Hey. I’m back again thanks to Edifier for letting me try out this amazing product.




Let’s get into the box. Edifier has this nicely printed box with clean layouts. Very different from their pc speaker which always comes in plain cardboard brown and plain black prints. I can see how this will look amazing when placed on in-store shelves.

Simple and straightforward. All you see is the speaker and clock. That alone is enough to attract people.




Opening the box displays the speaker alone.
There’s a note on the lip saying about keeping this speaker plugged in which worries me but I just glanced through and grab the speaker out.
Edifier decided to use polystyrene as their packing material instead of their classic recycled paper or stacked foam protection.
A little stiff for packing material but I believe it is enough to protect the speaker.



What you’ll get in the box:
- The speaker itself
- USB A to micro USB (aw man. Where’s the USB C?)
- Aux cable
- Manuals, warranty cards, and legal warnings




The provided micro USB is pretty solid-looking. It’s nothing special other than rubber-coated cable and a standard length of 1 meter I believe. Only for charging. No USB power brick was provided.



A different AUX cable? I’m not sure. Edifier has different AUX cables for every product I know of. Some come with a smooth cable jacket and some are the traditional ribbed cable relief. Nothing special but definitely good to have one provided.



And lastly their paperwork. Very familiar design to every Edifier product. I managed to figure out how to use the speaker without reading the manual but again it is good to have physical booklet manuals rather than scanning QR code to find manuals realizing it’s gone.

Time for the ultimate ceremonial sticker peel.



Oh



But hey it looks amazing after removing the protective sticker. I can see myself through the glossy front panel. I gotta say it’s looking really beautiful and I spend most of my time holding the speaker and forgetting that I needed pictures for my review.




Top buttons that can be everything it’s designed for. Grippy buttons and very tactile clicks. They are stiff hard buttons but when you press them it clicks easily without any mush. Good stuff there.
While it’s all solid and fun to press, it’s quite a dust magnet too. Just moments from taking out of the box, I’ve already coated all buttons with dust. And it’s not easy to dust it off too. Hmmm.



Here’s a port for the speaker. It’s pretty deep down into the box. Almost the entire inner length of the speaker box. Edifier has done great things here in tuning this speaker because wow this port is actually doing something rather than a chuffy air pump. We will get into sound later.



Some ports. Full-size USB for Pendrive playback, Micro SD card for a slimmer storage option, and lastly AUX for external source but I guess not many phones have headphones out anymore? The micro USB is can be used as a DAC to stream audio from a PC as well as power/charging. Good stuff's here. One less cable to pc without relying on Bluetooth delays. But even the provided BT 5.0 is plenty amazing. There are also cooling vents on the side. Yup this speaker gets warm from playing loud.



And lastly the feet. It has the standard Edifier grippy grey feet. A sticker for product name as well as a serial number laser etched to the wooden veneer. Depending on what country you’re in, you’ll get an approval sticker from your local authorities. Here in Malaysia, it's MCMC approved. I assume this is for the Bluetooth used inside.



Let’s start by checking out the display. Nice bright display and it will adapt to the ambient brightness. I have it near a window and you can see it blink to the appropriate brightness. Turn off the lights and use it as a bedroom clock, you’ll see it dim pretty low and not distracting at all. Very good tuning for the brightness. The screen itself is also a dust magnet. Lots of static and I’m constantly getting dust on the screen while taking photos of it. Maybe consider a change in materials used? I’ll let Edifier decide.



Large speaker grille that dwarfs the clock display. Similar to Edifier’s classic Tick Tock MF240 radio clock in the past. But hey, it looks good isn’t it. Similar to the MP120 and the MP380 grille design. I’d take this over cloth grille or exposed speakers anytime.

I’ve already mentioned buttons earlier. Good, solid, tactile buttons and easy to learn. But the blank space at the back is a missed opportunity to add a phone slot for users to use this as a phone dock. There’s a USB at the back that can be designed as a phone charger too but I guess this is not how its intended usage is. Maybe implement this design in the next version? Would be sweet to include those features for an extra cost.



Let’s talk about sound
I love this speaker. I don’t have high expectations when it comes to small Bluetooth speakers but this is not small sounding at all.
Sporting a tiny pair of 4W tweeters and a 12W woofer, it surely sounds like a full-size 6” bookshelf speaker. Even my Sony SS-D201 didn’t sound as “big” as this tiny speaker. It has a general warm V shape scooped tone where bass dominates the entire shape but rarely interrupts the vocal range. I hear no bloat in this even with the bassiest vocal podcasts. In fact, it complements the tone well.

While the mids aren’t the most forward-sounding ones from Edifier, it’s plenty clear without sounding shouty when played at max volume. For a bass-tuned speaker, the vocal range is quite tame and has most midbass sliced off, making some vocals sound thin in certain genres especially on pop songs where music is complex.

