hear it as boxy, muddy or thin.

“First impression defies the look of the measurements: the sound is warm and reasonably nice sounding.”

Amir, Audio Science Review

“I wouldn’t describe the overall sound as flat, but it is well-balanced.”

James Smythe, Mighty Gadget

“The highs sound awesome, and mids and lows sound good, but overall sounds boxy.”

Amazon owner review (3★)

Sources split. Amir was "impressed by the amount of bass" and measured it flat to about 70 Hz; techreviewer.de and the Frugal Noodle owner (at a desk, 2 ft away) found it surprisingly full. Erin, TechRadar, Passion for Sound, Kyle Erickson and a run of owners call it light — no sub-bass, and not much punch at low volume. TechRadar noticed the bass fills in only as the volume goes up, and Erin suggests placing them 4–5 inches from a wall to lift the dip below 150 Hz. Everyone agrees a subwoofer is the fix for real low end, and there is no sub output.

Sources split, mostly favourably. TechRadar, techreviewer.de and several owners praise full, clear mids and present vocals — "the mids are no longer drowned out" for one former Logitech owner. Amir measured resonances around 600 Hz and found that cutting them removed "stuffiness"; some owners hear boxy or recessed vocals, and one Reddit buyer said the vocals sounded "drowned out" until he applied EQ.

Sources split along the lab/ear line. Every measurement shows an uneven top: a dip around the 2–4 kHz crossover, then a rise — Toid measured about +2 dB above 3 kHz, and Audio Lab Insight notes it leaves the ±3 dB window in the treble. Listeners mostly don't hear a problem: TechRadar calls the highs "clear and crisp", Mighty Gadget heard little harshness, and techreviewer.de a pleasant brightness. A few owners find it fatiguing, and Mighty Gadget says the highs sharpen past half volume.

Praised by everyone who mentions it, at desk distances: a wide, well-centred stage that owners say is a big step up from computer speakers, and that TechRadar found immersive about three feet apart.

“The MR4 is also impressive in terms of spatial representation.”

Timo Altmeyer, techreviewer.de

“Noticeably better sound stage than the Miccas which needed toe in and tilt.”

Eggs Ackley, Audio Science Review forum

A clear strength. Passion for Sound (1.2 m, equilateral triangle) heard a "crystal clear image dead center", owners describe vocals locked in the middle, and TechRadar found it accurate enough for positional audio in games.

“they do provide an excellent sense of Imaging”

Passion for Sound (video review)

“Imaging is just fantastic.”

imthecapedbaldy, r/audiophile

Good for the price. Reviewers and owners hear more detail than typical computer speakers — one owner caught a 60 Hz hum in his recordings he had missed before — but Passion for Sound found a KRK Rokit 5 G4 more nuanced, and one owner's cheap headphones still revealed more.

“I can also appreciate the added detail you get from using a studio monitor vs a normal bookshelf.”

James Smythe, Mighty Gadget

“the krks were delivering more Nuance in the sound the bass extension was better”

Passion for Sound (video review)

Sources split, and the split is the listening distance. On a desk at 1–2 ft, owners, Kyle Erickson and TechRadar find it plenty loud, and Passion for Sound was happy at 1.2 m. Measured at 1 m, it runs out of room: Amir heard it "fell apart" at 96 dB and backed off to 90, Erin estimates about 90–93 dB per speaker, Audio Lab Insight about 87 dB at a 10 % THD limit, and Toid and Mighty Gadget heard audible distortion (and port noise with the bass boosted) past moderate volume.

A nearfield speaker by design. The molded waveguide gives it unusually even horizontal dispersion — Amir and Toid both say you can move around the desk without the tone changing — but the vertical window is narrow, so Erin wants the tweeter at ear level (or just below) on stands, never listened to from above. The rear port wants a few inches from the wall (Erin suggests 4–5 in). Several owners and Kyle Erickson say it sounds best up close and shouldn't be asked to fill a room.

“And the wide width means that you can move left and right at your workstation without much change in tonality.”

Amir, Audio Science Review

“Excellent in that nearfield role but I think you should look elsewhere if you want to fill a room.”

2zeroseven, r/BudgetAudiophile

Sources split on what "studio monitor" means here. TechRadar, techreviewer.de, Kyle Erickson and Passion for Sound find it accurate enough for video, podcast and hobby mixing work — Passion for Sound would use it as his only monitor for video, but would look higher for serious music mixing. Erin, and ASR and Reddit regulars, say it is not linear enough to trust a mix on, and the lack of real low bass means kick and bass decisions need checking on headphones.

Sources split, and the split tracks distance and the volume knob. Passion for Sound heard a small constant hiss with the knob at maximum, inaudible at 1.2 m but likely audible closer; Reddit owners hear it at 2–3 ft and loudly at full volume, and Amazon's noise mentions run 23 negative to 15 positive. Others report no hiss at all, or only in quiet passages — usually with the knob at half and the volume set at the computer. An ASR member summed it up: opinions on its hiss "seem very divided".

Well equipped for an analog desk monitor: balanced TRS and RCA inputs on the back, a 3.5 mm aux input and headphone jack on the front, bass and treble trimmers and two voicing modes. Amir calls the balanced inputs and volume control an edge over pricier monitors. The gaps: no Bluetooth, USB or optical input, no sub output, and no input switching.

“It takes over them with inclusion of volume control, RCA inputs, etc.”

Amir, Audio Science Review

“That’s to be expected when you don’t have a subwoofer, but I would have appreciated having a sub out on these speakers.”

James Holland, TechRadar

The weak point in daily use. The volume knob is stepped, with big jumps between clicks — the top complaint in owner reviews (Amazon's volume-control mentions run 37 negative to 10 positive). The rear trimmers and the Monitor/Music switch make only a subtle difference according to TechRadar, Kyle Erickson and Mighty Gadget. There is no hard power switch and no auto-off, so it comes back switched off after a power cut.

“Probably my biggest complaint is the volume knob, which has thirteen quantized volume levels with “clicks” at each one, instead of a smooth infinite-resolution potentiometer.”

Brian, The Frugal Noodle (owner)

“They’re a bit awkward to get to for regular adjustment, and considering that they’re fairly subtle even when turned all the way to one direction, you’re better off EQing on your computer.”

James Holland, TechRadar

Sources split. Erin found the cabinet surprisingly dense for the price, and Kyle Erickson and Passion for Sound like the look and feel; one owner's pair is going strong after two years. Toid measured thinner MDF than he expected (3/8 in) and found spring terminals and a snap-on plastic baffle; a Reddit owner calls the cabinets thin and resonant, and a handful of owners report faults — tweeter bursts, a blown-sounding woofer, a pair that died after a year.

The strongest point of agreement. Erin called it the best speaker he had tested at its size and price, Amir a decent option if you can add a little EQ, and every magazine and video reviewer rates the value highly; Amazon's value mentions run 139 to 14 positive. The dissent is about stretching the budget: ASR and Reddit regulars point out that a JBL 305P MkII or Kali LP-6 sounds much better for more money, if there's room on the desk.

“it so far is the best speaker in its size and its price that i personally have tested”

Erin's Audio Corner (video review)

“Considering the price, the Edifier MR4 is quite a steal.”

James Holland, TechRadar

“If space isn't a restriction, LSR305 or Kali LP6 produce much better sound for only a little more $.”

majorscheiskopf, r/BudgetAudiophile