Edifier's R1280T speakers are some of the best under £100 - and now they cost £84 shipped
Do people even use speakers anymore?
Beijing-based outfit Edifier have been making some of the best value computer speakers for a while now; in fact my roundup over at Digital Foundry dedicates two of the seven slots to their designs. One that doesn't feature on that list but has attracted strong reviews elsewhere is the Edifier R1280T, a 2.0 studio speaker set that delivers excellent sound for the money. These speakers are normally normally around £100, but today on Overclockers you can grab a pair for £84 - lower than they've ever been before.
The R1280T have the same classy appearance as their higher-end cousins, with beautiful MDF wood enclosures and comfortable inset controls for adjusting volume, bass and treble. Dual RCA inputs are easily converted to 3.5mm via the included adapter or connected directly to other audio equipment like record players, while a remote control allows you to adjust the volume or mute the speakers from anywhere in the room.
A lot of audio design is down to physics, and bigger boxes can easily produce both louder and higher-quality sound. This makes the R1280T immediately better than your standard tiny PC speakers, without relying on a separate subwoofer for pleasant bass. The full, warm sound signature is far from fatiguing, but lacks some of the detail of a high-end system where you'll find it easier to pick out individual instruments from music or footsteps from distant foes. For the money though, it's hard to be too disappointed.
Having a good set of computer speakers is well worth trying if you've not had the pleasure, as I find it much more comfortable to listen to music or play more cinematic games with speakers than even on high-end gaming headsets. You get a much better sense of stereo separation this way, and it means that you can listen out for the doorbell or the cry of your housemates to turn down the volume.
I hope this deal is of interest, as we don't normally cover speakers, so do let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Do you even use PC speakers? What impressions do you have of the Edifier brand? Any recommendations for speakers at this £100 and below price point? I eagerly await your contributions in the comments!