The weather is starting to get nicer as we head towards Summer. Time for us to all enjoy our outdoor spaces in gardens, parks, beaches, balconies and this weekend, street parties for the coronation of King Charles III. Barbeques, picnics, family get-togethers, or even putting up a screen and watching movies in the garden during the fading daylight hours – however you decide to enjoy your time outside soaking up the sun and getting fresh air it is always great when accompanied by sound in the form of music or audio from watching videos (unless you just want to relax in peaceful solitude reading a book of course). And that means you will need a portable speaker that you can easily take outside and connect to a phone or tablet; one that also looks good, is durable and has good sound. The Edifier MF200 Portable / Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker is an excellent portable speaker just for that purpose.
As a big fan of Edifier audio equipment I was delighted when this speaker arrived for review. Over the years I have had the privilege of trying out several of their home speaker systems, wireless earbuds, headphones and gaming headsets, and have always been very impressed with the sound quality, quality of build, and their affordable prices. But for me, as much as I love their designs (especially of some of their home speaker systems), the MF200 portable speaker is my favourite yet.
The Edifier MF200 portable / tabletop Bluetooth speaker is the ultimate travel companion for work or leisure – it’s a lightweight wireless soundbar that will easily fit into your bag/backpack!
The Edifier MF200 Bluetooth speaker is a wedge-shape portable speaker measuring (W)293mm x (H)45mm x (D)53mm. It comes supplied with a carry pouch, USB C-to-C data/charging cable and instruction manual. It is lightweight with a weight of approx. 0.5kg. Whilst it is lightweight, when you hold it in your hand it feels extremely solid and well-constructed.
Features:
- Up to 10 hours of playback from a single charge
- Multiple input types: Bluetooth, AUX, and USB-C
- Built-in Soundcard
- DSP Digital Circuit
- Class D Amplifier
- Bluetooth V5.0
- Easy operation by touch and press
- High-quality, crisp and mesmerising music from two 36mm drivers
- Power Output: 4W+4W (RMS)
- Space saving compact design
- 2200mAh high-capacity lithium battery
Whilst it looks like a soundbar that you would have connected to your television, just in a smaller format, it really is just a portable speaker rather than a soundbar as it doesn’t have a subwoofer or HDMI, RCA connections, no remote control and no permanent power source – although there is nothing stopping you using it with your television should you want to. If you want a soundbar with richer sound and more input options to use with your television setup then I can recommend the Edifier S50DB Soundbar.
What the MF200 speaker does offer is nice aesthetics, excellent portability and good sound for small rooms and gardens, enjoying the sunshine whilst listening to music at the park or even at the beach. It is small and lightweight enough to carry around and can be used with smartphones, laptops and tablet computers. It has a good battery life (with up to 10 hours use depending on volume level and your settings) and is an excellent added extra to improve the sound quality and volume levels on those portable devices.
The speaker measures just short of 30cm in length (approximately the size of a ruler) so is a very good size and is light enough at 0.5kg to make it extremely portable and be used anywhere, a really good size to easily fit in a backpack or bag. It is even supplied with its own protective carry pouch to prevent it getting scratched whilst in your bag or in the boot of the car. It looks great in its grey and black aluminium alloy enclosure.
Whilst it essentially a wireless speaker, it does have several connectivity options – it can be used wirelessly via Bluetooth, it can be connected to a laptop (it has a built-in soundcard for better audio quality) using the supplied USB C-to-C cable, and it also features a 3.5mm jack for an Aux connection (there is no HMDI, RCA or optical connection).
Connecting to a device and using the speaker is simple as it isn’t cluttered with lots of buttons. The power button is multi-functional – as well as powering the speaker on and off, it is also the mode select and battery level button. When the speaker is powered on (press and hold the button to power on/off) you can cycle through the modes by pressing the button – the LED light around the button will change colour to indicate the mode you are selecting; blue is for Bluetooth mode, red is for USB mode (when connecting to a laptop or computer) and green is for Aux mode. If you double press the power button it will tell you the approx. battery level (spoken through the speaker). When using the USB or Aux connections it is just a matter of plugging in using the required cable and off you go. If wanting to use via Bluetooth you will have to enable Bluetooth on your device, scan for new devices and select Edifier MF200 to connect (your device will then remember this unless you tell it to forget it). That’s it, no complicated set up and no hassle.
Once the speaker is connected to your desired device it can be controlled through that device. But you don’t want to always be picking up your phone or tablet to change volume, skip tracks or pause/play videos – so the MF200 has a touch panel on the front right-hand side of the speaker grill to easily turn the volume up and down or play/pause (as it is a responsive touch panel there are no protruding buttons).
Whilst it looks great and is portable, wireless and easy to use, the most important aspect is how does it sound? There is no point in having a great looking portable speaker if the output sounds like it is in a tin can. In small to medium sized rooms, such as a bedroom or kitchen, the sound is excellent, loud and clear, putting out 8W of total power from two 36mm drivers. Not overly loud but certainly more than loud enough for comfortable listening (without annoying the neighbours). Outside it is perfect for gardens and parks, barbecues and picnics, loud enough for people in the immediate vicinity to enjoy the sound and very clear. The bass is good for most audio, except at the highest volume level where it does lose some of its quality.
As this is a portable, wireless speaker that means it has an internal battery. That means that it will need to charged. Charging is simple, just like your phone or tablet. It is charged using the supplied USB C cable (you will need to use your own charging plug or plug it into your laptop etc.). Whilst plugged in to charge, the LED is red whilst charging and goes off when fully charged – it charges reasonably fast in a couple of hours. The battery life from a full charge is impressive for a speaker of this size and weight with up to 10 hours of use on a single charge.
Overall, I absolutely love this wedge-shaped portable speaker – as I said earlier, it is my favourite Edifier speaker so far. There are many reasons to love it; its size, portability, sound and build quality. I love that I can use it indoors (it has rubber strips on the base so that it stays put on a shelf or table), in the garden and even in the park and any other outdoor setting. It is a good size, lightweight and has an excellent build quality – it feels substantial. As for the sound, it’s great for listening to music, watching Youtube and watching streaming services (the speaker in my tablet isn’t the loudest when watching video from my favourite streaming services and this speaker certainly improves the listening quality).
At the start of this review, I described the Edifier MF200 wireless speaker as a mini portable soundbar. Whilst that is what it looks like, it is a soundbar/speaker for phones, laptops and tablets etc. not something to really be used on a television setup as there is no subwoofer so wouldn’t give you that same quality listening experience as a fully feature packed soundbar. As a basic soundbar for portable devices and the portable wireless manner it is intended to be used with, it is excellent.
As a basic level wireless portable speaker, the Edifier MF200 is excellent with great sound and easy connectivity that is so easy to use. It has a great battery life, it looks good and has a superb quality build. It sounds great in most settings and is extremely portable. Its size and weight make it a perfect portable speaker for indoor use and just as great for outdoor enjoyment in the park, garden or at the beach (although it isn’t IPX rated, so it isn’t water/splash/dust proof).
The Edifier MF200 Portable Speaker is a simple, elegant and great sounding wireless speaker. And with a price tag of circa £70, it is very affordable.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £69.99
For more information, visit www.edifier.com. Available to buy from www.tech4.co.uk.
Disclosure: I received this item for free for the purposes of writing an honest and impartial review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
