Do you have a broken kitchen appliance lurking at the back of a cabinet? Perhaps an air fryer that’s stopped heating, or a blender with a broken seal? You’re not alone. According to research from appliance manufacturer Tefal, 88% of British people have at least one unused appliance at home, and over a third have three to five in what Patrick Lucereau, Marketing Director at Tefal UK, calls a “kitchen graveyard”.

The problem is partly due to recycling awareness; people know they can recycle paper and glass, but many don’t realize that small appliances can be recycled too.

Edifier has built its reputation on delivering affordable, feature-rich speakers that don’t feel like compromises, and the new M90 continues that strategy with a compact active design aimed at both desktop and small room use. First introduced at CES 2026, where we got an early look and listen, the M90 is positioned as a flexible all-in-one solution that can move easily between nearfield listening and casual living room duty. After spending time with the system, it’s clear Edifier is targeting listeners who want simplicity, solid performance, and a smaller footprint at an affordable price.

About My Preferences:

This review is subjective, shaped by how I listen and what I value. I do my best to stay objective, but let’s be honest, bias doesn’t just pack up and leave the room.

My ideal sound leans toward controlled sub-bass, textured mid-bass, a slightly warm and natural midrange, and treble that extends cleanly without turning harsh. I also have mild treble sensitivity, so anything overly bright or aggressive tends to stand out quickly.

Testing equipment and standards can be found here.

Edifier M90 Specifications and Key Features:

The Edifier M90 is a compact active speaker system priced at $369.99, with cabinet dimensions of 133 x 212 x 225 mm (approximately 5.2 x 8.3 x 8.9 inches), making it easy to place on a desk, shelf, or media console. It uses a two-way, bi-amped design built around a 4-inch long-throw mid-bass driver and a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter, with dedicated amplification for each driver.

Total system power is rated at 100 watts RMS, split between 35 watts for the mid-bass and 15 watts for the tweeter per channel, and it can reach up to 100 dB SPL. That’s enough for nearfield listening or smaller living spaces without overreaching.

Connectivity is one of the M90’s stronger plays. Around back, you get HDMI eARC, optical, USB-C, and a standard AUX input, which covers everything from TVs and laptops to legacy gear. Wireless playback is handled by Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC and multipoint support, so you can stream higher-quality audio and switch between devices without the usual friction. The system also supports up to 24-bit/96kHz audio depending on the source.

Ease of use hasn’t been overlooked either. The M90 includes onboard controls for quick adjustments, an omnidirectional remote that actually works from across the room, and support for the Edifier ConneX app on iOS and Android for additional control and setup. DSP is doing a lot of the heavy lifting behind the scenes, managing how the speakers handle music, movies, and gaming to keep performance consistent across different types of content.

Build Quality

The M90 feels well-built in the hand and features high-quality paint finishes. It doesn’t look out of place on a desk filled with high-end gear, which should suite deskscape enthusiasts well. The ports on the rear of the device are firmly set within the active speaker’s chassis, leaving no room for wobble or wiggle. 

The included remote is a little basic, but is still put together well. The buttons and responsive and sized well, making them easy to manipulate in a dark room. It has plenty of range too, so even larger living and theater rooms shouldn’t run into distance issues. 

I did find the M90 to be a little clumsy when used at my desk, however. Other desktop speakers often feature a front-facing selection of controls such as volume and power. The M90 does not, so you’ll need to use the wireless remote to manipulate its state even when sitting right next to it. Well, that or stand up and reach behind the right speaker , which isn’t a viable option for a wide (and cluttered) desk like mine. 

Listening

The M90 is a pretty flexible pair of speakers, but it feels most at home when running through your favorite album. Its default tuning is well-balanced, delivering crisp treble and an articulate upper-midrange. The M90 renders vocals nicely, capturing a strong share of nuance, particularly during quieter passages. The M90’s lower mids sit slightly back in the mix and aren’t overly emphasized, contributing to a more neutral, audiophile-leaning tonality.

