Edifier MR5 Review After Daily Use: Good Speakers That Need Some Space

Most studio monitors look almost identical, so I wasn’t expecting the Edifier MR5 to stand out the moment I opened the box. 

The matte white finish and copper-coloured drivers were the first real difference, a shift from the all-black monitors I’ve been used to.

Once I set it up on my desk, where I spend most of my day working, and lived with it for a few days, my first impression started to shift. 

Sure, it’s marketed as a studio monitor rather than a smart speaker, but I ended up reaching for it just as often for everyday listening at my desk.

Here’s how it actually held up, from the first setup to the sound quality, the space it takes up, and everything in between.

The Edifier MR5 felt well-built from the start, and my first listening session suggested a balanced, natural sound.

The sound leaned more toward a controlled presentation. The bass had enough depth to give music and videos some weight, but don’t expect bass to be the star of the show.

The mids and highs stayed clear without becoming tiring, so it never felt like the speaker was trying too hard to impress me.

The larger cabinets meant I had to rethink my desk setup slightly. They take up more room than the average desktop speaker, but once everything was in place, they looked right at home.

The Edifier MR5 arrived well protected, with the essential cables and accessories included for a straightforward setup. This saved me from any extra purchases to get them running.

Everything was neatly packed, with each speaker wrapped in a fabric sleeve and surrounded by thick molded packaging, showing Edifier had put thought into protecting the speakers during transit. 

The box included the active and passive speakers, the power cable, speaker connection cable, audio cable, and a Quick Start Guide. 

At just over 10kg for the pair, the speakers felt solid. Lifting them out of the box reminded me of picking up weights at the gym.

These Edifier speakers have a clean, modern look and a build that feels as solid as it looks. Up close, the copper-coloured woofers add a nice contrast against the matte white cabinet, without feeling overdone to me.

Edifier also kept things simple, with no unnecessary lighting or decorative flourishes, which makes the MR5 feel just as at home in a formal studio setup as it does on a regular desk.

That build quality held up during everyday use. Each speaker felt well assembled, and at 10.38kg for the pair, they stayed planted on my desk even when I pushed the volume up.

The active speaker places the volume control and 3.5mm headphone output within easy reach, while the rear panel handles the heavier lifting: balanced XLR and TRS inputs, RCA, AUX. It also houses the room tuning controls, making it easy to adjust the speakers for different room layouts.

The trade-off for all that build quality is space. These aren’t speakers you tuck into a tight corner, so it’s worth measuring your desk before you buy.

On paper, the MR5 looks built for home studios. In practice, specs don’t mean much until you actually put sound through them.

That’s the high-level summary, but the real test was running them through my daily mix of music, videos, and general desk use.

Bass Performance

The 5-inch woofers across the stereo pair kept the bass tight and controlled rather than overwhelming. 

Low frequencies have enough depth to give music and movie soundtracks a solid foundation, without overpowering the mids or highs. Even at higher volumes, I didn’t notice the bass becoming muddy. 

Mid Range

The mid-range was the highlight for me. Vocals sounded natural, and instruments such as guitars and pianos retained plenty of detail. 

I also found it easier to pick out individual sounds that often become lost on consumer speakers, so MR5 can be handy for projects where accuracy matters.

Treble Performance

High frequencies sounded crisp and detailed without becoming harsh. The 1-inch silk dome tweeters appeared to handle vocals, cymbals, and acoustic instruments with plenty of clarity while keeping the overall sound smooth. 

Even during extended listening sessions, I never felt the treble became fatiguing.

Stereo Imaging and Volume

Sitting directly in front of the speakers, it was easy to pinpoint exactly where each sound was coming from across the room. The three-driver design kept each frequency range distinct. 

I never needed to push the volume close to its limit, and I didn’t notice any obvious distortion at higher listening levels. 

I did run into a low-volume issue at first, but tweaking the input sensitivity and source gain cleared it up right away.

The MR5 doesn’t cut short on inputs; XLR, TRS, RCA, and AUX are all there on the back, alongside Bluetooth for anything wireless.

In practice, this meant I could keep an audio interface, a laptop, and a phone all connected at once without constantly swapping cables.

Bluetooth paired quickly during my testing, and switching between wired and wireless sources never felt clunky. 

The front-mounted 3.5mm headphone output was handy for private listening, though on days I wanted to go fully wireless, I’d reach for a solid pair of over-ear headphones instead.

Once everything was connected, I also used the EDIFIER ConneX App, switching sound modes, tweaking the EQ, and adjusting room tuning from my phone.

It beat reaching behind the speakers every time I wanted to make a small change, and the settings updated instantly with no lag.

Here’s the good and the bad after using them for a bit:

Pros

• Balanced and natural sound
• Solid build with a clean, modern design
• Good range of wired connectivity options
• Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint support 
• EQ and room tuning through the EDIFIER ConneX App
• Enough power for home offices and small studios

Cons

• Requires more desk space than compact desktop speakers
• If you enjoy heavy bass out of the box, the MR5 may sound restrained without EQ. 
• No remote control included

If you’d rather have sound that’s accurate than sound that hits hard, the MR5 earns its spot on the desk. In my case, it handled everyday desktop listening just as well as the creative stuff it’s actually built for.

It’s not for everyone, though. Tight on desk space, need something you can toss in a bag, or want bass that slaps out of the box without touching the EQ? You’ll probably be happier elsewhere.