Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review: The sound is deep, loud and totally unexpected from a small speaker with such a timeless style.
{Tech} for Travel
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Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review
Not only did the Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker make its way onto our Father’s Day gift guide earlier this year, but it also won a #CES2022 Innovation award.
An accolade only bestowed upon devices that are worthy of “honouring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology”.
With a perfect balance of unique styling and a big deep sound, I was keen to see how well this ‘non-generic plastic speaker’ would stand up to travel.
Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review// Features
With a 1950’s era wireless radio design, the wooden MDF case houses two 48mm Full Frequency Drivers and Dual passive radiators to deliver a very loud audio experience with minimal distortion.
The MP230 is powered by a 2,500mAh internal battery which Edifier claims will keep your music going for 10 hours in between charging with the supplied USB-C cable.
Edifier has included various ways to enjoy your music on the MP230, with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity being the preferred method. Bizarrely there’s support for microSD and TransFlash cards, too.
Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review// Audio
Your MP230 experience will depend greatly on the type of music you’ll use it for. Fans of deep heavy bass might want to look elsewhere.
But if you need loud and clear, then Edifier has you covered.
In an indoor setting, the MP230 performs just as well as many other portable speakers in this price range, whilst when used outside is nice and loud thanks to the 48mm drivers which are both boosted with 10W of power each.
Connecting to the MP230 was straightforward over Bluetooth but if you prefer, there’s Aux and USB-C ports for wired streaming.
If by any chance you want to use the microSD slot, music will start to play automatically once it’s been inserted and you’ll need the buttons to control volume etc.
Big Sound
The design plays a part in this thanks to the wooden case and big rubber feet on the base to minimise the distortion, resulting in an overall nice loud sound experience.
For the best result when using the MP230 speaker, point the front of the speaker towards you.
Although it has the same mesh grille on both sides, the drivers only face one way. So music from the speaker is ever so slightly quieter from behind. But not much!
Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review// Design
As much as I adore the style of the MP230 speaker, it’s fair to say it’s not the most travel-friendly design.
The wooden case, fabric mesh speaker grilles and protruding metal-coated plastic buttons were never selected for their durability; and that’s fine, just don’t go camping with it.
But, after 10 days of being left out in the sun and by a swimming pool during the review, it was still like new!
Not so Slippery when Wet
The wooden enclosure is smooth, but the MP230 speaker is easy to hold and grip even with wet hands.
In fact, with wet hands, I found the big physical buttons were much easier to use than trying to control my music on the iPhone display. Sadly though, the MP230 speaker has no IP rating at all.
Where I did find a differing result to the feature claims by Edifier was in the battery performance. The stated 10 hours was more around 8 hours for me while on a much higher volume level when used outside.
Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review// Conclusion
The MP230 is a portable speaker, but it doesn’t come with a case, nor is it easy to find one it would fit in due to the buttons, possibly making it hard for some to travel with it outside the home.
Yet it is small and light enough to carry in a backpack. You’ll like the ease of use and the satisfying audio tones the speaker makes when powered on/off and when a successful Bluetooth connection is made.
One significant omission, for me at least, is the lack of a microphone.
Others might feel short-changed with no AAC or aptX codecs or support on the Edifier Connect App. The MP230 is a speaker and nothing more.
I reviewed the MP230 for 3 weeks, and the speaker spent almost a third of that time outside with no signs of wear and tear.
The sound quality for a speaker this size is exceptional, but the MP230’s looks will win you over.
Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review// Specifications
| Dimensions | 162 x 85 x 97mm |
| Weight | 850g |
| Colour Options | Wooden Finish Copper buttons |
| Drivers | Dual 48mm Full Range |
| Output | 10W + 10W |
| Performance | up to 10 hours |
| Battery | 2,500mAh |
| Charge Time | ~ 5 hours |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth v5.0 Aux microSD Card USB-C |
| In the Box | MP230 Portable Speaker USB-a to USB-C cable 3.5mm Aux cable Manuals |
| Website | edifier.com |
Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker Review// Pricing
The Edifier MP230 Portable Speaker is $129/£99 on edifier.com.
