Edifier E1100 2.1 Speaker System Review

Exterior Impressions


The E1100 speaker system features a very high gloss black paint finish and luckily Edifier included the monogram polishing cloth to buff and remove any finger prints or dust marks. The exterior styling is very modern with sleek lines and curves to keep the style symmetrical while tieing The paint and aluminum used for the frames and stands adds to the modern image the system has.


The subwoofer housing looks very much like the head of the Alien creature in the famous Ridley Scott Sci-Fi movies. This was definately a deliberate design goal since there are stickers on the box itself alluding to the design's relationship with these movies. Nonetheless, this Edifier speaker setup really does look very futuristic and slick.

Many of Edifiers new designs feature very streamlined satellites and subwoofers so if you're into the new modern styling you will be very pleased withthe E1100. The satellites themselves seem to blend in very nicely next to a new 22" windscreen LCD or a Laptop display. The fact also remains that many people do not want or have space for a large system with monstrous woofers and huge satellites and this system can be placed on almost any desk without looking out of place. Hopefully this will cause people to get rid of the standard white cubes that get stuck with when buying a ready-made PC.


Since the master volume control is located at the top of the sub, I would think the sub itself is meant to sit on a desk where the level control is within easy reach. If you want this unit on the floor, I hope you don't expect to change the volume too much. There is a small plastic halo around the master volume dial which glows blue when the system is turned on. The subwoofer is also outfitted with anti-slip rubber on the bottom of the cabinet to keep the it from moving around.

There is a dedicated bass level control on the rear of the subwoofer to help dial in the bass response precisely to the user’s demands. The high tech satellites and subwoofer are magnetically shielded for use near a CRT monitor, TV or other sensitive electronics.


The subwoofer features a down firing long throw 12 Watt driver which is designed to reflect bass sound from the floor or desk upwards to the user. This is a interesting design but your perceived bass response will depend greatly on the material your subwoofer is sitting on. Hard surfaces such as a computer desk would be more efficient at deflecting and dispersing bass energy then a carpeted floor for example. This design consideration would allow the smaller subwoofer of the E1100 produce some pretty good bass response. In fact every part of the "Alien head" subwoofer seems to be designed to produce noticably more bass energy then other subwoofers of the same size. The little alien really roars pretty good.