REVIEW – You gotta love Edifier. These guys have managed to create audio speakers in almost every genre/price point without watering down quality. Their speakers can compete dollar for dollar with any similarly priced speaker from more well-known brands. They’ve managed to think long-term by acquiring the legendary Japanese Audio brand, Stax. Plus, they teamed with another legend—British speaker designer Phil Jones to create the AirPulse premium speaker brand. Phil is also a bass guitar amplifier designer, so it’s no surprise to anyone that when he designed a Bluetooth speaker, he added a line-in for plugging in a guitar, turning the speaker into a small, personal amp—the AU-4. Does it live up to Phil Jones’ reputation?
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $279.99
Where to buy: Amazon
What is it?
The AirPulse AU-4 Bluetooth speaker is a squarish tabletop speaker that looks like a mini-guitar amp—because it is a mini-guitar amp. At 6 x 7.75 x 8 inches and weighing only 6 lbs, the AU-4 can be placed almost anywhere in the house.
Note that the AU-4 is not an outdoor speaker. It is not water resistant and has no battery. It must be plugged into an outlet.
The AU-4’s DSP digital amp puts out 35W through a 1 x 4-inch custom-designed wide-frequency speaker.
A top plate holds an array of ports, buttons, and dials. A standard AUX port sits next to a 1/4-inch stereo input—good for musical instruments such as guitars, basses, and keyboards.
There are three toggle switches for various functions. A Reset/PlayPause switch can reset Bluetooth for re-pairing with a different device, as well as play and pause music. An input switch swaps between AUX, Bluetooth, and LINE IN modes. The third switch is both a Bluetooth indicator (flashing for pairing, solid for connection) and an On/Off switch.
Below the ports and switches, are three knobs/dials for simple equalizing—Bass, Treble and Volume. It’s all very basic—by design.
The side of the AU-4 speaker has a port for an included power cord.
The exterior of the AU-4 is covered in real leather, similar to the kind used on amps. Two colorways are offered — White or Blue.
What’s included?
- AirPulse AU-4 speaker
- Power cord
Tech specs
- Dimensions: 6 x 7.75 x 8 inches (WxDxH)
- Weight: 6 lbs
- Power: 35W amp
- 4-inch wide frequency driver
- Leather-wrapped shell
- Anodized aluminum control panel
- Painted metal grill
- 4 rubber feet
- AUX/BT/LINE
- BASS: Low-frequency adjustment TREBLE: High-frequency adjustment VOLUME: Main volume control
- Inputs: 6.35mm stereo, 3.5mm stereo AUX, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX HD)
Design and features
The more I listen to the AirPulse AU-4 Bluetooth speaker, the more I like it, despite a couple of annoying quirks (later). It sounds good at all volume levels. With the volume cranked, the AU-4 can easily fill a room, even with its small 4-inch speaker. Chalk that up to the genius of the designer, Phil Jones. It still sounds nice at low volume. By turning up the bass and lowering the treble a bit, music sounds full without losing frequencies that can be lost at low volumes.
The AU-4’s built-in quality becomes immediately apparent once the over-sized analog bass, treble and volume knobs/dials are turned. In addition to the protective leather wrap, the AU-4 comes with a black metal grill that quietly protects the speaker.
Operating the AU-4 speaker is a no-brainer. I never had to look at the manual to figure it out. Why can’t all Bluetooth speakers be this simple?
All the controls act and feel analog, even though the tech behind them is digital, down to its DSP all-digital amp. Unfortunately, there is no USB-C input for a digital-to-digital connection, so any AUX connection’s audio quality depends on the source’s digital-to-analog conversion (DAC). The AU-4 does not have a DAC.
The AU-4’s 5.1 Bluetooth is aptX-HD for what AirPulse calls wireless CD quality sound… for non-Apple users anyway. Even though my iPhone doesn’t support aptX (in any form), I don’t miss it. Bluetooth has improved dramatically over the years. CD quality or not, it’s almost a non-issue today whether aptX is used or not.
I listened to different genres of music while testing the AU-4 speaker, from 60s folk to Russian Choral music (a guilty pleasure). The choral music features the lowest (human) bass to almost painfully high frequencies—all a cappella! The AU-4 speaker never distorted or sounded unpleasant. The only harshness I heard was in the recording itself, which I also heard on many other Bluetooth speakers. Because of recording limitations, oldies folk rock usually has reduced bass and pushed mid-range vocals. By adjusting the bass knob on the AU-4, I was able to round out the audio to a more modern sound. It made the folk music I’ve always loved sound even better.
The AU-4 doubles as a personal mini-amp. Unfortunately, I don’t play an instrument, so I couldn’t test this feature. My son is a professional player, but he lives in Atlanta. Next time he visits, I’m going to get his take on this. If it sounds as good as it does playing pre-recorded music, it’s going to be a winner.
Earlier, I mentioned a couple of annoying quirks with the AU-4 speaker. First, the AU-4 has to be plugged in at all times. There is no battery, so it should be used only indoors or at least protected from moisture. That’s the other quirk. There is no water resistance rating, so it’s not recommended that the AU-4 be used in the kitchen (except far away from cooking and water) and most definitely not in a bathroom! A promo photo on the AirPulse website shows a young woman using the AU-4 next to a pool. No—just no. Think of the AU-4 as a tabletop speaker that just happens to look like an amp (because it is).
Final thoughts
The AirPulse AU-4 Bluetooth speaker surprised me. It looked, felt and sounded better than I expected. Granted, it’s not cheap, but the price is not outrageous, either. What the AU-4 lacks in features, it makes up in quality—in both audio and build. I could easily recommend this speaker, especially to apartment-dwelling musicians who might also need a personal amp.
What I like about AirPulse AU-4 Bluetooth speaker
- Well made
- Sounds great for its size
- Easy to use analog knobs and buttons
- It doubles as a mini guitar amp
What needs to be improved?
- No water resistance rating
- No TWS (wireless stereo)
- No battery. Must be plugged in.
Price: $279.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Edifier AirPulse. AirPulse did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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$34.90 (as of May 18, 2025 23:17 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
