An occupational hazard of being an AV writer is having an overabundance of speakers in my house. It doesn’t sound like a problem, I know, but believe me, it’s more a health hazard in that my wife may actually murder me if I bring home any more. However, there is one set of speakers, the Edifier S1000Ws, that have been welcome in my living room for the last couple of years, and they’re currently 33% off on Amazon for Cyber Monday and can be yours for just $300.
The S1000W is a workhorse pair of powered bookshelf speakers that have been on our list of the best bookshelf speakers for months for their power, sound, and diverse connectivity. My family uses them for almost everything: streaming music over Wi-Fi through Tidal and Spotify Connect (with support for up to 24bit/192kHz), Bluetooth for connecting to phones, my record player is hooked in through its RCA inputs (a phono preamp is needed, though), and I’ve used the speakers to test out network music streamers like the Wiim Ultra, which can connect via digital optical or coaxial inputs.
Also, if you’re looking to create a whole-home setup of multiple speakers that support it, the Edifier S1000Ws support Apple AirPlay — like I said, I have a lot of speakers in my house that I like to have going at once while I putter around. It’s not a Sonos system, but it can be a decent alternative.
Apple TV can use AirPlay to connect to them wirelessly for watching movies, too (you can also do this with the optical input if you intend to use them primarily for TV).
Sound-wise, the S1000Ws sound excellent for bookshelf speakers. They’re not small at 12.5 by 9 by 14.5 inches (DxWxH), but they push out an incredible amount of clean, dynamic sound with 120 watts of total power output, which is more than enough to fill a medium-sized room.
I really like how the prime speaker (the one with all the connectivity) has dedicated volume, treble, and bass dials on the back for precise tuning, which is handy when you’ve left your phone in the basement and just want to turn it down. Mind you, the speaker set also comes with a sleek, well-laid-out remote control for that.
If you’re looking for a rock-steady (oh, the side panels are solid wood) set of speakers that sound great and that take the worry out of whether you’re going to be able to connect your sources to it, then for $300, the S1000Ws are a no-brainer.
