For some people, it’s not enough that their speakers sound good, they also have to look good. Edifier just unveiled its QD35 speaker, and it’s a device that strives to match great audio with great visuals. It’s a speaker with a built-in array of LED lights.
Android Headlines was given the opportunity to review this speaker, and we spent about three weeks testing it out. So, is this speaker worth your money, or is it just a big light show? Let’s find out.
Edifier QD35: Design and build quality
Without a doubt, the design is the most notable aspect of this speaker. The Edifier QD35 is a beautifully-crafted piece of hardware that’s a treat for the eyes as much as it is for the ears.
It almost has the aesthetic of devices from Carl Pei’s Nothing devices. The front of the device is made from transparent plastic, and it lets us see the LED light strips that line the bottom of the speaker and encircle the two drivers.
The lights and the drivers all sit against a reflective backing that resembles circuitry, and it looks stunning when it reflects the LED lights. When the lights are shining, it’s a sight to behold. Edifier really hit a home run with the design of the QD35.
Build quality
The build quality is another area where this speaker shines. When picking it up or touching it, you can feel that it was built using quality materials. The chassis is made from plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap at all. Picking it up, you can feel a significant heft to it.
There are several buttons on the speaker, and none of them jiggle in their sockets or feel mushy. They’re all clicky and tactile. I have no complaints about the build quality. It’s a $200 speaker that feels like a $200 speaker.
Edifier QD35 sound quality
Now, let’s get down to the sound. As you can see, there are two drivers jutting from this speaker’s chassis. The smaller one is responsible for the higher frequencies and the larger one is for the lower frequencies. This tweeter/woofer combo makes for a great audio experience.
In my testing, it’s been able to produce a pleasantly balanced sound out of the box. It gets the job done with no complaints- but it’s not the greatest, to be honest. However, this is where the EQ presets and the custom equalizer come in handy. When you press the top knob twice, you’ll switch between different EQ modes. There’s a music, cinema, gaming, and custom EQ mode.
Each preset has its own characteristics, but using the custom EQ setting will give you more control over your sound. In order to customize your EQ, you’ll need to download the Edifier Connect app on your device. When you tap on the EQ option, you’ll be able to switch between the modes there too. When you go to the DIY setting, you’ll be able to tailor the sound to your liking.
Custom EQ
The app has a 6-band EQ- the bands are 62Hz, 250Hz, 1KHz, 4KHz, 8KHz, and 16KHz- that lets you tune the sound. When you make the adjustments, you’ll hear them take effect right away.
With a few adjustments to the EQ, the sound really takes on a whole new feeling. The sound quality of this speaker is good out of the box, but can really shine when you make your adjustments.
LDAC
If you want a higher bitrate when you’re listening to your music, you have the option to enable the LDAC audio codec on the speaker. This will give you higher-quality audio, which is great for audiophiles.
When you enable it, you’ll have two options. There’s the option for a sampling rate of 48KHz/44.1KHz. This gives you a high-quality sound with lower latency. However, if you want clearer audio, you can opt for the 96KHz sampling rate. This will have the best audio, but there will be a higher latency.
Edifier QD35: Lights
A huge part of this speaker’s aesthetic is the set of LED lights that sit on the inside of it. The lights reflect off of the glossy plastic back, and it makes for a heck of a show. On the right side of the speaker, there are two knobs. The bottom one adjusts the lights. Pressing it in will cycle through the five preset patterns.
Each pattern gives the speaker a certain personality. Rotating the knob adjusts the brightness of the lights. If you want to turn the lights off completely, you’ll just need to turn the brightness all the way down.
Customizing them
You’ll really see the potential of these lights once you open the Edifier Connect app. In the app, you’ll see unique customizations for each preset, and these customizations go deep. When you tap on the preset, you’ll see a grid of 34 colors that you can assign to the lights.
If you want more granular controls, you can tap on the preset button again to dial in the exact color you want. You can either enter the RGB values or the HEX code. If you want to save that color as a preset, you can press the “+” button on the bottom.
Not only that, but you can also change the speed of the light pattern. Most patterns have some sort of motion to them. Some pulsate and some light individual LEDs to create all types of motion. There’s a button that lets you control how fast the lights move and operate.
Additional light patterns
You can cycle through five patterns using the hardware button, but there are more that you can access in the app. There’s a stationary setting that keeps the lights on and four more that can be accessed in the More section. You, unfortunately, don’t have as many customization options for those, but they’re still nice to have.
Gripes
There are a few gripes that I have with this speaker and their minor at best. For starters, there are only 16 volume levels. This makes it tough to find the right volume at times.
The only other gripe is that you can’t turn off the front display. On the front of the speaker, you’ll see the time along with which EQ mode you’re using. It’d be nice if there was a way to turn it off completely. They’re pretty bright, especially at night.
Conclusion
All in all, Edifier did a knock-out job on the QD35. The sound is well-balanced and very customizable. Also, it’s a beautiful piece of hardware that really catches the eye. For the price of $200, I highly recommend that you pick it up.
Curious about other Edifier products?
If you want to read more AH reviews of Edifier products check these out:
2023-04-13 15:07:09