Edifier designed a retro-looking speaker that can either blend in with your decor or stand out and add some flair.
The Edifier MP230 is one of the best-looking vintage speakers that doesn't sacrifice sound quality for its unique looks. This provides you with quick and easy wireless, wired, or even SD card connectivity, such that it can be a great multipurpose little speaker.
While its light brown wood veneer and bronze plastic finish fits the 50s/60s theme well, I think opting for metal for its piano keys could have made it feel more authentic. The feet falling off might not be a common issue or at least can easily be fixed, however, the true sacrifice with this retro design is that it's a wireless speaker that you likely will only ever want to use indoors.
So you should seriously consider your use case before buying, as there are similarly priced non-portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers which offer more features, better sound quality, and overall value. If you're going for that authentic retro feel though, the Edifier MP230 delivers a unique package for $150.
The Edifier MP230 is a sub-$150 compact Bluetooth 5.0 speaker that combines the retro looks of old-time radios from the 50s/60s and some modern cues from the popular Marshall Action II. I was a little doubtful at first and assumed that sound quality would be an afterthought, but for its smaller size and rather unique design, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how powerful and clear the MP230 sounds.
While this isn't necessarily the best portable speaker for taking on the go, if you want something that's easy to move from room to room, looks unique, and can fill small/medium-sized indoor spaces well, then the MP230 is an excellent choice.
The MP230 has few frills, but everything it does, it manages to do very well. For connectivity, you have Bluetooth 5.0, AUX, USB-C (which also charges the speaker), and even a micro-SD card slot for your downloaded media.
In my tests I wasn't able to discern any sound quality difference between these 4 options, however, your experience using USB-C can vary. I found that the speaker was susceptible to electrical interference with many of my USB-C cables when connecting to my gaming PC. This didn't seem to be an issue when using my MacBook Pro, so I'm not entirely sure if this is more related to the connected device or the speaker itself.
The inclusion of a MicroSD card slot is an interesting choice in 2022, when streaming content will always be a more convenient option.
While higher-end codecs like AAC and aptX Low Latency are absent, Bluetooth 5 is impressive on its own and I never found myself noticing low-quality streams or out-of-sync audio.
With a 2,500 mAh Lithium-ion battery which is claimed to "sustain Bluetooth playback for up to 10 hours per charge", with shorter listening sessions, you can easily go for days and even weeks between needing to charge. At louder volumes, you can expect the total playback to drop by an hour or so, but that's still very impressive for a speaker this size. As I almost exclusively used this indoors while connected to either my PC or phone, a USB outlet was always close by, and I pretty much always had this plugged in when I was testing battery life.
Having a built-in battery allows me to unplug this and use the speaker completely wirelessly which I usually do when I'm doing chores, work in the garage, or hanging out on my rooftop deck. Aside from using the MP230 around the house, I can't see myself taking this elsewhere. You absolutely could, but with its more retro design and wood finish, not only would it look out of place, I'd be concerned for its durability as it lacks any kind of waterproof or dust-proof ratings. As they clearly state on their site, this is a "Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker", so indoor use is what it's intended for.
A very minor quirk I quickly found is actually with its sound effects when powering on, off, and changing inputs. Luckily we don't have the very annoying "the Bluetooth device is now connected successfully" in broken English that you can often find with cheaper or off-brand speakers. However, I couldn't help but notice that the power off sound is very similar to the Windows log-off sound, and changing inputs sounds like a Discord notification.
Obviously, this is a very minor point to bring up, but as someone who easily notices and for some reason puts a lot of weight into it, I personally feel that it slightly takes away from an otherwise very premium experience. It just comes off as somewhat cheesy.
Because Edifier wasn't trying to make this a do-it-all wireless outdoor-rated active speaker, they were able to design a speaker that actually looks really nice and can either blend in with your decor or stand out and add some flair depending on what you want. The MP230 measures 164 × 84.3 × 108.8mm, and weighs 762g.
It has a light brown and bronze color scheme that gives off a very premium and boutique appearance. Edifier states that the "MDF wooden enclosure is thinner than plastic and warmer to the touch than metal, allowing sound to flow tenderly into a beautiful world". In addition to helping with sound quality, the choice in materials and colors compliment desks and mid-century living room bookshelves really well.
One of its more unique design elements is its bronze piano key buttons which they claim are a "perfect vintage replica". Despite looking like metal, the keys seem to be made of plastic. Though they feel good to press and give a nice click when pressed, I think metal or maybe even wood would have been a great way for them to really sell the retro design.
