Edifier CineSound B1 Review: Great Sound Quality without Breaking the Bank
Edifier CineSound B1
RM 259.00
Pros
- Good build quality
- Clean & stylish design
- Good sound quality
- Great value
Cons
- Soft sounding Sub-Out
- Not-so-high-quality IR remote
The Edifier CineSound B1 soundbar is the company’s entry-level offering for those who are looking forward to upgrade their current TV’s audio setup.
Currently selling at RM 259 over at Lazada Malaysia, we can’t help but experience it by ourselves what are we getting at such an affordable price tag.
Edifier CineSound B1 Specifications
| Edifier CineSound B1 | |
| Total Power Output | 16 W x 2 (treble) 19 W x 4 (midrange & bass) |
| SNR | >=85 dBA |
| Frequency Response | 70Hz – 20kHz (±3dB) |
| Input Sensitivity | Line-in: 700mV ± 50mV AUX: 550mV ± 50mV |
| Driver | Bass: 2 3/4 inch (70mm) Midrange: 2 3/4 inch (70mm) Treble: 3/4 inch (19mm) silk dome tweeter |
Unboxing & Build Quality
In the box:
- 3.5mm (female) to RCA (male) connector
- 3.5mm (male) to RCA (male) cable
- IR remote
- User guide and warranty info paperwork
The compact-sized IR remote has all the basic functions such as power, volume control, input selection and audio profile. The buttons, however, is not what I would describe as premium quality and I’d love to see a better separation for the buttons.
Interestingly, there are 3 sound profiles built into the speaker and is available on the remote – News, 3D and Movie. More onto the sound profiles later.
Powering the IR remote is a CR2025 3V Lithium-cell battery.
Even though the soundbar’s chassis is made of plastic, but the overall construction is solid and felt robust. The front fabric mesh can be easily removed to reveal the drivers.
From right to left – bass port for air movement, the bass driver (2 3/4 inch), midrange driver (2 3/4 inch) and silk dome tweeter (3/4 inch). In case you don’t know, the B1 soundbar is actually having the same configuration as the B3 and B7 soundbars. What’s missing from the B1 is the BlueTooth connectivity, other physical connectivities (optical & coaxial) and a dedicated 8-inch subwoofer unit.
Apart from the remote control, there are physical buttons available on the soundbar itself – power, volume control and input selection.
Connectivities
Two input options are available on the Edifier CineSound B1:
- RCA
- 3.5mm Aux
There is also a dedicated 3.5mm jack for subwoofer output. In case you have any unused subwoofer, you can hook it up to the soundbar via Sub Out. I tried hooking it with my old Logitech subwoofer and find it has a soft sounding.
Like what we just mentioned, as you move up to the B3, you’ll get additional input options – optical, coaxial and BlueTooth. The B7 has the same connectivity as the B3 but with a subwoofer unit instead.
The soundbar has rubber feet as well as a metal wall hanger. Therefore, it supports 2 different methods of setup, be it directly placed on the TV cabinet or at the wall.
Setup Experience
My home theatre setup is rather simple. Instead of having the TV installed to the wall, I had it placed on top of the TV cabinet. Hence, naturally, I’ll be setting up the B1 soundbar right in front of the TV itself. Then I realised a problem. Since the TV’s stand is too short, the soundbar is partially blocking the TV’s infrared receiver which slightly affects the usability of my TV’s remote control. So, definitely take this matter into consideration if you’re having the same setup as mine.
User Experience
As most of the TV in the market is having a pair of small speakers firing either downwards or backwards, then bounced off from the surface towards the room and audience. This kind of configuration works, except that it doesn’t really sound that nice as it lacks the depth especially in the bass and overall sound quality.
Upon finishing installation and firing up the speakers, without a doubt, the sound quality is drastically improved from the TV’s built-in speakers. The added bass and overall sound depth are much appreciated. Even without a dedicated subwoofer unit, you can easily tell apart the difference from the bass department.
Sound Profiles
Now, let us have a deeper understanding what are the three built-in sound profiles. As the name suggests, News mode put more emphasis on the vocals, which is perfect for spoken contents such as news and podcasts. Apart from that, I find this mode is not very versatile since music and videos would sound weird with it.
3D mode’s sound profile is very similar to a sound produced with a V-shaped equaliser. It has pronounced treble and bass, but mids are slightly muddy. But then, I particularly like how wide the soundstage produced by this mode. It just makes the listening experience more enjoyable.
Meanwhile, the weirdly named Movie mode is the most balanced between the 2 profiles we just mentioned. Although the soundstage is narrower than the 3D mode, it eliminates most of the issues with the previous modes.
Final Words
As of October 2017, Lazada Malaysia is selling the Edifier CineSound B1 soundbar at the affordable price of RM 259. Pretty sure you can’t find any other reputable brands selling any soundbars at this price point. Not to mention when the soundbar itself is producing great audio quality. If you’re still using your TV’s built-in speakers, the Edifier CineSound B1 is absolutely a no-brainer upgrade for the performance per price ratio you’re getting.
