Edifier R1700BT Review 2026 | Price, Specs & Verdict | ProAudio Video

⭐ Expert Review 2026

Edifier R1700BT Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers

★★★★☆

₹19,990

The best bi-amped Bluetooth bookshelf speaker under ₹20,000 for desktops and small living rooms in India.

🛒 Buy Now — Best Price in India

The Edifier R1700BT is a pair of active, bi-amplified Bluetooth bookshelf speakers that has quietly become one of the most recommended desktop and small-room audio systems in India. Priced at ₹19,990 at ProAudio Video, it sits at the sweet spot of the powered-speaker market: expensive enough to deliver genuinely refined, near-field studio-monitor sound, yet affordable enough to be an easy upgrade from a soundbar or a cheap 2.1 computer set. If you have been searching for a compact stereo system that plays wirelessly from your phone, connects to your TV or turntable, and fills a room without a separate amplifier, the R1700BT belongs at the top of your shortlist.

This speaker is built for people who care about how music actually sounds but do not want the clutter of a hi-fi rack. Home music listeners, work-from-home professionals who want better audio on their desk, gamers, and anyone furnishing a bedroom or study in a flat in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore or Pune will find it hits an ideal balance of size, power and price. With 66W of bi-amped output, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD, and a walnut-wood finish that looks far more premium than its ₹19,990 price tag, the R1700BT is designed to be the one purchase that finally makes your desk or shelf sound the way you always hoped it would.

Sound Quality & Performance: How Does It Actually Sound?

The headline of the Edifier R1700BT is its bi-amplified architecture, and it is not marketing fluff. Instead of one amplifier splitting duty across the whole frequency range, four separate amplifier channels drive the tweeters and woofers independently — roughly 15W to each 19mm silk-dome tweeter and 18W to each 4-inch woofer, for 66W RMS total. In practice this means the treble stays clean and airy even when the bass is working hard, because the two are never fighting for the same power supply. The result is a sound that is noticeably more composed and separated than typical ₹10,000–₹15,000 powered speakers. Vocals sit forward and natural, cymbals shimmer without turning harsh, and the midrange has the kind of clarity that makes acoustic tracks, podcasts and dialogue a pleasure. The soundstage is wide for a compact speaker, and because these are near-field monitors at heart, they image beautifully when placed on either side of a desk. Bass extends down to around 60Hz — tight and tuneful rather than boomy — which is plenty for most music, though sub-bass in EDM or hip-hop is where the optional subwoofer output earns its keep.

Build Quality & Design: Is It Built to Last?

Edifier has built a strong reputation on making speakers that punch far above their price in the fit-and-finish department, and the R1700BT continues that tradition. The cabinets are made from proper MDF wood wrapped in a walnut-vinyl finish that genuinely looks like a piece of furniture rather than a plastic gadget — a big reason this model is so popular for living rooms and studies in India. Each speaker is reassuringly dense and inert, which helps kill cabinet resonance and keeps the sound clean. Removable magnetic-style grille covers let you run them grilles-on for a classic look or grilles-off to show the drivers. The controls sit on the side of the powered (right) speaker: rotary knobs for volume, treble and bass, so you can dial the tone to your room without diving into an app. At roughly 5–5.5 kg each the pair is on the heavier side, which is a compliment to the build but does mean you will want a sturdy shelf or a set of stands. Overall the R1700BT feels like a product designed to last for years, not a disposable desktop toy.

Features & Connectivity: What's in the Box?

Connectivity is where the R1700BT flexes its versatility. Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX HD is the star — aptX HD streams audio at up to 24-bit/48kHz, a clear step above the standard SBC codec most budget speakers use, so wireless listening from a compatible phone or laptop sounds genuinely close to a wired connection. On the back you get two independent RCA line-level inputs, meaning you can keep a TV, a PC and a turntable-with-phono-preamp all plugged in and switch between them, plus Bluetooth, using the included remote. Crucially there is also a dedicated subwoofer pre-out, so adding a powered sub later to build a 2.1 system is a simple plug-and-play upgrade — a feature many rivals at this price omit. Built-in DSP quietly optimises the frequency response for cleaner, more consistent output. In the box you get the two speakers, the speaker-connecting cable, an RCA cable, a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable and the remote control. It is a thoughtfully complete package that lets the R1700BT serve as a desktop system, a TV upgrade, a turntable partner or a bedroom hi-fi with equal ease.

Value for Money in India 2026

At ₹19,990 the Edifier R1700BT asks a little more than the entry-level Edifier models, and it is worth understanding exactly what that premium buys you in India in 2026. You are paying for true bi-amplification, aptX HD Bluetooth, the subwoofer output and the upgraded 19mm tweeter — the ingredients that separate a "good enough" desktop speaker from one you will happily keep for years. Measured against imported hi-fi bookshelf systems that need a separate amplifier and often cross ₹40,000 once you add electronics and cables, the all-in-one R1700BT is outstanding value: everything you need to make sound is inside the cabinets. For the serious-but-sensible listener who wants audiophile-leaning quality without an audiophile budget, ₹19,990 buys a genuinely complete, expandable stereo system. Buying from ProAudio Video also means a proper warranty and after-sales support in India, which matters far more than saving a few hundred rupees on a grey-market unit.

Full Technical Specifications

Who Should Buy the Edifier R1700BT?

✅ Buy it if you: want a complete stereo system for a desk, bedroom or small living room without buying a separate amplifier; stream music over Bluetooth from a phone or laptop and want aptX HD quality; plan to connect a TV, PC or turntable and switch between them; or want the option to add a subwoofer later for a 2.1 setup — all under ₹20,000 in India.

❌ Skip it if you: need room-filling volume for a large hall or party (look at the more powerful S-series or a tower system); listen mostly to deep-bass EDM or hip-hop and do not want to add a subwoofer; or specifically need an optical/coaxial digital input, in which case the R1280DB is the better fit.