Edifier M60 Review: How something so small can sound so good?

The last compact speakers I reviewed from Edifier were the QR65, though now that I think about it, having had the M60 on my desk for a few days, the QR65 should have its compact credentials stripped away!

The M60 comes in at a height that is barely taller and wider than my Pixel 9 Pro XL to give you an idea of the frontal footprint. The depth is less than the length of the phone, too. Given these tiny dimensions, you'd be forgiven for thinking the sound coming out of the 3" driver and 1" tweeter would be anything but decent.

The reality is that these little speakers smack the smile off the QR65, and that set of speakers already sounded excellent with only a couple of flaws with high frequencies and the choice of default Bluetooth CODEC, both of which have been resolved in the M60.

Build quality

The M60 comes double-wrapped for each speaker, a nice touch and attention to the presentation, which Edifier seems to be refining with each new model.

The accessories box contains all the cables that will be needed, and the analogue wires are gold-plated (not that this makes any difference to the sound, but visually it's just nice).

The material quality of each speaker is exceptional. These weigh a shade over 3KG each and feel every bit as premium as they look, and the heft suggests.

Once connected up, it becomes apparent just how dinky these speakers are. In this review, I test them alongside my KEF Q300, a reference speaker in my opinion as to what high quality yet not obscenely priced bookshelf speakers should sound like, a speaker that I reckon offers enough bang for the buck that a subwoofer isn't needed for any type of listening, as long as the amp driving them is somewhat capable since they are passive speakers, whereas the M60 are active speakers with their own DAC/DSP.

It is not disclosed what processing chip is being used here, but this isn't too important at this stage, I guess.

I mention this because later it will highlight just how well-tuned the DSP and DAC built into the M60 are and how well-engineered the speaker cabinet internals are to channel sound in just the right way, which explains why they are able to output such a rich level of sound.

I chose the Classic Oak colour for this review, though you can also get them in white and black. I think the subtle texture of the oak laminate finishes off the aesthetic appeal, whereas both black and white are matte in texture with no wood-like grain.

The aluminium stands, just like with the QR65, are a nice feature that aids in making sure the speakers are angled just the right amount for the best audio experience.

The backside is simple, the ports are conveniently located and when plugged in, there is no play with any of them, everything is nice and snug. The 3.5mm jack acts as the only analogue input when used with the 3.5mm to RCA/3.5mm cables in the package. It's also nice to see a USB-C port instead of a USB-A.

User interface

The top of the right speaker houses a capacitive touch panel to control volume, play/pause, power and input source cycling:

It also has a proximity sensor that brings the touch buttons to life. The sensitivity of the sensor, as well as duration, can be configured using the ConneX app, and yes, you can leave it on full-time if you wish.

A nice premium touch is that the top pip of the power LED changes colour to denote the active input source: red for USB, green for AUX and blue for Bluetooth.

One of my previous pet hates was how Edifier kept leaving LDAC disabled by default on products supporting it, which meant in order to use LDAC over Bluetooth, I had to install the app, then go into the app and run through a tedious process to enable HD audio, as well as then enabling LDAC in Android's Bluetooth paired device properties screen.

Now, all of that has been done away with. The M60 uses LDAC by default (though you can still toggle its resolution), and you no longer need to go into Android settings to enable it at a device level, either. Absolutely excellent.

The inclusion of a custom 6-band EQ is welcome, too, even though the default 'Music' preset offers great sound out of the box.

Performance

For speakers like these, there are only so many ways I can describe the sound, and even if I record a video, the audio is dictated by the mic used and YouTube's compression. Hopefully, the video below gives a hint of what the M60 can do.

Both Q300 and M60 were set to a reasonable volume level. You can hear that the M60 presents a bit more forward than the Q300, which has a wider dynamic range, though the stereo imaging, soundstage and vocal presentation are extremely well balanced with the M60. If I invited someone over and had them close their eyes before they entered the room, then nobody would be able to guess that the sound they were hearing from the M60 was coming out of something so small.

The bass alone is detailed, and the reflex ports at the back are barely wide enough to fit a single index finger, yet somehow they deliver a punch in combination with the highs and mids that the QR65 is unable to, in fact, many compact speakers anywhere near this size that I have heard are unable to produce sound like this, and the reason why I compare them alongside the Q300 is exactly this.

No, the M60 does not beat or even match the Q300, which would defy physics, but they deliver a big cabinet sound that feels like some wizardry is dimensional is involved when you look at both next to each other, then toggle the output source in Windows like I do in the video and hear the sound the M60 is outputting, keeping up with the big boys, so to speak.

It should not be possible to sound this good from speakers this small, which cost £160, yet here we are.

Conclusion

Speaking of the price, the QR65 come in at nearly twice the price, are they worth that price? They do have additional features, but they also have some flaws, as mentioned in that review. I feel as though at £160/$170, the M60 offers considerably better value for money and a greater level of sonic excellence than the QR65.

I would happily use the M60 as my sole desktop speakers if I did not have the KEFs. With all the testing and listening I have done with them so far, there isn't a genre of music or media or game where the M60 was not capable of playing back at a high level of sonic agility.

At £160, it is difficult to demand more, and I am genuinely struggling to find a fault worth writing about...

... Perhaps having a few more Bluetooth CODECs would have been better, whilst every phone or mobile device supports SBC, SBC is not hi-res audio, having the aptX-HD as well as its low latency and variable variants would have opened hi-res wireless connectivity to a wider range of devices and use-cases, such as gaming.

The lack of a remote control could also be a negative point, as even on a desktop, you still must reach up to touch the buttons. The only other means of control is via the ConneX app.

Some buyers may find an issue with the exclusion of a 3.5mm output jack to pass through the sound via the built-in DAC, so headphones will still need to be driven by something else as a result. However, if you are like me, then you likely already have a dedicated headphone amp or a USB dongle-DAC on the desk.

I often watch/read reviews of the same products by others after I've had some time with them. One 49" ultra-wide monitor user stated that the connection cable between the left and right speakers was just about long enough on his desk, even though moments earlier, it was demonstrated that there were still at least a couple of feet of slack remaining. I figured I'd try the M60 in my living room to put the cable length to the test:

As you can see, the length is more than enough for a 65" TV. The sound produced by the M60 beats most internal TV speakers, so you could use it in a living room setting as 2.0 TV speakers quite easily, though, as mentioned, there is no remote control; the ConneX app must be used instead to adjust the volume on the speaker, or a better alternative, leave the volume at max on the speakers (there are 16 increment steps, by the way), then adjust the master volume on the TV remote instead.

Using the digital connections, there is no background hiss or static when maxing the volume this way to then control the master volume at the source, and whilst I mentioned that the bass is very good, some folks still prefer connecting up a subwoofer anyway, though sadly that is not possible here as there is no connection for one.

To conclude, these are great speakers at a good price. I would happily recommend the M60 to anyone looking for superb sound with as little footprint used as possible on a desk or TV unit.