The Edifier MR3 Powered Studio Monitor Speakers offer good value audio, though they’re best placed on a desk, not in a larger space.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive | Plain style |
| Variety of inputs | Slight lag in smartphone volume control response |
| Audio tuning via app or rear speaker controls | Could be louder (though I’m personally glad they’re not) |
Score: 3.5/5
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In this review
Edifier MR3 Specifications
Edifier MR3 Design
Edifier MR3 Performance
Edifer MR3 Conclusion
Ethical disclaimer: Edifier sent me Edifier MR3 speakers so that I could review them, as far as I can tell, they’re not asking for them back. That buys them no favouritism, no editorial oversight – just the opportunity to be reviewed, plain and simple.
Yes, ethical disclosures probably aren’t what you’re here for, but in an online world awash with AI slop and ethically compromised individuals, wouldn’t you rather have reviews you can trust? I would. For more on ART’s ethical stance, see here.
Design
It has, I must be honest, been a while since I’ve reviewed a set of pure desktop stereo speakers. In an era where in most consumer situations the answer to audio issues tends to be “throw a Bluetooth speaker at it, there’s plenty of those”, actual wired desktop speakers do feel a little retro – not that I have anything against a retro feel, as you might expect.
Edifier pitches the Edifier MR3 as studio monitor speakers, available in either a black or white finish.
The white Edifier MR3 speakers look like the black ones. Only, you know… in white (Image: Edifier)
Either way, they’re not built for any kind of strong aesthetic appeal in either colour, and curiously they’re not identical in size either, with the primary active speaker being somewhat deeper than the frame of the passive speaker.
The look is plain and does at least a little betray their slightly cheaper price point, though they’re just simple, rather than being cheap and nasty if you get the distinction.
At the front controls are kept simple and clean, with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack next to an auxiliary input, alongside (on the black model supplied to me) a copper coloured infinitely rotating dial that does double duty as an input selector when pressed in.
Flip the passive speaker around and all you’ll find are classic wired red/black speaker wire inputs – with the suitable wire included in the box – while the back of the active speaker is considerably more busy.
The back of the passive speaker is… well, it’s pretty boring, to be honest.
Starting from the top there’s a Bluetooth pairing button, physical dials for acoustic tuning both speaker outputs, balanced TR3 inputs if you’re the mixing desk type (I’m not) and then classic unbalanced RCA inputs for connecting up to a standard 3.5mm plug, again with the requisite cable included in the box.
The only connection you don’t get that might have been included – though I imagine it would have bumped the price up a fair chunk – could have been HDMI ARC to enable easier use as TV speakers, though that’s a market that’s arguably better served with soundbars and larger speaker systems anyway.
Power comes via a standard IEC C7 style power cable – figure 8 style for those not up on power cable names (yes, I looked it up too) – and finally a diagram showing the frequency response curves from either the rear dials or the Edifier app if you choose your equalisation settings there.
Performance
I’m primarily an audio listener rather than, say, a musician, so my primary testing scenario for the Edifier MR3 speakers has been in the classic desktop PC style; I can’t speak to their overall quality as reference monitor style speakers for guitar players if that’s your particular angle here.
As with classic desktop speakers, setup is remarkably simple; connect the two speakers with the included coloured wires, hook up the RCA jacks to an input source – I tested with both PCs, Macs and even (honestly, just for the slighty ridiculous nature of it) a Steam Deck.
None of them gave me any connectivity issues, but then it would be seriously problematic if they did; this is a 2025 speaker but it’s using the same kinds of connections I’ve been using on audio systems for my entire life. They’re ultimately based on a standard first kicked around in the 1930s. If we haven’t perfected that kind of technology in nearly 100 years, we’ve got bigger problems.
Of course this is 2025, not 1930, and that means that there’s an app involved.
The Edifier ConneX app is Edifier’s all-in audio app for any of its Bluetooth enabled products, and that includes the Edifier MR3. Your controls within the app aren’t exactly extensive, by default just selecting your equaliser settings and volume control, though it’s also through the app that you’re meant to be able to update firmware.
The Connex App is basic, and for some reason insists that my Black Edifier MR3s are white.
While its scope is basic, I only really had one problem with the Edifier ConneX app during testing, and it’s a fairly minor one. You get a sliding volume control, but the response from the paired Edifier MR3 speakers wasn’t always all that quick.
It never missed a volume shift, but it wasn’t quite as immediate as using the volume knob. If (as I was) you’re using the Edifier MR3 speakers in a desktop configuration, it’s much easier just to adjust volume physically.
Edifier does note that some synchronisation issues may be resolved by updating firmware, but at least at the time of writing there’s no way to check for newer firmware on these speakers from the app. That presumably means all you can do is wait for Edifier to force push out a new firmware update and then connect via the app to make that happen if this is a more pressing issue for you.
Edifier’s whole deal is around being an affordable brand that pitches itself as delivering quality above what you’d typically expect at a budget price point. That doesn’t always ring true, but for the Edifier MR3 speakers I have few issues.
Testing with music for range delivered a pleasing sound in my home office, though I could see some finding them less than punchy enough if you needed them to fill out a larger sound space, and that might be even more pressing if you were using them for video watching or gaming if you were some distance from the speakers.
As straight desktop speakers in that classic “sides of the display” configuration, I had no issues here, but testing at full volume for distortion (few issues) did show that they don’t get super loud. That’s fine by me – they’re loud enough – but it is worth noting if you were keen on a louder set, or assumed that larger bookshelf style speakers like these might have a truly mighty sound output.
Edifier MR3: Alex’s Verdict
If you just wanted the most basic audio possible out of a desktop or laptop, then I’d suggest you head to your nearest op shop and buy whatever cheap pair of speakers they’ve got going for $5 at your earliest opportunity. Sure, you’ll end up with Prince sounding like he’s singing through the side of a cornflakes packet, but you do get what you pay for in that situation.
If you want a little more audio fidelity, but you don’t want to pay full whack audiophile prices, the Edifier MR3 offer decent value for money.
They could be louder for sure, and if you’re using them in a larger space you might be left wanting, but as classic small home office speakers, they work quite nicely indeed.
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Edifier MR3: Pricing and availability
The Edifier MR3 speakers retail in Australia for $169 in either black or white finishes
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