HIFI Diary: In-Depth Review of Edifier N300 Multimedia Speakers

I. Introduction

A few days ago, after reviewing the PreSonus E3.5BTII, the blogger felt a lingering dissatisfaction. The sound quality did not live up to the blogger's long-standing impression of PreSonus. Was this the level expected from a 1K-priced speaker, or was PreSonus simply not up to par? The blogger was eager to find out. Fortunately, a netizen recommended the N300, and when the blogger searched for 3-inch speakers on JD.com, the N300 was the first result. With an open mind, even considering Edifier as an option, the blogger purchased one.

For advice on how to choose desktop speakers and tips on placement and sound quality, the blogger recommends reading the previously written science article.

II. Preparation for the Review

The speaker being reviewed is Edifier's new series, the N300, a 3-inch multimedia speaker. The testing environment included three setups: "PC-TASCAM Portacapture X8-AUX-N300," "PC-USB-N300," and "Xiaomi 13Ultra-LDAC-N300," corresponding to monitoring, entertainment, and portable use cases. The sound quality ranking from these tests was AUX > USB > Bluetooth. Unless otherwise noted, the blogger's review will be based on the best AUX connection. The speaker's vibration isolation used the original sponge, and all tests were conducted on the blogger's 6cm-thick solid oak table with a stainless steel frame. The table's four legs were equipped with heavy-duty vibration dampers. The speaker was tested at intervals of 1.2 meters and 1.8 meters. Due to the unit size and power limitations, the imaging and density were better at 1.2 meters than at 1.8 meters. Moreover, the 1.8-meter interval did not provide a significantly better soundstage than the 1.2-meter interval. Therefore, the N300 is ideally placed directly on either side of the monitor. Its 3-inch size is particularly advantageous for those with limited space on their desks. The blogger's review score will be based on the sound quality at the 1.2-meter interval. The placement used a triangular setup, adhering to near-field monitoring requirements. All cables used were the ones provided by the manufacturer.

III. Review Tracks and Scoring Method

The tracks chosen for the review were those the blogger frequently listens to, with a 70% focus on Japanese music and 30% on large-scale orchestral pieces. Consequently, the selection leaned heavily toward Japanese music. The scoring criteria were adapted from Liu Hansheng's "Twenty Essentials of Audio," with a maximum score of 10, though typically capped at 9 (ultra-flagship). An 8 indicates outstanding performance (flagship), a 7 signifies excellent performance (mid-tier), a 6 means normal appreciation (entry-level), and a 5 indicates normal listening. Scores below 5 are not commented on. For a more detailed review plan, please refer to the link provided.

IV. Testing Begins

项目	N300	E3.5BT II	MTM	8010a	SC204
Tone Timbre	6/10	6/10	6.5/10	7/10	7/10
Tonal Balance	6.5/10	5.5/10	6/10	7/10	7/10
Transient Dynamic	6/10	5/10	6/10	7/10	6.5/10
Resolution Detail	6.5/10	5/10	6.5/10	7/10	7.5/10
Density Weight	6/10	5/10	6/10	6.5/10	6.5/10
Clarity Air	6/10	5/10	6/10	7/10	7/10
Soundstage Imaging Spatial	6.5/10	6/10	6.5/10	7/10	6/10
Character Balance	6/10	5.5/10	6/10	6.5/10	6/10
Total Score	6.19/10	5.38/10	6.19/10	6.88/10	6.69/10

1、Song:波隙漂浮，Singers:JINGYAN，Album:波隙漂浮

The first track reviewed was the same as the one used to evaluate the E3.5BT二代. The N300 demonstrated overwhelming advantages over the E3.5BTII. It offered richer details and clearer layers, excelling in absolute qualities such as resolution, density, dynamics, and imaging, even compared to a slightly larger speaker like the E3.5BT二代. Overall, the N300's sound was clean, crisp, and stable without being muddy. What was most commendable was the healthy tuning of the speaker, avoiding the strange tuning often seen in multimedia speakers that pull in both extremes. In fact, the blogger also tested a challenging electronic track, "Snow Amber," which the E3.5BT二代 struggled with. The N300, while sacrificing some details in the track, ensured overall control, making the difference between listenable and unlistenable.