Most of the characteristics are complemented with the clean smooth trebles that are pretty prominent in this. Hit it with the noisiest punk rock or metal (or even fast-paced Japanese band music) you’re presented with well-articulated drums and guitars. Every splash and hit from the hi-hats and ride cymbals are clear and tight without sounding like a rustling mess. Sharp and fast electric guitar strumming and fingers sliding on the coiled guitar strings are presented right in your face. Bass guitars are commonly thrown into the background while mixing but this speaker makes slap bass shine effortlessly along with the tight bass hits and snappy pops.

I enjoyed listening to Marry Go Round by Tatsuro Yamashita with this MP260. As the wind chime enters, it rings throughout the entire room before presenting with an upfront confident slap bass riff. The rhythm guitar blends in well thanks to the clean trebles. I know this song has cowbell implemented into the music but the instrument separation in this tiny speaker makes it really prominent.

Sweet Room by ORESAMA makes this speaker sound huge. Rhodes piano always sounded like a sine wave through my experience but this presented it well by revealing the hidden gritty tones of Rhodes Piano. The tame hi-hats ring prominently without disappearing into the mix like how it’s intended. Most laptop speakers I know of will just drown the hi-hats in this song when the full band starts playing. The MP260 plays it transparently as if the speakers are passively driven without compressors to tame the highs.

Lilac by IU is where the MP260 makes vocals sound a tad bit thin. While the funky bass rolls well and the synth rings wide, there are times it makes the vocals drown into the background when the chorus hits. It could be how the mix intends to make vocals sound airy but the MP260 handles it differently as if it’s phase canceling itself.



Usability

That’s all you get. Controls from the top. This will benefit from a simple wireless volume control but I guess it’s alright to scoot towards the speaker and press when needed.

You get clock functions from the left, playback and general navigation buttons in the middle, and a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button and power on the right.

Short press the alarm button to enable alarm on/off. Hold the alarm button to set the time. You can navigate via the media buttons and click the alarm button again to set your desired time.

The clock button does things similarly. Short clicks on it turn the clock display on/off. Long press to adjust the time via media buttons.

The Bluetooth button on the right is only for pairing and nothing else. Hold to disconnect and it will enter “ready to pair mode”. I’m glad it only makes beeping sounds when paired or unpairing. Bluetooth speaker that has vocals announcing its status loudly is annoying and I’m glad Edifier chose to use gentle SFX sounds as notifications.

The power button on the right is mostly for source selection by single tapping it or holding the button to turn on/off. You get a nice welcoming startup sound when you turn it on.

The startup volume is fixed so there’s no discreet way to turn it on silently.

And lastly, the middle button is what controls everything from the time setting to music playback. Up/Down for volume and left/right for back/next. Play/pause is at the center. Common buttons and easy to use.

There’s only a digital volume of up to 16 bars. You will hear slight volume stepping when adjusting since the range is limited.
The battery life is amazing as it manages to play more than the 7 hours battery life claimed. With a full charge, I could get it playing from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM in the office at volume 7/16 and still has 40% battery left.
What I don’t like is that the battery life only lasted for 4 days when it is idle on clock mode. Would wish it’ll last longer in clock mode. Changing the input source didn’t help in battery life. Only lasting 4 days max. I get it that Edifier mentioned keeping this plugged in but hey, aren’t clocks supposed to be wireless?

Time for some pictures and placement

It’s a pretty speaker and has a good clock display. The design choice may be boring to people who don’t like random boxes as most speakers are boxes. But I personally like it as a box as it blends into every place and corner in my house.




I tried dark corners and cramped computer workspaces, which blend in perfectly.



How about having it beside a TV with its grandfather S530D? Works great too.



Dry Kitchen Island? Compliments well.



Works great even inside a wet kitchen but I wouldn’t recommend it as it gets messy fast.



I placed them on my piano and of course, it fits just fine even with the typical local decorations.





If you live in a space where you have an outdoor place to chill, this speaker works great there too. (Just don’t put it under direct sunlight haha. The screen went black from too much sun heat)

As for me, I like it right beside my bed. Just where it belongs.



If you have a Vox Amplug, you can even use this as a practice speaker for your electric bass or electric guitar. I use it as my bass guitar amp and works great. Just don’t play it too loud as it will clip from the excursion.

Conclusion:

I am in love with this speaker and I want it with me all the time. It’s a very simple and easy to listen to speaker. I enjoy great sound be it Hi-Fi grade or Studio level clean and neutral but this speaker is a class on its own. It’s a speaker that can please a large market with its sound. Even if you don’t need a speaker, the clock design is a great addition to any home with its beauty.

Thanks for reading my review. If Edifier decided to take this review unit back, I’ll buy it off from Lazada/Shopee in the next sale.

I also think handphone slot is a missed opportunity as it will be very useful if put in kitchen or during exercise. But since it have quiet big flat spot at the top, can put a stand there, like this one. Can also charge the phone.


If using USB-C that support higher power delivery will be better for charging since speaker use a lot of power. Micro USB really should not be use anymore.

I was thinking of a simple slot like this but I guess that could be implemented if needed upright and charging.