I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile, not even if I was stretching my imagination, but I do have a set of speakers in almost every room in the house. Circa 1997, I bought a pair of portable desktop speakers, which have held true for 15 years, but it is time for a change. Technology has adapted and changed, but my old speakers have not.
To increase the savvy of my sound and look, Edifier sent over their Prisma E3350BT 2.1 BT Audio System and, I must say it is quite an impressive package. In fact, the system boasts a 2008 CES Design and Engineering honor and has received updates throughout the past few years…
Design
Lending credit to their name, the speaker set is inspired by a prism-pyramid design. Each of the individual pieces have three distinct sides with a curved, modern appeal. The whole set is comprised of two satellite left and right speakers, subwoofer, and volume control panel.
The satellites are 1.78″x9.21″x4.65″ and the subwoofer measures 9.76″x7.83″x11.57″ (WxHxD). The control panel is approximately a 2.5″ equilateral triangle. I appreciate the small details of the Prisma, which can be found places like under the speakers, where one would find soft padding to prevent scratching a table top or hardwood floor, in the case of the sub. Additionally, atop the volume control and sub is a soft glowing light, which when connected via Bluetooth, glows blue. Otherwise, the light shines red. Awesome.
Another small attention to detail is exemplified in the weight and general feel of the volume knob. I often find cheaply made products really skimp on components, but the Prisma are no such bane. The Prisma volume knob is sturdy to the touch, weighted appropriately, and has a strong pull when rotating, which reminds me of a surround sound amplifier. My favorite detail of the volume knob is the 3.5mm line-in and out options. If you prefer to use headphones, the extra line-out prevents crawling under the desk to plug directly into the sub or disconnecting from the computer.
Function
As this is my first 2.1 Bluetooth speaker set, I was happily surprised at the ease of operation. Typically with my review products, I excitedly rip into the boxes, in a childish manner, getting straight to the fun. This “strategic” tactic is somewhat due to the nerd rage that overcomes me like the Hulk when acquiring new gadgets, but mostly to simulate a casual user, who, like me, is not interested in fussy instruction manuals. I had the Prisma up and running in about 5 minutes and 4 of them were spent freeing the system from its carefully packaged cardboard prison.
The sub is the brain of the operation, which is manipulated by the volume knob. The speakers, power, and volume knob all plug into the powered 5″ 5Ohm subwoofer granting a frequency response range of R/L: 190Hz-20kHz to SW: 50Hz-130Hz. The bass is adjusted on the sub, giving individual control of low frequencies.
Turning the unit on, I received the red glow. Heading to Bluetooth settings on my iPhone, the Prisma was automatically found and paired with a tap. Once paired, the audio system appears in the AirPlay options as an additional speaker set. Simply, tap the Prisma in the list and your tunes are instantly pushed through the 2.1 system. Similarly, in OS X, pair the system using the Bluetooth settings. At first I did have some trouble connecting my MBPro, but found the problem in the Advanced User section. Make sure to uncheck the last box, which is highlighted below.
Conclusion
Overall, I was impressed with the Prisma E3350BT 2.1 Bluetooth Audio System, which retails for $129.99 (available in black, silver, and white). The sound easily fills my home office and nicely rumbles the floor with the downward facing subwoofer. At high volumes there is a small amount of distortion but the mid and high range frequencies play nicely. The sub balances the other ranges, but don’t expect your favorite Skrillex song to bump a hole in the carpet. With a modest frequency range, this system is not completely jaw dropping, but is a great bargain for the price. I am pleasantly impressed with the ease of use and happy that I can stop messing with AUX-in nonsense by stepping into the future with a wireless system. Thanks again to our friends at Edifier for sending over a top quality product!
Pros:
- I don’t say this often, but this is a great buy for the price
- Line-in and out on the volume knob
- Well constructed and solid feel
- Attractive design
- Separate subwoofer volume control
- Pairs easily with Macs and iOS devices
Cons:
- The subwoofer does not have an extremely low frequency response
- To the audiophile these speakers will still sound “hallow.” They just lack a completely “full” sound, but again, only strict listeners will notice much of a difference.
Have you ever tried Bluetooth speakers and did you enjoy the ease of use? Do you have a rockin’ set of desktop speakers? Share your thoughts with us below!