Edifier isn’t a budget brand anymore — and the new hi-fi, feature-packed S880DB MKII speakers prove it

Edifier released the S880DB MKII to much fanfare late last year, and it’s clear why. They are some of the best speakers under $500 ever made.

The Edifier S880DB MKII mark the first time I’ve really thought of Edifier as a premium, luxury brand. No Amazon-special tacky plastic components and cheap-looking design: the S880 MKII is capable of going head-to-head with offerings from the likes of KEF and Dali. The S880DB MKII are stylish, weighty, they support XLR, and to top it all off? They sound friggin’ awesome.

With a decadent low-end, a faithful, expansive mid-range, and a balanced, dextrous treble, the S880DB MKII made my music sound exactly as the artists intended. I’m so sold. If you want to find out more (why wouldn’t you?), then keep reading this Edifier S880DB MKII review.

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A pair of luxurious bookshelf speakers
• Who is it for? For turntable owners or desktop music listeners looking to upgrade for less
• What does it cost? $449 / £335
• What do we like? The sound quality is worthy of premium brands
• What don’t we like? The remote and app are a little gimmicky, but I can ignore that

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Specs

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Price & availability

The Edifier S880DB MKII are $449 from Amazon U.S. and £335 from Amazon U.K.. As with other Edifier gear, this is a fantastic price for speakers of this caliber.

I’ve tested other Edifier gear — the $159 Edifier R1280T — and budget-friendly Majority speakers — $99 Majority D40X and $99 Majority D80 — but the S880DB MKII are in a league of their own. You might expect that from speakers almost quadruple the price of a brand’s previous offerings, and on this occasion, you’d be right.

The now-discontinued model — Edifier S880DB — was $269, so the MKII edition is a pretty meaty upgrade. However, the MKII boasts LDAC, a lower bass response (50Hz as opposed to 55Hz), redesigned tweeters, and a sub output.

For audiophiles looking to upgrade their home setup for less, I’d recommend the S880DB MKII over premium models like KEF, Dali, Denon, and Marantz. Most of these brands’ speakers are passive, meaning they require an amp, which can set you back an extra $200. The S880DB MKII are active speakers, meaning they have their own built-in power supply and amplifier, so they work straight out of the box.

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Design & controls

• Rechargeable touch remote
• Compact yet stylish design
• LED panel

I’ve tested a fair few bookshelf speakers now, but none have wowed me like the Edifier S880DB MKII. These speakers are truly a sight to behold.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my $159 Edifier R1280T, and the Majority D40X did the trick for a while. In the past, Kanto (Kanto UKI, $299), Audio Engine (Audio Engine A2, $269) and KEF’s (KEF LSXII, $1,499) speakers were miles ahead of the “cheaper” brands’ offerings. I’ve salivated over Kanto and KEF speakers more times than I care to admit. However, the S880DB MKII are Edifier’s first offering that can truly go head-to-head with the premium brands not just in sound, but in looks, too.

The S880DB MKII are beautiful. I tested the white colorway, but there’s a black version, too. As soon as I unboxed them, I gasped in awe. The speakers are compact — just 5 inches wide and 8 inches deep — but they pack a major punch.

In terms of controls, there’s just one: a funky, ever-so-slightly gimmicky rechargeable touch remote. This remote is really fun. You can slide from left to right to skip ahead and right to left to skip back, you can turn the speakers on and off with a tap, and change inputs just as easily. One thing to note is that the ‘play/pause’ button doesn’t actually pause my music (it didn’t on Qobuz or Apple Music). It just muted the speakers, so I would always pause via your playback device.

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Features & connectivity

• Bluetooth, RCA, aux, optical, USB-C, coaxial playback
• App connectivity
• Sub out

If you’re coming from a more lifestyle or Bluetooth speaker environment, you might be surprised when I say the S880DB MKII doesn’t have ‘features’ — not in the same way Bluetooth devices have ‘features’, anyway. Most of the S880DB MKII’s features lie in its connectivity options, rather than semi-gimmicky things like ‘Party mode’.

Although the S880DB MKII lacks this ‘Party mode’ (when you can connect two or more speakers together for ultimate party/eardrum melting), I don’t miss this at all. That’s not what the S880DB KII is about, anyway. These are serious speakers for home use, not park raves.

You’ll find the following connectivity modes on the S880DB MKII: aux, RCA, optical, USB-C, and Bluetooth. The existence of a USB-C port is great: you’ll be able to play hi-res music without needing bulky ¼” or XLR cables.

Connecting to Bluetooth was easy: simply press the ‘B’ button on the remote control and select the speakers from your output device. As expected, the analog modes were easy. Just make sure you’ve put the correct wire in the correct port, and you’re good to go.

Impressively, the S880DB MKII also have a sub out port. I tested with Edifier’s T5s subwoofer ($199), and the connection was painless and instant. I would recommend grabbing Edifier’s sub if you want ultra bass.

You can also adjust settings via the Edifier ConneX app, which I’ll discuss in the ‘App’ section below.

