Edifier MP380 Review – Versatile, Powerful, and Affordable
A relatively unique offering, the Edifier MP380 is a versatile, multifunctional wireless Bluetooth speaker with 2.1 channel audio, USB hub, and USB sound card capabilities. Is it worth your money? Let's find out.
1-year
RM299
+ Sound quality is amazing
+ Can function as a USB soundcard
+ Doubles as a USB hub
+ Good battery life
+ Attractive design
+ Ample input options
+ Affordable
- Highs could be improved for a more balanced sound profile
- Uses microUSB instead of USB-C
- Bluetooth latency could be improved
Unboxing the Edifier MP380
Edifier MP380 Review – Box
Let’s kick off our Edifier MP380 review with the unboxing. It has a rather simple packaging with the box clad in white. You can also find some basic product details written on it as well. Inside the box, you can expect to find the following items:
Edifier MP380 Review – Box content
- User guide
- Warranty card
- USB-A to microUSB cable
- 3.5mm AUX cable
- The Edifier MP380 speaker itself
Appearance
Edifier MP380 Review
The Edifier MP380 is a Bluetooth wireless speaker resembling a miniature soundbar. If you painted it a gold, it would look like your stereotypical gold brick that you often see on TV. From the front, you can see a bunch of holes which, as you can easily tell, is where the audio will be coming out from.
Edifier MP380 Review – Sides
On the left side, you have four USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and AUX jack, a memory card reader, and a microUSB port. On the right side, you have five buttons used to control the speaker, which are Power, Volume Up, Play / Pause, Volume Down, and Bluetooth.
Edifier MP380 Review – Top, rear, and bottom
There’s nothing on the top and rear except for the Edifier text and logo respectively. As for the bottom, you have two rubberized stands on the left and right side of the speaker. This is meant to help it stay put on whatever surface you place it on.
Overall, the Edifier MP380 looks like a solidly built Bluetooth wireless speaker that has a clean and classy look. If it was a proper home entertainment soundbar, it would look as if it belonged in a high end system. Can it perform like a high end system? Let’s find out in the User Experience section.
Specifications
| Power output: | 10W + 10W |
| Signal to noise ratio: | R/L ≥ 85dB(A) |
| Frequency response: | 75 – 20,000 KHz |
| Sound pressure: | ≤ 7% |
| Input Sensitivity: | AUX: 700± 50mV Bluetooth: 700 ± 50mFFS USB Sound Card: 700 ± 60mFFS |
| Input type: | Bluetooth 5.0 AUX TF Card U-Disk Sound Card |
| Dimensions: | 247 x 38 x 72.3 mm |
| Weight: | 688g |
User Experience
Edifier MP380 Review – Ports
There are three ways to connect to the Edifier MP380; Bluetooth, USB, and 3.5mm AUX. The most convenient method is Bluetooth, which works with Bluetooth-enabled PCs and smartphones. Simply scan for the speaker, connect to it and you’re good to go, no app needed. The latency is a little noticeable but that’s to expect from Bluetooth audio. I wouldn’t use this for competitive gaming but if you simply want a boost in quality, then by all means.
Looking for something that’s applicable for gaming? Check out our review of the Edifier G2000 gaming speakers by clicking right here.
With USB and 3.5mm AUX, it’s pretty straightforward as you simply need to connect to a music player, regardless if it’s your smartphone or PC, and start playing. Just make sure you have the correct default device set if you’re on PC. On AUX, you will simply be getting audio played on the speaker but there are some nice additional touches if you use USB.
Edifier MP380 Review
Via USB, the Edifier MP380 can act as both a USB soundcard and a USB hub. With the former, you can have the speaker handle the signal processing for a nice clean audio and make use of the headphone jack if you wish. As for the latter, you can use the USB ports and memory card slot for easy data transfer. It’s a very helpful additional feature that can help simplify your life, especially if your PC is a little short on ports.
Edifier MP380 Review – Buttons
As mentioned earlier, there are a total of five buttons on the Edifier MP380, and they’re easy to work with. Those buttons are:
- Power: To power on / off the speaker
- Volume Up: To increase volume
- Play / Pause: To play / pause songs / videos
- Volume Down: To decrease volume
- Bluetooth: To enter Bluetooth mode for pairing purposes
Edifier MP380 Review
As for the sound quality, the Edifier MP380 certainly blew me away. It is rather bass-heavy but it doesn’t drown out the mids and highs. It’s enjoyable for music and does provide a pretty immersive experience for movies / videos. It’s worth noting that it could do better with the highs for a more balanced sound profile but in all honesty, I’m amazed by it given the price. No built-in laptop / smartphone speaker could ever match with this. If they made a longer version of it like a home theater soundbar, the sound would spread out a wider and provide an even better experience.
For battery life, it seems that my experience varies with each charge. Certain times, I get about 6 hours while other times, I would get slightly over 7 hours. I do believe this is dependent on the media being played but regardless, it’s still great given what you’re getting.
Edifier MP380 Verdict
Edifier MP380 Review
The Edifier MP380 is a spectacular Bluetooth wireless speaker. The sound quality is amazing, it can function as a USB soundcard, can double as a USB hub, has good battery life, attractive design, ample input options, and is affordable at just RM299. My only complaints are that the highs could be improved for a more balanced sound profile, it uses microUSB instead of USB-C, and Bluetooth latency could be improved.
It’s hard to complain about it given the price and I’m sure anyone would be able to appreciate this. At the end of our Edifier MP380 review, I award this Bluetooth wireless speaker with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.
Big thanks to Edifier Malaysia for sending us this speaker for the purposes of this review.
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