Not solely does the Edifier ES300 sport deliciously retro-styled beauty, however it additionally gives nice connectivity. You possibly can play tunes by way of Bluetooth, hook up exterior sources by way of USB or a 3.5mm jack, and even stream hi-res audio at as much as 24bit/96kHz. And with discreet lighting and a built-in battery, it is an incredible companion for night entertaining, even within the backyard.
Execs
- Attractive, retro-styled design
- Able to 24bit/96kHz hi-res audio
- Extra reasonably priced worth
Cons
- Much less convincing sound, particularly within the bass frequencies
- Shorter (though first rate) battery life
- Lacking some good options
The Sonos Transfer 2 could also be dear, however it makes up for that by way of superior audio and razor-sharp options. It is able to punchy, dynamic sound with hefty bass, whereas retaining enough poise for lighter mixes. In the meantime, wonderful options like Automated Trueplay room compensation and an epic battery life give it compelling utility.
Execs
- Fulsome and detailed sound with loud volumes
- Nice battery life in real-world use
- Premium-feeling construct high quality
Cons
- A bodily deal with could be preferable
- Excessive worth for the audio high quality
- Stereo sound is not very efficient
The Edifier ES300 is an interesting retro-themed wi-fi speaker that positively made a sizeable impression on me once I first acquired it. There’s one thing undeniably charming about its premium, old-school radio vibes, with its monochrome colour palette and gold accents, and built-in lighting. Whereas many audio merchandise swing for this type of aesthetic, far fewer efficiently hit their goal bang on.
Nonetheless, there’s one thing else that struck me about it, one thing that gave me a bit little bit of gadget deja vu. The Edifier is a cumbersome Wi-Fi speaker – usually one thing you’d set and overlook in an acoustic candy spot in your front room, kitchen or bed room – however, unusually, it additionally has a battery for listening on the go. This instantly jogged my memory of one other entry within the annals of the most effective wi-fi audio system: the Sonos Transfer 2.
The unique Transfer was thought-about a little bit of an oddity on its launch. It was a chonky boi, extra at house on a shelf or counter than slung in a backpack and brought tenting, and might be used as a part of a multi-room speaker system. But, it had a built-in battery and IP56 ingress safety, that means it may simply address the nice open air in the event you had the means to move it.
However the Transfer positively recognized an ecological area of interest for itself and the Transfer 2 that adopted it, a severely good speaker providing high-end audio and trendy connectivity that might simply do double obligation spinning tunes at a picnic or a pool celebration. And that’s a distinct segment that Edifier has seized on with the ES300. So which of those moveable Wi-Fi audio system thrives finest on this house?
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: worth and availability
The Edifier ES300 was first launched on June 20, 2025, whereas the Sonos Transfer 2 was launched again on September 20, 2023. The ES300 has an inventory worth of $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$399, and the Sonos Transfer 2 has an inventory worth of $449 / £449 / $799. Nonetheless, offers exist on each: for instance, on the time of writing, you will discover the ES300 on Amazon UK for £247.76, whereas the Sonos Transfer 2 is accessible from $432.49 at Amazon US.
There are a number of variations of every speaker accessible. The Edifier ES300 is accessible in white and gold or black and gold colorways. In the meantime, the Sonos Transfer 2 is available in three hues: black, white and ‘olive’ (which, on the threat of sounding pretentious, I’d describe extra as artichoke).
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: specs
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Edifier ES300 |
Sonos Transfer 2 |
|---|---|---|
|
Weight |
8.2 lbs / 3.7kg |
6.61 lbs / 3kg |
|
Dimensions |
10.9 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches / 277 x 165 x 165 mm |
6.3 x 9.5 x 5 inches / 160 x 241 x 127mm |
|
Battery life (quoted) |
12 hours |
24 hours |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi, USB, 3.5mm jack |
Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB-C |
|
Drivers |
4-inch (116mm) mid-bass, 2x 1.25-inch (33mm) tweeter |
2x angled tweeters, 1x midwoofer |
|
Aux-in |
Sure |
Sure (by way of USB-C adapter) |
|
Charger port |
AC energy cable |
Sonos charging base or USB-C |
|
Microphone |
No |
Sure |
|
Waterproof score |
None |
IP56 |
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: options
Wi-fi audio system have a tendency to sit down on the bleeding edge in relation to options, typically rocking extra revolutionary performance than their wired or Bluetooth contemporaries. Neither the Edifier ES300 nor the Sonos Transfer 2 is an exception to this, though I discovered that one was appreciably smarter than the opposite.
