review
Edifier QD35 Review Mains Powered Bluetooth LDAC Speaker with GAN Charging
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Edifier's new QD35 is an explosive self-contained bookshelf speaker with heavyweight punching sound. It has a rather unique looking design with bold
lettering and quirky shape reminiscent of a shipping container crossed
with a PC PSU (power supply)!
The Edifier QD35 is made of high glossy plastic
throughout and features two fast charging ports (USB-A & USB-C) on
one side, rubber feet isolation pads (~2mm thick) on the bottom and two
plastic knobs (and power/mode button) on the opposite side. The
knobs are clickable and have a silent notched actuation for tactile
gradual adjustment. The knobs sit on top of potentiometers with continuous rotation without stops, meaning the knobs spin around infinitely.
As
well as volume, you can control the RGB lighting effect directly from
the Edifier QD35 speaker. You can dim down the brightness
and turn off the RGB lighting. Default RGB effects are primarily dynamic
light effects. For static single colors and custom RGB option, you have
to download the Edifier Connect app.
There is a
total of 4 RGB zones, including the Edifier logo light and clock
display lighting, which cannot be changed or turned off. There is no
audible beep when reaching max volume but the led bar running
horizontally below the woofer driver doubles as a volume status bar,
along with the clock display, which shows volume steps numerically (0 to
16).
The Edifier Connect app has a nice simple
interface, easy to use and navigate. The app connects automatically to
the Edifier QD35. The app gives you access to 3 preset EQ modes, a
custom EQ mode to create your own sound signature, a volume slider, RGB
lighting, track skipping player, LDAC, remote power off, and soothing
sounds. The soothing sounds vary in length from 20 seconds long to 3
minutes long depending on the soothing sound.
On the rear of the Edifier's new QD35 speaker, you find two bass ports, a power switch, a USB-A port and 3.5mm AUX port. The
Edifier QD35 bookshelf speaker comes with Hi-Res Audio Wireless
certification, which means it is capable of reproducing frequencies
beyond 20 kHz - unlike most speakers on the market - and achieve a full
spectrum bass sound (sub bass and mid bass), as well as more defined
upper range.
The Edifier QD35 is an extremely powerful speaker unit with
phenomenal volume
sound, especially when connecting the audio source via the 3.5mm jack.
The woofer/ tweeter driver setup is unconventional for stereo sound but
works well. The only downside is the small size of the speaker cabinet
and driver placement close together, which makes stereo sound separation
not as clear. Dimensions of the Edifier QD35 speaker is 27.5cm long x
13.5cm deep x 16.5cm high. The weight is 2.6kg.
There is passthrough audio support too so, when playing audio via a
smartphone (via bluetooth or wired),
you can charge your phone whilst playing audio
at the same time. Both the USB-A port (18W) and USB-C port (35W) can
output fast charging for charging external devices. When used
simultaneously for charging, the power split is 18W per port. The small
size makes the QD35 bookshelf speaker perfect for desktop use. It is a
lot smaller than the Edifier D12 self contained bookshelf speaker, which is capable of 70W RMS.
Potential deal breakers
- Narrow stereo field
- Heavy
- No internal rechargeable battery
- Mains powered only
- No AAC codec
- USB-C audio mode only works via PC/computer
- Mobile app requires unnecessary permissions
- No built-in mic for calls
Selling points
- LDAC
- Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified
- 40W RMS output
- RGB knob control
- Compact - similar in size to the MS50A speaker
- USB audio streaming
- 3.5mm AUX port
- Volume led bar
- Powerbank mode
- Passthrough audio whilst charging external devices
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Mobile app support
- Volume knob (16 step control)
- Absolute bluetooth volume support
Accessories
include stickers, cleaning cloth, detachable figure8 power cord (1.5
meters), unbranded cables - a male to male USB-A cable (1 meter) and a
male to male 3.5mm cable (1.2 meters). You can buy the Edifier QD35 bookshelf speaker from K&B Audio and amazon when it comes available. Check out the review of the G5000 gaming speakers,
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