Edifier MR5

Sources split along a press-vs-lab line. Most reviewers and owners hear it as close to neutral in Monitor mode — TechRadar, igor'sLAB, Home Studio Basics, ecoustics, Passion for Sound after room tuning — and the ASR member who measured it found the balance flat apart from a 4 kHz bump. Erin's Klippel data shows more upper-midrange and treble structure than similar-size rivals, Headfonia hears a mild U-shape with a 2 kHz push, and 0dB's measurements suggest cutting the bass for a flat result. Music mode is a mild V-shape that most reviewers skip.

Sources split, and the split is quantity versus depth. Most reviewers are struck by how full it sounds for its size — the hidden 5-inch woofer goes clearly deeper than the MR3 or MR4 — and some find it too much on a desk until the app's Desktop Control or Acoustic Space settings pull it back. Others point out that real sub-bass isn't there (PCMag, ecoustics: little below 50 Hz), that the woofer is less tight than the other drivers (Soundphile), and that a 305P MkII or LP-6 reaches lower. Passion for Sound's in-room measurement saw it fall away below about 100 Hz.

The dedicated 3.75-inch midrange is the design's best-received idea. TechRadar, Soundphile, igor'sLAB, STEREO GUIDE and Passion for Sound all praise clear, well-focused, natural vocals, and owners moving up from two-ways notice the separation. The caveats: Headfonia hears a push around 2 kHz that makes female vocals forward (a 3 dB EQ cut fixes it), Erin's data shows more variability than rivals, and a couple of owners found it boxy or hollow until they adjusted the EQ.

“the Edifier MR5 are phenomenal midrange communicators”

James Grimshaw, TechRadar

“The main tonal quirk sits around 2 kHz, where a noticeable emphasis can make female vocals sound slightly pushed forward.”

Rudolfs, Headfonia

“Initially, the sound felt very "boxy"—it lacked the open quality of the R1855DB—but I discovered that the main culprit was the midrange.”

r/BudgetAudiophile owner (MR5 vs R1855DB)

Mostly praised, with a lively edge some hear as brightness. TechRadar, PCMag, igor'sLAB and TheSixthAxis describe clean, crisp, detailed highs without harshness. Tom's Guide and Soundphile found it a little bright and turned the High knob down; ecoustics and Headfonia name a small peak around 4 kHz. Home Studio Basics hears a slightly metallic, artificial flavour next to a Yamaha HS7, while ngoshawk on Head-Fi found the treble the most polite part of the range.

“At the tippity-top, there’s no bite, spike or scratch”

James Grimshaw, TechRadar

“a small but audible peak around 4 kHz”

W. Jennings, ecoustics

“you’ll notice a bit of a metallic, artificial flavor to them”

Stuart Charles Black, Home Studio Basics

Wider than the boxes at a desk, with limited depth. Tom's Guide calls the stage incredibly wide and TechRadar three-dimensional; Soundphile hears it extend beyond the speakers but with only a hint of depth, and Headfonia rates width moderate and depth less impressive, noting that sidewall reflections add some false width.

“The soundscape was incredibly wide.”

Erin Bashford, Tom's Guide

“Soundstage width is moderate; depth is less impressive”

Rudolfs, Headfonia

The clearest point of agreement. PCMag, Tom's Guide, Headfonia, igor'sLAB, Home Studio Basics, Passion for Sound and ASR owners all describe a stable phantom centre and precise placement at nearfield distances; Soundphile calls it very good but not pinpoint.

“Stereo imaging is a genuine strength.”

Rudolfs, Headfonia

“The stereo imaging on these speakers is fantastic.”

Erin Bashford, Tom's Guide

“Imaging is very good and offers sufficient accuracy in placing the instruments, although you don’t get pinpoint precision”

Riccardo Robecchi, Soundphile Review

Good for the money rather than revealing. TheSixthAxis and Soundphile praise the detail, Constant Geekery found it matched a Yamaha HS5 for clarity and separation, and owners stepping up from multimedia speakers hear new detail. Passion for Sound says it lacks the refinement and insight of pricier monitors, and Tom's Guide and Soundphile hear separation slip on dense, heavy tracks.