A nice, unexpected feature is the OLED screen on the master speaker. This little screen is plenty bright, so you can read it even in a sunny room. This panel basically just tells you the input you’re listening to.

I’ll end on something expected: aux and RCA makes for much more impressive listening. When I put on Bluetooth, I made a little “Eesh” sound effect. If I weren’t testing all the playback modes for a review, I wouldn’t gravitate towards Bluetooth. Trust me on this and use the aux — it’s much better.

Edifier S880DB MKII review: App

• Edifier ConneX app
• Adjust EQs, view manual, update firmware
• Little else, take it or leave it

Although I suppose it’s nice to have, the Edifier ConneX app is by no means a necessary addition. You will get just as much from the S880DB MKII without the app as you would with it.

When I first downloaded the app, I cycled through the list of settings, then sat back in my chair, and said, “Huh. That’s it?” All you can do is adjust the EQ, download firmware updates, and view the manual. That is it. You can change EQ via the remote control and Google the user manual, by the way. You can also adjust treble and bass via the on-speaker dials.

If I weren’t reviewing these speakers, I probably wouldn’t have bothered downloading the app in the first place. You do you, of course, but the app isn’t a must-have. If you’re curious, here are a few screenshots, so you can see how ‘nothingy’ this app is.

I’d love to see the next iteration of these speakers have a meaningful app function. I mean, if Edifier’s going to all the trouble of connecting bookshelf speakers to a smart home app, we might as well get good features out of it, right?

For example, a room calibration feature would be awesome. I’ve tested soundbars with this feature — like the JBL Bar 1300X and some AI-powered Samsung options — and it truly does transform the sound output. I’ve also seen headphones and earbuds with similar software — like the CMF Buds Pro 2, and Denon PerL Pro, all powered by Swedish hi-fi brand Dirac. KEF has a similar feature, so there’s no reason why Edifier can’t jump on the bandwagon, too.

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Audio quality

• Decadent bass
• Faithful, deft bass
• Atmospheric instrument separation

To test the audio quality of the Edifier S880DB MKII, I listened via aux, Bluetooth, and on my U-Turn Orbit Special record player.

As I discussed in the ‘Features & connectivity’ section above, connecting to devices was straightforward. I didn’t have to jump through any hoops to enjoy my music.

I listened to a range of music, including modern and vintage records on my turntable, and music streaming via Spotify, Qobuz, and Apple Music.

Here, though, I’ll just discuss the standout tracks. Firstly, sound quality via aux. I streamed a variety of albums via Qobuz: ‘Frog In Boiling Water’ by DIIV, ‘Man Made’ by Greentea Peng, ‘private music’ by Deftones, ‘Addison’ by Addison Rae, to name a few.

The S880DB MKII handled the shift from floaty, hazy pop (Addison Rae) to fuzzy, heavy rock (Deftones), to bassy, groovy neo-soul (Greentea Peng), back to fuzzy grunge shoegaze (DIIV) incredibly well. I actually couldn’t believe how excellent all these different genres sounded — without me touching the EQ settings once.

The crunchy, chugging guitars in Deftones’ ‘locked club’ were clear and rich without being overly crisp or muddy. Similarly, the basslines in Greentea Peng’s ‘Free My People’ stood out from the rest of the track, with revolving, rhythmic flute notes frolicking in the background. I also have to mention ‘Raining on My Pillow’ by DIIV — this vintage-tinged shoegaze track balanced reverb-heavy percussion with atmospheric vocal flections deftly.

With the same EQ settings, ‘Times Like These’ by Addison Rae floated through the speakers, expansive synth riffs and chilled-out, ‘90s-inspired percussion. I couldn’t quite believe how well the S880DB MKII handled all these different genres.

During testing, I streamed tons of music, but I also listened to LPs on my turntable while connected to my Edifier TS5 subwoofer. Most notable was ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson, which I listened to twice. This is a vintage record (straight from my boyfriend’s mom’s attic), so it has a few flaws, like scratches and ingrained dust bunnies. Even so, it sounded phenomenal through the S880DB MKII. I could hear every groovy bassline, every gated drum effect. The album was incredibly dynamic, room-filling, and got me dancing around my lounge.

Edifier S880DB MKII review: Verdict

If you’re curious about the world of hi-fi, but the concept of amps and pre-amps and audiophile jargon is overwhelming, you’re the perfect candidate for a pair of the Edifier S880DB MKII. These powered speakers are rich, clear, detail-heavy yet bassy, and are perfect for both turntables and desktops.

The only annoyance is the play/pause on the remote control and the superfluous app — but if you simply ignore the app’s existence and pause using your device, this is a non-issue. I was able to forget about these slight nuisances due to how excellent the sound quality is.

With a plug-and-play setup, gorgeous premium design, and compact size, I can’t recommend these speakers enough. Everything about them is phenomenal: looks, sound, functionality, usability, the list goes on. The S880DB MKII is Edifier’s answer to luxury.