Edifier Luna 5 Encore iF500 Review

We review the award winning Edifier Luna 5 Encore iF500 iPod speaker dock.

Introduction

For many, the term “lifestyle” is as synonymous with “pricey,” just as with similar phrases “cool” or “designer.” Anyone who’s ever wandered into a Brookstone store, browsed Sharper Image or dug into their SkyMall catalogue while flying can tell you that, while this lifestyle stuff is cool, it’s also pretty expensive and, for many, out of reach. Thankfully Edifier, a Canada-based lifestyle audio company, is trying to change that.

Edifier has been wowing crowds and critics alike at the world famous CES show for a few years now. (As a matter of fact, as this article is being written, Edifier is receiving recognition for Innovations in Design and Engineering at this year’s event taking place right now in Vegas.) What makes the company’s products special, beyond the unique aesthetic design and outstanding audio quality though, is that the price is relatively reasonable. Keeping with tradition, at an estimated $299.00, the Edifier Luna 5 Encore iPod speaker dock handily outperforms most of the competition in its price bracket, and does so with style and grace.

Out of the Box

The Edifier Luna 5 Encore iF500 is a one-piece unit comprised of an acoustically isolated base/control panel and a round speaker panel with an elliptical profile. The speaker panel is covered with black grill-cloth and the molded base is available in either glossy piano black or white. The unit is powered by way of a DC adapter cord that measures about 9 feet in length and is connected at the rear of the unit. Packed with the Luna 5 Encore are 12 individual iPod dock adapters to assist in connecting whatever iPod model you may happen to own; a long, slender remote control that is about twice the size necessary for the buttons it holds; and some adapter cables to allow connection of just about any external audio device. The Luna 5 Encore measures approximately 16” high, 15” wide and 9” deep at its deepest point.

Features and Design

The speaker panel of the Luna 5 Encore houses one 5.75” bass driver, two specially housed 2.75” midrange drivers and two 1” tweeters. Both the midrange drivers and tweeters are arranged in stereo on either side of the panel to maximize stereo separation. Powering the speakers are two Class-D digital amps. A 30 watt amp is dedicated to the bass driver and a 22 watt amp handles the mids and tweets.

Pressing the red, illuminated power button caused the base to begin glowing red, exposing several touch-sensitive “buttons” that control power, volume, track advance/FM station scan and input selection functions. Most of these are mirrored on a rather large remote control that adds some iPod/iPhone navigation, treble and bass adjustment, and a mute button.

This dock sports an FM tuner and an external audio input that will allow connection of other phones, media and audio devices using the provided RCA and 1/8” to 5/8” adapter cords. The Edifier’s external input is precariously located underneath a rubber concealment pad located front and center at the bottom of the unit. While connecting devices to this area is no real problem, we found that removing and replacing the rubber panel was not all that convenient.

The Luna 5 Encore’s appearance certainly calls attention to itself, and that is likely Edifer’s intention. The glossy black elliptical shape conjures up images of flying saucers or perhaps a looming black weather balloon. Truly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Regardless, the shape of the Luna 5 is sure to catch some eyes and generate some conversation.

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