“There’s a fantastic level of detail to every aspect of the MR5’s output”

Dom Leighton, TheSixthAxis

“you're not going to get quite the level of refinement and nuance and insight from these”

Passion for Sound (video review)

Sources split, and distance and volume explain most of it. At a desk, PCMag, ecoustics, igor'sLAB and RouteNote heard it play loud and clean — ecoustics at 90 dB without strain. Erin measured compression that becomes audible at high drive (though in his comparison it still had the most output of five desktop rivals), and Headfonia and TechRadar heard the bass compress and the sound turn boxy or brighter when pushed, especially from farther away. Several owners say it won't fill a large room without a sub.

More placement-sensitive than its marketing suggests, but the app helps. Erin measured off-axis and vertical response changing quickly, so listening height and toe-in matter, and Headfonia found toe-in essential and off-axis listening coloured. Soundphile, by contrast, found it surprisingly unfussy, and an ASR owner couldn't tell whether it faced him within about 15°. The rear port and side vents want space (ecoustics), it can drone near walls (STEREO GUIDE), and owners report boomy bass on hard desks until Desktop Control or Acoustic Space are set.

“Vertical directivity is also fairly tight, making listening height and tilt more critical for tonal consistency.”

Erin's Audio Corner

“I’m surprised by how not picky these speakers are.”

Riccardo Robecchi, Soundphile Review

“If these are going on a desk, you’ll need to leave breathing room behind them to avoid turning the bass into pudding.”

W. Jennings, ecoustics

Sources split on whether to mix on it. ecoustics, igor'sLAB and TheSixthAxis (who remastered an EP on it) trust it for budget production, and TechRadar, Passion for Sound and Home Studio Basics call it fine for general monitoring and beginners. Erin rates it the least accurate of five rivals, Headfonia says critical mixing needs careful calibration or a dedicated monitor brand, and forum voices point to the JBL 305P MkII, Kali LP-6 and Adam monitors as more neutral. Its passive second cabinet also rules out surround setups.

Sources split, and the speaker's own volume setting explains it. Soundphile heard no hiss or hum at all, and ASR owners report "0 self noise" or nothing audible beyond 50 cm at normal settings. With the speaker's volume near its maximum of 30, owners hear a faint hiss within about 25 cm or a high-pitched buzz at 70–100 cm; setting the speaker around 15–20 and turning up the source removes it. One owner calls the headphone output noisy.

A strong point. XLR, TRS and RCA on the back, a front 3.5 mm aux input and headphone jack, Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC and multipoint, all usable at once, plus High/Low knobs and an app with a 9-band EQ, low-cut filter (20–100 Hz, selectable slope), Acoustic Space and Desktop Control. The gaps everyone lists: no USB or optical input, no subwoofer output, no remote, and SBC-only Bluetooth for iPhones.

“Connectivity is one of the Edifier MR5’s clearest strengths.”

Rudolfs, Headfonia

“we wish the speakers supported subwoofers”

Mark Knapp, PCMag

Easy to set up, with a handful of daily irritations. The app needs no account and the room settings are well explained, but EQ changes take a second or two to land (TechRadar, ecoustics, RouteNote), the auto-standby kicks in after 15 minutes unless disabled, volume resets on power-up if it was set very low or high (Soundphile), the app volume doesn't sync with streaming apps, the mode LED is easy to misread, and the tone knobs sit on the back. The link cable (about 2.5 m) limits how far apart the speakers can go.

“An over-eager auto-standby can catch you off guard if you pause music for a phone call or a brew”

James Grimshaw, TechRadar

“As with the M3, upon restart volume is reset when it is set too low (below 6) or too high (above 24).”

Riccardo Robecchi, Soundphile Review

“In addition, the app’s volume control, just like the rotary control on the speaker itself, does not work in sync with the Apple Music or Qobuz apps.”

Stefan Schickedanz, STEREO GUIDE

Sources split between the cabinet and the samples. Soundphile, igor'sLAB, Home Studio Basics and ngoshawk call the MDF cabinets solid and well made. Headfonia's knuckle test found the walls resonant, PCMag spotted a gap at the front panel and TechRadar a cheap-feeling knob, and the ASR thread records a port rattle on two consecutive pairs for one owner and a replaced pair for another. Nuyes measured visible differences between two samples.

Sources split unevenly. Nearly every review calls it excellent value at $350 a pair, and more so at the $250–280 it often sells for, and Amazon owners' value mentions run 41 to 6 positive. A minority of forum voices say a JBL 305P MkII, Kali LP-6 or LP-UNF, Adam D3V or even Edifier's own M60 or MR3 does as much or more for similar money, and PCMag prefers the Fluance Ri71 for $50 more.