The ES300 options you’ll most likely use most are its sound profiles and EQ settings. Edifier gives 4 preset profiles: Basic, Monitor, Sport and Vocal. A few of these felt like odd decisions to me. Neither Monitor nor Sport actually match the overwhelming majority of customers; I’d have thought that together with a Bass mode as an alternative would’ve been a no brainer. Luckily, it has a six-band EQ that allows you to tailor the sound a bit extra to your liking, though many cheaper audio system supply a extra granular nine-band EQ, such because the Tribit StormBox 2.
At first, the Sonos Transfer 2 could seem much more restricted than this, its primary adjustable EQ settings within the app solely permitting you to regulate bass, treble and loudness. However its smartest function is that, for essentially the most half, you shouldn’t ever must get your fingers soiled massaging frequency bands to get higher sound. That’s as a result of its Automated Trueplay algorithm recurrently assesses the speaker’s environment, calibrating its audio output for the form of the house it’s in. And it really works astoundingly effectively; I by no means actually felt the necessity to tinker with its output to rebalance the sound.
One function that the ES300 has over the Transfer 2 is its built-in lighting modes. There are three patterns on supply: Static, Respiration and Water-flow (a relatively grandiose time period for lights that simply cycle counter-clockwise). And you too can choose between two colours: a cool white and a hotter yellow. Whereas I’d argue this isn’t a radical departure by way of options, I do discover the general impact pleasing, and I loved it sufficient that I saved it on even once I wasn’t listening to music.
Every system offers you a superb number of choices for controlling it. The ES300 options some aesthetically pleasing touch-sensitive controls on its high floor, together with two dials for setting its quantity and the brightness of its built-in mild, normal playback controls, and supply choice. In the meantime, the Edifier app gives additional choices, together with configuring the Wi-Fi community, switching sources, establishing the stereo channel, EQ customization and lightweight impact settings.
The Transfer 2 options controls on its high floor to deal with play/pause, skip, replay, modify the amount, and group or ungroup merchandise. Its app gives you the flexibility to regulate a number of options, together with community settings, its Automated Trueplay function and toggling on loudness correction. You’ll additionally discover one setting right here that you simply received’t see within the Edifier app: voice management. The Sonos gives you the choice to regulate your speaker utilizing both Sonos Voice Management or Amazon Alexa, one thing sorely lacking from its rival.
With regards to connectivity, neither speaker precisely reinvents the wheel, however they each include a superb vary of choices. As you’d count on from a wi-fi speaker, they each supply Wi-Fi, whereas the ES300 gives Bluetooth 5.4 and the Transfer 2 has Bluetooth 5.3. Each units will let you play immediately from streaming apps like Spotify and Tidal, or you possibly can push out audio direct out of your units by way of AirPlay 2. When it comes to bodily ports, the Edifier has a USB port and three.5mm enter, whereas the Sonos rocks a USB-C port.
There’s a slight distinction within the audio decision every system can muster. Whereas the Sonos Transfer 2 is able to lossless, CD-quality sound, the Edifier ES300 can stretch to 24-bit/96kHz hi-res sound from appropriate sources. Naturally, this implies you’ll must both stream from an LDAC-compatible system, stream ALAC over AirPlay 2, hook up a service able to hi-res audio like Tidal or plug immediately into its 3.5mm jack.
As I remarked once I began this piece, maybe essentially the most notable function of both of those Wi-Fi audio system is their built-in battery, one thing that’s nonetheless vanishingly uncommon out there.
Each models have first rate longevity. I performed music constantly on the ES300 over AirPlay 2 at 50% quantity with the sunshine off for six hours – throughout that point, its battery solely dropped right down to 60%, that means it may probably final 15 hours whole, considerably greater than the 12 hours Edifier predicted. However the Transfer 2 nonetheless blew previous this, lasting over 24 hours, that means it would nonetheless be swinging lengthy after its opponent is out for the rely.
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: sound high quality
Given its pricing and styling, it is secure to say that I had sure expectations of the Edifier ES300 going into my testing. And but my preliminary impression of its sound was truthfully fairly lukewarm. It’s okay, however I really feel like as you enter the mid-range of the Wi-Fi speaker market, you’re entitled to count on higher than simply okay. Compared, the Sonos Transfer 2 is dearer however sounds each bit the form of speaker I’d count on for its worth.
