Airpulse A80 Review – How Does It Sound Compared to the Edifier S3000 Pro?

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Airpulse is a premium sub-brand of the popular Edifier. The premium brand is led by sound designer Phil Jones, who is also the founder of British sound company Acoustic Energy.

Much like the well-known audio brand Klipsch, one of the defining characteristics of the Airpulse range is the use of angular tweeters, which allow the speaker to produce directional and optimized high frequencies.

Specification

• Tweeter: Horn-loaded ribbon tweeter
• Mid-woofer: 4.5-inch aluminum cone 30mm VC mid-woofer
• Amplifier System: Digital Amplifier with Xmos Processor
• Power output: L/R (treble): 10W+10W, L/R (bass): 40W+40W
• Frequency range: 52Hz-40KHz
• Signal-to-noise ratio: L/R: ≥90dB(A)
• Input Mode: AUX, PC, USB, Optical, Bluetooth (USB, Optical input supports input sampling rate up to 192KHz)
• Input Sensitivity: AUX: 450±50mV PC: 550±50mV, USB: 400±50mFFs, Optical: 400±50mFFs Bluetooth: 500±50mFFs Sub Out: 1200mV Max
• Power supply voltage: AC 100-240 V /50-60 Hz
• Cabinet size (WxHxD): 140x250x220mm
• Net Weight: 9.3 kg (20 lbs)

Airpulse A80 vs Edifier S3000 Pro Active Bookshelf Speakers

The Edifier S3000 Pro is my most recent review and is the top speaker under the Edifier brand. The Airpulse A80 is the lowest priced model in the Airpulse range, priced similarly to the S3000 Pro at £625.00.

While the price may be similar to the Edifier’s Airpulse portion, these are two very different speakers.

The Edifier S3000 Pro is a pair of giant powered bookshelf speakers with a total weight of 21.1kg and a rated power output of 8W+120W per speaker for the treble and mid/bass.

Then connect the speaker wirelessly using Kleernet.

The Airpulse A80 is smaller and less powerful, they are also connected together.

One of the biggest differences is that the Airpulse A80 has a ribbon tweeter with a horn, one of the defining characteristics of Klipsch speakers. In contrast, the Edifier S3000 Pro uses a more standard flat-diaphragm tweeter.

This makes a considerable difference in the overall sound profile. The Airpulse A80 offers superior treble and more overall detail, while the S3000 Pro has more bass and a richer sound profile.

Both sets of speakers have an excellent range of connectivity options. They all have USB, and Airpulse provides a 192KHz input sample rate. Edifier can do 24bit/192kHz, using the built-in PCM5242 DAC.

The Airpulse A80 has the advantage of a dedicated subwoofer output, and while the Edifier S3000 is so big and powerful, you don’t really need any extra bass.

design

The Airpulse A80 are an attractive and well-sized pair of powered bookshelf speakers. The walnut color options aren’t particularly bold in their design; they just look smart. Alternatively, you can opt for the better Electric Blue option.

like i love mine Edifier S3000 Prothey’re large and don’t have the neat lines of the A80.

These speakers are constructed from 18mm thick MDF cabinets lined with sound absorbing foam. They are quite heavy considering their combined weight of 9.3 kg (20 lb).

In front of the speaker, you have a horn-loaded ribbon tweeter, the same one used on the larger A100 speaker pair.

On the rear of the right speaker are extensive connectivity options as well as volume, bass and treble dials.

Then you have the DIN port, which connects the passive left speaker.

The speaker comes with some wedge-shaped foam pads. These are all about tilting the speaker towards you and reducing noise from hard surfaces.

connectivity

As with all Edifier/Airpulse powered speakers, you have a wide range of connectivity options, including:

• USB
• arrive
• Optical
• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX

Then, you also have a port for connecting a subwoofer.

As with other Edifier speakers, you’ll need to use the included remote to switch between inputs. Apart from input selection, volume and power, remove has no other functions. There is no option to skip tracks or any kind of EQ option.

During my review I switched between using USB and connecting to my Aux FiiO K5 Pro Desktop DAC.

sound quality

As you might expect, the Airpulse A80 sounds great, but it’s very different from more affordable Edifier models, including the S3000 Pro.

You can immediately hear the benefits of angular tweeters. The speakers deliver excellent clarity in the highs without the often associated clarity or sibilance.

The mids are excellent, and I found them particularly good for vocals.

Bass is much lower than the S3000 Pro. At first, it felt lacking, but when I switched to more bass-heavy tracks, you could hear it kick in happily. If you’re leaning toward a more bass-forward configuration, you’ll want to raise the bass dial on the rear of the speaker or invest in a subwoofer.

The combination of excellent tweeters and restrained bass allows them to deliver a higher level of detail than many mainstream powered speakers. These work well for more analytical listening.

Overall, I personally prefer the Edifier S3000 Pro that I’ve been using for the past few months. I prefer a little more bass and it sounds more interesting, but that’s entirely a personal preference, not my opinion that the Edifier is objectively the better speaker.

Price and Alternatives

Airpulse A80 £625 on Amazon Available at Selfridges.

The larger Airpulse A100 costs just £660. They have the same power output, but the A100 has a larger woofer and a heavier design, weighing in at 13.4kg.

Then the A200 is £780 and the A300 is £900.

For the Edifier, the S3000 PRO is £700

comprehensive

The Airpulse A80 is a great pair of powered speakers with great connectivity in a manageable form factor.

Audio performance is excellent, with the angular tweeters producing excellent highs without the harshness of many other speakers.

Since the price difference between these and the A100 is relatively small, I’d love to try out both speakers and see which you prefer.

Last updated on March 27, 2022 / Affiliate Links / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API