The MDF wood feels very smooth and certainly feels more premium than plastic, with a "warmer" and more welcoming touch than metal. But, similar to the plastic keys, is another area whereupon closer inspection reveals that this is more retro in appearance than build. The veneer looks good but is the primary reason I'd advise against taking this outdoors or throwing it in a bag. I'd imagine this could scuff very easily and is without a doubt a bad idea to use near any water.
That said the MP230 still feels very well-built and good in the hand. No rattles, shakes, or loose parts that I've experienced in my weeks of testing. I accidentally dropped this once on a carpeted floor from about 4 feet up and didn't notice any damage.
Tying everything together, the MP230 has a black and light brown vintage speaker grill cloth which is found on both the front and rear of the speaker. The front top left corner features Edifier's logo in the same bronze color as its piano keys. There are few other speakers that share this kind of styling, especially at this size and price point.
Somewhat disappointing are the MP230's rubber feet, which are perhaps the biggest letdown with this speaker. This helps to elevate the speaker and prevent it from vibrating on surfaces. Shortly after unboxing and using the speaker for a few hours, I went to pick it up to try it out in another room and noticed that one of its feet had fallen off to reveal the veneer wood underneath. It appears to have been cheaply attached with a very weak adhesive. I pushed the foot back on, but it continues to fall off with the lightest touch or movement. While I could easily re-attach this using gorilla glue, it makes the feet feel like a quick afterthought.
The MP230 provides two 48 mm full-frequency driver units, coupled with an integrated large-size dual passive radiator. Each speaker is 10w and powered by a Class D amplifier which just means it's a small and power-efficient circuit board. It supports 70Hz-13kHz frequencies. I was concerned that this speaker would be more of a gimmick that was counting on you buying and paying a premium price for those retro looks. Luckily that's not the case as this does not disappoint in the sound department.
I used this speaker for a mix of gaming, listening to music, podcasts, and some video editing. For small and medium-sized rooms, the MP230 can get plenty loud. I never felt like I needed (or wanted) to go past 50% volume, though if needed, it has very little distortion even at 100%.
Anything past 70-80% is very loud, to the point that I'm sure even my neighbors could hear it, but it still sounds like it's coming from a smaller speaker, which is to be expected. It should be able to add some great energy to a space and even be a great portable choice for a smaller party.
For a permanent solution or if you're willing to forego being battery-powered, you can save a bit by choosing an Amazon Echo 4th Gen (our review). It can regularly be bought for under $100 and when on sale for $60 is an easy way to create a very impressive smart wireless stereo setup on the cheap. The Echo 4th Gen sounds much more refined and of course, gives you more built-in smart features. It lacks the looks and portability of the MP230, but when you consider that you'll likely only be using Edifier indoors, that might not be such a bad trade-off.
The MP230 overall sounds warm with plenty of bass. In fact, I was very surprised by how much low-end this was able to deliver. When you turn up the volume you can easily feel it shake your desk and even the floor if you stand five or so feet back. I'd go as far as to say that the bass can at times feel overpowering as the mids and highs get lost at higher volumes. Unfortunately, the MP230 lacks any kind of EQ, so you'll need to rely on software or a separate amplifier to make any adjustments.
Its stereo speakers are both front-facing, however, the sound emanates from the rear grille too. Placing the MP230 in the center of space helps it deliver more of that 360-degree sound, though it isn't quite there as its left and right sides are noticeably quieter still.
The Edifier MP230 is one of the best-looking vintage speakers that doesn't sacrifice sound quality for its unique looks. This provides you with quick and easy wireless, wired, or even SD card connectivity, such that it can be a great multipurpose little speaker.
While its light brown wood veneer and bronze plastic finish fits the 50s/60s theme well, I think opting for metal for its piano keys could have made it feel more authentic. The feet falling off might not be a common issue or at least can easily be fixed, however, the true sacrifice with this retro design is that it's a wireless speaker that you likely will only ever want to use indoors.
So you should seriously consider your use case before buying, as there are similarly priced non-portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers which offer more features, better sound quality, and overall value. If you're going for that authentic retro feel though, the Edifier MP230 delivers a unique package for $150.
Tech reviewer, YouTuber & video producer that specializes in pro camera & audio gear. When he's not out filming or editing, he's usually thinking of creative ideas for his next project. Reach out to say hello or discuss future opportunities!
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