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Image: Edifier
Edifier is the go-to choice for “bookshelf” speakers that sit on either side of your desktop PC’s monitor instead of on a bookshelf. The brand knows it’s popular with PC gamers, which is probably why its newest design looks uncannily like a gaming PC itself. The so-called HUAZAI New Cyber Speaker is, well, a speaker… despite featuring a transparent housing and a lot of faux computer parts inside.
Yeah, this is a strange one. In terms of form factor, the whole 2.1 unit is basically a boom box or perhaps an especially large speaker bar. That bottom section houses a pair of 52mm drivers and a 100mm woofer, a 60-watt amp, and a pair of passive radiators. Up top is a 2.8-inch screen over the area where a “CPU” would be if this was a PC (again, this is not a PC), and various blocks and LED-bedecked sections roughly mimic RAM DIMMs, SSDs, fans, and GPUs sitting on top of a motherboard. Those things that look like coolant lines are, allegedly, braided speaker cables.
Edifier
According to Notebookcheck, the speaker unit can be connected via USB, standard auxiliary cable, or Bluetooth, and it doubles as a USB-C or USB-A charger at up to 35 watts. Set to release in black or white colorways—but only in China for the moment—the New Cyber model will cost 1,499 yuan (about $210 USD at current exchange rates). There’s no indication of when (or if) it will come to other markets.
I guess I could see this working as an accent piece for a “battlestation” setup if you have a gaming laptop but really want something on the side of your desk that looks like a cyberpunk fish tank? But then you’d lose a lot of the separation in a stereo setup, which is pretty important if you’re actually using it for gaming or media. I dunno. It looks cool, or at least interesting, and it’s not ridiculously overpriced for the hardware and bling… though there’s no telling what the price might stretch to in other markets, especially the tariff-wracked US.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.
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