Admittedly, once I performed Otomo by Bonobo on the Edifier, the woody-sounding percussion was actually tightly expressed, whereas the tribal, choral vocals rose above every little thing clearly. However it’s when that bassline drops that the specifics of the ES300’s sound profile are laid naked. There’s sufficient higher bass you can hear the bass swell – it’s not solely AWOL, luckily – however in the event you’re hoping for something extra tangible than this, you’re going to be left wanting.
Conversely, the Sonos Transfer 2 brings far more low-end guts to the identical drop, giving the monitor a much more secure basis. Now and again, it truly may sound a bit overblown, with the sub sounding overly resonant and swamping the decrease finish of the combo. Nonetheless, I quickly found that this was an artifact of the speaker’s loudness correction – issues sound quite a bit clearer with it off, though this does come at the price of some bass presence at decrease volumes.
I used to be a bit extra impressed with how the ES300 handles vocal-heavy mixes. Sticking on How Does It Really feel by London Grammar, I used to be pleasantly shocked by the wealthy timbre of the vocals and the way they rose above the remainder of the combo. However when attempting the identical tune out on the Transfer 2, I may see how a lot I used to be lacking out on – Hannah Reid’s honeyed vocals by some means felt much more rounded and held extra gravitas, whereas the heat to the monitor’s low-end and pump to its kick added some much-needed glue that held the combo collectively.
A private pet peeve of mine is when speaker producers pump up the treble to compensate for a scarcity of dynamism within the decrease frequencies. The Edifier, luckily, doesn’t fall into this lure. Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Personal Manner is a superb monitor for exposing a very shiny and glassy combine, and but the ES300 manages to keep away from these jangling guitars sounding too sharp. It does pull its punches a bit too a lot in comparison with the Transfer 2, although, which gave the transients of the drums a lot crisper edges and enabled them to puncture by means of the combo with out ever sounding over-exposed.
The Edifier ES300 can sometimes rally, although: at louder volumes, a few of these truant frequencies begin to labor a bit tougher. Whereas I used to be listening to Reflection by Ben Böhmer & Wooden, its swelling sub truly put in a correct shift, serving to to help its thumping kick. The end result wasn’t what I might name balanced, although – naturally, the mids are boosted too, so might be fairly intense – and the Transfer 2 exhibits it is potential to nonetheless receive spectacular efficiency without having to crank issues as much as 11.
Maybe the one space the place I felt the ES300 took a palpable lead over the Transfer 2 is in instrument separation. Listening to Claire de Lune by Kamasi Washington, it gave every aspect room to play, with the layered brass playfully dancing across the bass and piano.
Conversely, whereas Sonos’s speaker provided fuller, extra cohesive sound, this sometimes felt prefer it got here on the expense of extra discrete expression of various devices. This might effectively be the work of Transfer 2’s Automated Trueplay algorithm, although, with it barely compressing the dynamic vary to forestall subtler parts getting misplaced within the house.
All instructed, I discovered the Transfer 2 gives way more constant, genuine sound in comparison with the Edifier ES300. It appears able to a wider frequency vary, outdoing its rival at each the excessive and low finish, giving way more depth and context to a variety of genres. Sure, the latter rallies a bit at larger volumes, however I’d count on a speaker at this type of worth level to be extra constant at completely different loudness ranges.
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: design
One space the place the Edifier ES300 shines is in its design. In some methods, I really feel that it is a speaker designed extra to be seen than heard. Notably in its white and gold colorway, it effortlessly nails that retro vibe so many speaker manufacturers have aimed for and but hardly ever hit.
Wrapping the ES300’s handcrafted wood speaker case is a ‘leather-like’ coating in both cream or black. Regardless of being a crunchy veggie, I’m not at all times eager on this type of leatherette end – relatively than feeling classic, it typically comes throughout as low-cost and a bit cheesy – however right here it feels pleasingly tactile and premium. Woven from braided cloth, the speaker cowl is available in both beige or black, whereas the plastic grille beneath is picked out in gold throughout each fashions. Cumulatively, this all helps the ES300 stand out in a market crowded with boring black bins.
