The S2000MKIII is the third generation of Edifier's S2000 powered bookshelf pair, a tri-amplified two-way design that combines planar tweeters with digital and analogue inputs and Bluetooth. Hi-Res Audio certification covers signals up to 24-bit/192 kHz, the pair costs USD 699.99 in the US, and Edifier names roughly 50 m2 as the room size it is meant for.
Key specs that matter
Output is rated at 15 W + 15 W RMS for the treble channels and 50 W + 50 W RMS for the mid-range and bass channels, 130 W in all. Each cabinet pairs a planar diaphragm tweeter with a 5.5 inch mid-bass driver that has an aluminium diaphragm. The frequency range is 45 Hz to 40 kHz, and the noise level is no more than 25 dB(A). There are two RCA line inputs, an optical input, a coaxial input and Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX support. Line In 1 has a sensitivity of 600 mV and Line In 2 of 800 mV, with 350 mFFs on the digital inputs and 450 mFFs for Bluetooth. Every speaker is 198 mm wide, 342 mm high and 276 mm deep, with 17.14 kg quoted as net weight.
Engineering and use context
Three Texas Instruments TAS5754 digital amplifier chips drive the speakers, and two upgraded DSP chips handle the crossover filtering independently. Analogue sources are converted by a Burr-Brown PCM1802 converter, while optical and coaxial signals pass through a Burr-Brown PCM9211 interface chip. An OLED display on the front shows the selected input, the volume and the active mode. Four listening modes are stored in the DSP - Monitor, Dynamic, Classic and Vocal - with Monitor giving a flat response curve. The remote control is made of metal, has physical knobs, covers 14 functions including power, mute, track skipping, volume and mode selection, and works at up to 7 metres. The wooden cabinets carry a matte lacquer finish, with walnut-textured side panels. The cable linking the two speakers is about 4.9 m long, which allows generous spacing on either side of a TV or desk. Supplied leads are 3.5 mm to RCA, RCA to RCA and optical fibre, plus a user manual.
Pairing
Being fully self-powered, the S2000MKIII needs no amplifier or external DAC. A TV fits the optical socket, a CD transport or streamer fits the coaxial input, and a computer or phone connects by the supplied analogue lead or by Bluetooth. Android phones that offer aptX can use that codec for the wireless link. A turntable requires a separate phono stage or a model with one built in, since the line inputs do not accept a cartridge signal directly.
Alternatives
The Edifier S1000W is the Wi-Fi-equipped model of the same S-series bookshelf range, with titanium dome tweeters and AirPlay 2.