Edifier MP280 Portable Speaker Review
Reviewed by David Savage
One of my pet hates is walking down the street having to listening to teenagers strolling along playing their music out loud trough a tinny mobile phone speaker. It’s not the music I find annoying, it’s the terrible sound. If you are going to play music out loud at least have it to a decent quality, there are lots of portable speakers on the market that can help with this.
As I said, there are plenty of portable speakers on the market, with lots better than others, such as Edifier. I am a big fan of Edifier and their speakers, they look great, are very stylish and more to the point, have excellent sound quality. Over the years I have tried some of their portable speakers and all have been impressive, including the Rave MP700, the Compact MP211 and the Bric Connect. When I was asked to review the MP280 Portable Speaker I, of course, said yes.
Yet another portable speaker by the same company. I can hear your minds grinding away asking why I would want to try another offering of basically the same thing, but this one is different! Yes it is a portable Bluetooth speaker, but it also has a cool cylindrical shape to support its full 360° sound and a massive 10 hours continuous play battery life. If that wasn’t enough, it also doubles as a powerbank so that you can charge you phone in an emergency!
The speaker measures approx. 19x6x6cm and weighs around 0.5kg making it small and lightweight enough to carry in your bag. It also features a removable clip so that you can attach it to you backpack or even your belt loop!
It takes around 2 hours to fully charge and gives you approximately 10 hours of playback, so is perfect for picnics, weekends away or sitting on the beach (although be aware that it is not water/splash or even dust resistant). The battery also has enough power to charge your phone.
It has a minimalist design, with button functions doubling up and looks good, especially with its metal grille and silicone materials. It even comes in various colours; black, red and blue.
Connectivity is easy using Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC, which gives a wireless connection of up to 10 metres (32 feet). You can also connect with a 3.5mm audio cable if you wanted to a more stable connection. It also features a microSD slot so that you don’t need to connect to a phone or tablet, just copy your audio files onto the card and pop it in.
It is very easy to connect and use and the sound is very good with no distortion at high levels. It gives out 8w of power (2x 4w), so is powerful enough for your camping trips, park picnics or trips to beach and has good bass and mid-range tones. It uses professional grade audio DSP chips to give a clear and crisp sound. And with its 360° sound, no matter where you are around it, you can always hear clear and crisp sound.
Overall, this is a great little speaker, especially as it has the ability to play music from a microSD card and charge your phone (especially as phones get used for absolutely everything these days). The only downside with this speaker, over others of the same quality, is the lack of splash and dust resistance. I think a speaker that is going everywhere with you really does need this.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £79.99
For more information or to buy online visit www.edifier.com.
