Audioengine A2+ vs Edifier R1280DB: Measure Your Desk First
The Edifier reaches 10 Hz lower, but it is bookshelf-sized. On a shallow desk that advantage turns into boom. A size-first comparison of two popular powered speakers.
These two speakers are separated by one number on the spec sheet and by about a foot of desk. Which matters more depends entirely on how much room you have, and most comparisons skip the second one.
This is a research-based comparison, not a hands-on test. Read our review standards. Full write-ups: Audioengine A2+ and Edifier R1280DB.
The short answer
Measure your desk first. The Edifier has a 4-inch woofer and a cabinet to match — it is a bookshelf speaker, not a desktop one. On a shallow desk it will crowd your monitor and end up too close to the wall, which ruins the bass it exists to produce.
If you have the space, the Edifier wins on reach and inputs. If you do not, the A2+ is the better speaker for the desk you actually have.
Side by side
| Specification | Audioengine A2+ | Edifier R1280DB |
|---|---|---|
| Woofer | 2.75in Kevlar | 4in |
| Tweeter | ¾in silk dome | 13 mm silk dome |
| Power | 60 W peak, 15 W RMS per channel | 42 W RMS total |
| Frequency response | 65 Hz – 22 kHz | 55 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Digital inputs | USB | Optical and coaxial |
| Analogue inputs | RCA and 3.5 mm | Two RCA |
| Built-in DAC | TI/Burr-Brown PCM2704C | Not specified |
| Remote control | No | Yes |
| Tone controls | Via source | Bass and treble knobs |
| Subwoofer output | Yes, variable RCA | Not on this model |
| Size class | Desktop | Bookshelf |
55 Hz against 65 Hz, and why the gap is bigger than it looks
Ten hertz sounds trivial. At the bottom of the range it is not, because hearing is logarithmic — the interval from 55 to 65 Hz covers a meaningful slice of where bass instruments actually live.
For reference: a kick drum’s body sits around 60–80 Hz, and the lowest note on a four-string bass is about 41 Hz. The A2+ at 65 Hz gives you the punch of a kick and most of a bass line. The Edifier at 55 Hz gets under the kick rather than starting at it.
The size trade nobody puts in the comparison
This is the actual decision and it is physical rather than acoustic.
A 4-inch driver needs a cabinet with real volume behind it. There is no engineering that delivers 55 Hz from a small box — the Edifier is bookshelf-sized because it has to be.
Two consequences on a shallow desk. It crowds your monitor, and more importantly it ends up close to the wall. A ported speaker pushed against a wall gets an artificial bass lift that muddies everything above it, which means a badly placed Edifier can sound worse than a well-placed A2+ despite the better specification.
Inputs: the Edifier’s real win
Optical and coaxial digital inputs, plus two RCA pairs and Bluetooth. That is an unusual list at this size and it changes what the speakers can be used for.
Optical is the one that matters. Nearly every television has an optical output, so the Edifier can serve as a TV sound system as well as computer speakers. The A2+ cannot do that without an adapter.
Two RCA inputs also means a computer and a turntable preamp stay connected simultaneously. Most powered speakers give you one.
The A2+’s two advantages
A named DAC. Over USB the A2+ bypasses your computer’s audio output entirely and uses its own Burr-Brown converter. On a laptop with audible hiss or interference on its headphone output, that is a real improvement rather than an audiophile talking point.
A subwoofer output. The A2+ has a variable RCA out, so when 65 Hz stops being enough you add a sub rather than replacing the speakers. The R1280DB does not offer that on this model — the R1280DBs variant does, which is worth knowing if you think a subwoofer is in your future.
Which should you buy?
Audioengine A2+
- Your desk is shallow or crowded
- You listen to speech, acoustic, vocal or guitar-led music
- Your laptop’s audio output hisses
- You might add a subwoofer later
- Everything plugs in over USB
Edifier R1280DB
- You have the space, or a shelf beside the desk
- You want one pair for desk and TV
- You listen to electronic music or watch films
- You want a remote and physical tone controls
- You have a turntable as well as a computer
If your desk is the constraint
Buy the A2+ and angle them up so the tweeters point at your ears rather than your chest. That single placement change does more for how either pair sounds than the 10 Hz between them.
And if the budget is the constraint rather than the space, the Creative Pebble V3 is the honest entry point — it stops at 100 Hz, so it is a clarity upgrade rather than a bass one, but against laptop speakers the difference is large.
What this comparison cannot tell you
We have not measured frequency response, distortion at volume, or listened to either pair. All figures are the manufacturers’ published specifications. The placement guidance is standard acoustics, which applies to any ported speaker rather than to these two specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Is 55 Hz noticeably better than 65 Hz?
For electronic music, hip-hop and films, yes — the Edifier gets under a kick drum rather than starting at it. For speech, acoustic music and most rock, you are unlikely to notice.
Will the Edifier fit on a normal desk?
Often not comfortably. It has a 4-inch driver and a bookshelf-sized cabinet. On a shallow desk it crowds the monitor and sits too close to the wall, which muddies the bass. Measure first.
Which is better for watching TV?
The Edifier, clearly. Its optical input connects directly to nearly any television. The A2+ has no optical input.
Can I add a subwoofer to either?
The A2+ has a variable RCA subwoofer output. The R1280DB does not on this model, though the R1280DBs variant does.
Does the A2+ built-in DAC actually help?
It depends what you are replacing. On a laptop with hiss or interference on its headphone output, the improvement is obvious. On a machine with clean onboard audio, it is marginal.
Are either good for mixing audio?
Neither. Both are tuned to sound pleasant rather than accurate, which is the opposite of what you want when mixing. Studio monitors and a treated room are the answer there.
- Audioengine A2+ review
- Edifier R1280DB review
- Creative Pebble V3 — the budget entry point
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50x — headphones instead
- Rode NT-USB Mini — the input side of a desk setup
Sources. Driver sizes, power ratings, frequency response and input specifications are the manufacturers’ own published figures for the Audioengine A2+ and Edifier R1280DB. We have not tested either product and do not claim to have. Primary source: Edifier’s R1280DB product page.
Planning for a subwoofer? The Edifier R1280DBs has the output this model lacks.