2、Song:未竟，Singers:秦勇，Album:《黑神话：悟空》游戏音乐精选集

2024 is destined to be an extraordinary year for Chinese gamers, as "Black Myth" emerged, once again showcasing China's dignity and strength as the world's leading industrial power. Like the movie "The Wandering Earth," AAA-level games are essentially masterpieces across multiple professions and fields. The song "Unfinished," as the final ED of the game, carries the words of countless game developers and the simple aspirations of the entire Chinese gaming industry. The "weight" it conveys is the core of the song. The N300 completely won over the blogger with this track. The "hate" and "sorrow" conveyed by the male vocals felt like they pierced through the paper. The background was incredibly clean, the vocal imaging was precise, and the instrumental details were rich, making it hard to believe this was the performance of a sub-thousand-yuan, 3-inch bookshelf speaker.

3、Song:星尘，Singers:元素星唱将，Album:星尘（《深海》电影片尾曲）

Although "Deep Sea" was the only movie the blogger walked out on this year, if the blogger had known this song would be the ED, they might have forced themselves to finish it. Returning to the track, the singer's voice undeniably has the power to grab your heart in an instant. Clear, muddy, hopeful, despairing, stable, and wandering—how does such a pure voice convey such complex emotions? Perhaps the singer is merely an observer narrating a story, but the story is so profound that it draws you in. In terms of impression, this song is quite similar to Yui Makino's "You Are My Love," but as the blogger's native language, "Stardust" certainly resonated more deeply.

4、Song:刀剑如梦, Singers:达人艺典, Album:乐歌 (民乐小曲集)

Finally, a piece of ethnic chamber music concludes the review. The blogger originally just wanted to find a well-recorded instrumental piece and, after searching Talent's tracks, remembered this song originally sung by Emil Chau. Unexpectedly, the N300 once again surprised the blogger. In this track, it showcased its excellent performance as a near-field speaker, demonstrating top-tier positioning and imaging among all 3-inch speakers the blogger has heard. Each instrument's position was clear, and the distance to the musicians felt almost touchable. The sound was crisp, stable, glossy, and extended with a rich flavor—truly high-fidelity.

V. Conclusion

Looking back at the review, it's hard to believe that the N300 comes from the same brand as the STAX SPIRIT S3 and STAX SPIRIT S10, which the blogger considers garbage headphones. Reflecting on the past, the blogger has indeed listened to and purchased several Edifier products, such as the popular S880 and R1800. However, the overall impression left by Edifier was one of disappointment. The only positive impression was the acquisition of the world-renowned electrostatic headphone brand STAX, while the rest was mostly disdain and contempt. This deeply ingrained impression reached its peak with the recent reviews of the S3 and S10. In fact, the blogger is not the target audience for this speaker. After purchasing it, the blogger learned from fellow group members that the N300 had a massive advertising campaign, yet the blogger, living in an information bubble, had not seen a single ad related to it. Fortunately, a comment in the E3.5 review led the blogger to this excellent domestic 3-inch speaker.

After praising it for so long, some might question the significance of a review that seems to be all positive. In reality, the N300 is not without flaws, though they were not well-reflected in the above music. First, similar to a monitor's viewing angle, the N300 has a narrow imaging angle. In a triangular setup, one must strictly align the high-frequency unit with the ears to achieve extremely precise imaging. Due to the speaker's structure and space limitations, it is not suitable for facing forward entirely. Once deviating from this perhaps 30-degree listening range, the speaker's sound quality quickly deteriorates. Additionally, the density drops noticeably when the distance between the two speakers is widened to 1.5 meters. At the maximum 1.8-meter interval, the speaker's overall performance drops by a full level. Therefore, the N300 is best suited for close-field listening directly on either side of the monitor, where both imaging and density can challenge more expensive monitors. These two issues, though related to sound quality, are not insurmountable, so they were not included in the main text according to the blogger's usual review standards. Furthermore, the blogger did not showcase older vocal tracks, such as "One More Time, One More Chance" by Masayoshi Yamazaki, which the N300 lacks some refinement for, feeling slightly out of place. However, most of these tracks are old and have slightly lower recording quality, so they were not included in the main text after careful consideration.

Overall, the N300, at under a thousand yuan (even just 579 yuan after national subsidies), has pushed the 3-inch speaker to a new level of cost-effectiveness. Among 3-inch (or small-sized) speakers, the N300 stands out with its excellent quality, commendable tuning, and several thoughtful designs (such as distance sensing and no plastic English prompts when connecting via Bluetooth). Therefore, the blogger strongly recommends the Edifier N300 and considers it the best 3-inch multimedia bookshelf speaker under a thousand yuan.