Do you ever wish those loudspeakers you bought just has a smidge more bass? The thought has crossed my mind many times over the years, especially if I’ve heard someone else’s hi-fi and been beguiled by the amount of gut-rumbling bass their speakers kick out. If there a way to get more bass without buying new speakers or using tone controls? Why, yes there is and it won’t cost a lot.
The Edifier T5 is one of the most affordable sub-woofers on the market and it’s suitable for adding more bass to desktop speakers or studio monitors. It also has enough grunt to augment a pair of floorstand speakers that may not be quite as growly as you like. It’s not massive and because it’s a sub, you can hide it away and still get lots of rumble.
Edifier made the T5 subwoofer for adding bass to the company’s excellent Q65 active speakers that I reviewed earlier this year. The T5 has a deep and powerful bass, considering its size. The bass frequencies are created by an 8-inch long-throw woofer which bottoms out at 38Hz. It’s powered by a high-efficiency switching power supply and Texas Instruments closed-loop class-D amplifier. When cranked up it will deliver up to 70W RMS output. That’s ample for most living rooms.
There are two input options on the T5 so you can use it with a range of audio sources. First off, there is a 3.5mm input which makes it easy to pair with something like the Edifier Q65s. Then there are two RCA plugs which can take a single interconnect from a dedicated subwoofer out on an amplifier. If your amplifier doesn’t have a sub-out, simply connect its audio input to the subwoofer’s Signal Out ports before connecting the subwoofer’s Signal In ports to the audio source’s output.
The T5’s Texas Instruments high-performance analog front end and digital amplifier is designed to handle the audio conversion and amplification. The integrated DSP has precision low-pass filtering and phase control so that the bass notes don’t end up out-phasing the main speakers by providing a seamless crossover.
The cabinet of the Edifier is made from MDF and finished in silver and black with a removable grille. The cabinet is sufficiently braced to hold the long-throw woofer for minimal resonance or any rattling distortion. The result is an impressively tight with clarity and lots of low end coming out of the side-vented reflex port
There is a control on the T5 for dialling the amount of volume along with a low-pass filter and phase control that flips the phase through 180 degrees if needed so the sub isn’t fighting with the main speakers. Remember, with a sub-woofer, less is most definitely more and you can easily overdo it. One other feature I like with the T5 is its ability to enter standby mode after 30 minutes without audio. As soon as the music starts, it springs back into life and starts pumping out that plumptious bass again.
Verdict: If you always fancied trying a sub-woofer on your audio system, then the Edifier T5 is a wonderfully economic and effective way of doing it. With sub-woofers, a little goes a long way. Also, once you’ve used a sub with your TV’s audio, you’ll never go back. The excitement that barrowloads of bass can bring to a movie is addictive and gives that home theater experience. The Edifier has an internal power supply to keep things neat and comes with all the cables and interconnects you need. Why spend $500+ on a sub-woofer? Give the Edifier T5 a try or get it to add some muscle to your computer speakers.
Pricing & Availability: The Edifier T5 sub-woofer is available now and costs $149.99 / £129.99 / €119.
Tech Specs:
- Driver: 8″ (220mm) front-firing long-throw woofer.
- Frequency response: 38 – 160Hz.
- Total output: 70W RMS.
- Amplifier: Front end and closed-loop Class-D.
- Controls: Volume, low-pass filter and phase control.
- Connections: Signal In input and Signal Out pass-through.
- Power supply: 100 – 240V 50/60Hz internal with auto standby.
- Cabinet: MDF with wood grain vinyl.
- Signal-to-Noise ratio: ≥ 85dB(A).
- Audio inputs: RCA.
- Input sensitivity: 50 ± 20mV.
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 278 x 300 x 336mm.
- Weight: 8.56kg.