The Edifier’s built-in lighting is the cherry on high. Admittedly, the 2 hues and three lighting modes it gives aren’t precisely a scintillating aurora, however there’s no finish of celebration audio system on the market that may drench you in a cocktail of kaleidoscopic colour, so in some methods the extent of restraint proven here’s a breath of contemporary air. Wave a hand over the Edifier’s high floor and its buttons mild up as effectively, albeit in a chilly white tone – it certainly would not have been exhausting to have this shift with the hue of its primary mild, however that’s a minor nitpick.
Compared, the Sonos Transfer 2 defines itself extra by its brains than its magnificence. It’s an elliptical cylinder, with a delicate curve towards the bottom the place it nestles into its cradle. That is additionally a pleasant contact, as relatively than having to plug in an influence cable to juice up its battery, you possibly can merely plop it down in its little nest to recharge.
The underside quarter and management panel on high of the Transfer 2 are made from matte plastic – this feels gorgeously clean to the contact, with the olive/artichoke inexperienced coloration on the mannequin I examined including extra visible curiosity than the plain black or white colorways. In the meantime, the remainder of the system is roofed in a high quality metallic grille. General, it’s a sexy bundle, however it’s undeniably trendy and gadgety in comparison with the extra retro vibes the ES300 goals for.
For essentially the most half, which system takes the lead for you is probably going a matter of non-public style. Nonetheless, one clear space wherein Sonos unarguably leads is weatherproofing. Whereas the Edifier has no safety in opposition to both splashes or mud ingress, the Transfer 2 gives IP56 safety, which shouldn’t solely stop grit and mud from interfering with its workings however also can stand up to highly effective water jets from any route. So if you’d like a poolside companion, the Sonos is the plain champ.
Provided that each audio system are designed to be semi-portable, their comparative bulk shall be an necessary consideration. With the ES300 weighing in at 8.2 lbs (3.7kg) and the Transfer 2 at 6.61 lbs (3kg), neither of them is what I’d think about mild, however they’re each movable sufficient that you simply received’t battle carting them from room to room or out to the backyard. In the end, although, the Sonos takes the sting for me by way of maneuverability – it has a helpful carry deal with constructed into its again, which the Edifier lacks, making the previous extra handy for transferring as you drift from room to room.
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: worth
There’s a reasonably main caveat to every little thing I’ve mentioned to this point: worth. Whereas I’d argue the Edifier ES300 and Sonos Transfer 2 are each firmly mid-range audio system, there’s nonetheless a noticeable distinction of their value. The ES300 has an inventory worth of $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$399, and the Sonos Transfer 2 has an inventory worth of $449 / £449 / $799, that means the latter prices a good slice extra. And this hole is simply widened when you think about gross sales costs on the ES300, which, on the time of writing, was discounted right down to £247.76 at Amazon UK.
Nonetheless, worth doesn’t essentially translate on to worth. And whenever you have a look at all the extras you get with the Sonos Transfer 2, that worth all of a sudden appears much more justified. Not solely is the Transfer 2 filled with good options like Automated Trueplay and voice-assistant help, it additionally gives superior sound with better-sculpted bass. Whereas I do marginally give the Edifier ES300 the sting in relation to appears, the Sonos is a little more moveable, and its IP56 score makes it far more usable open air.
In the end, in the event you’re searching for a wi-fi speaker with a built-in battery, you’re going to get much more mileage out of the Sonos Transfer 2. That additional $99.01 / £201.24 / AU$400 isn’t small change, however I do really feel it’s price saving for a bit longer and making the funding in smarter options and extra expressive, well-rounded sound.
Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Transfer 2: verdict
Perhaps I ought to have sprinkled some spoiler warnings all through this versus piece, as a result of I’ve most likely already given away the ending. Regardless of a sexy design, the odd novel function, and its capability for hi-res audio, the Edifier ES300 simply can’t fairly KO the champ of moveable Wi-Fi audio system.
Basically, the Sonos Transfer 2 is smarter, with each its computerized audio-tuning and voice management operating mental rings across the Edifier. Moreover, its sound covers a broader vary of frequencies, providing crisper treble and whomping bass – it has a confidence that its rival can’t fairly muster. Add in that IP56 ingress safety and prolonged 24-hour battery life, and also you’ve bought a set of specs that few mid-range wi-fi audio system can problem.
Until you’re head-over-heels in love with the ES300’s appears otherwise you merely don’t have the additional dough to stump up for Sonos’s pricier speaker, the Transfer 2 is the one you’re gonna wish to put your cash on right here.