This, paired with the speakers’ linear bass performance, give it a resolving, but sterile, timbre. You’ll want to pair the M90 with a discrete subwoofer to get a truly full-range experience, as the mid-bass woofer on the speaker doesn’t dig down much further than 150Hz. 

Cycling through the other presets add varying degrees of warmth back in to the mix, giving guitars and drums additional substance. This also relaxes the upper-midrange, allowing vocals to settle back towards the middle of the sound-stage rather than center-front. I don’t like the “Monitor” and “Dynamic” presets as much as the “Classic” tuning, but then again, I don’t have any particular need for a pre-calibrated studio-monitor profile. 

If you want to dive into personalization and fine-grained customization, the Edifier app allows you to configure and apply your own tuning via a 9-band software EQ. It works pretty and well and is responsive. The app is utilitarian in appearance, but functions smoothly and without bugs on Android. 

Strong Gaming Performance

The M90 is a great couch-gaming set of speakers. Hooking it up to my TV via HDMI eARC was easy, and before I knew it I had high-headroom, low-latency audio ready to go. First-person shooters are pretty playable on the M90, even in fairly small rooms. In my gaming den, the speakers are positioned about 10 feet from my chair, flanking a 65-inch OLED TV. In this setup, the M90 delivers its best spatial rendering.

Cramming the M90 on to my work desk delivered somewhat less-exciting results. Its sound-field operates best at longer distances, and my desk (60″ x 38″) didn’t give me enough depth for gunshots and subtle footsteps to accurately render in titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. 

Frustrating Quirks, Fixed via Firmware Update

The M90’s excellent performance and great pricing is hamstrung by a few odd-ball choices made on its default firmware. If you’re experiencing unpredictable fade-in behavior or are noticing that the M90 falls asleep during quiet passages in video content, then install the Edifier Connect app and update its firmware. That behavior is a bug that was fixed as of 4/12/2026.

Likewise, if you’ve plugged a subwoofer in to the M90’s line out and found its gain to be too low, you’ll need to update the M90’s firmware and then adjust the gain in the app. This is the only way to adjust the line-out gain, so if you’re not a smartphone owner, you’re out of luck. I’d have liked to have seen additional physical controls for sub-out gain so I can more-easily fine-tune my sub’s output. 

The Bottom Line

The M90 is a solid, cost-effective speaker for those that want to take advantage of modern eARC capabilities. Its strong technical capabilities, combined with its wide feature-set, make it a compelling proposition, especially when measured against its more-expensive peers. After updating the M90’s firmware, it becomes a capable and hassle-free companion for high-performance audio, especially for those that plan on deploying it in the living room.

Pros:

• Wide soundstage
• Lots of headroom
• Articulate and performant
• Customizable via EQ and tuning presets
• Solid directional abilities for gaming
• Includes responsive wireless remote
• Supports wide variety of input modes including HDMI eARC

Cons:

• Requires a subwoofer to get full-range sound
• Not suited for smaller desktops
• Some arrangements may require angled desk stands
• No front-facing physical volumes controls, awkward for desktop use

Where to buy:

Related Reading:

Bloomberg reports that users gained access to Mythos the same day Anthropic announced its limited release.

A private Discord group has reportedly gained unauthorised access to Anthropic’s powerful new AI model Mythos, raising sharp concerns around the company’s ability to keep the model on a short leash.

Mythos, unveiled in a limited launch earlier this month, vastly outperforms other AI models in vulnerability detection and exploitation, according to its creator.

Anthropic has only given access to the model to a closed but growing group of companies and financial institutions, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia and JP Morgan Chase, to test and bolster their cybersecurity.

UK financial institutions are set to start using Mythos this week, while Japan and Canada are in discussions with their biggest banks on Mythos. Bank of Ireland told SiliconRepublic.com that it is keeping the matter under review.

Last week, Ireland’s National Cyber Security Centre’s director Richard Browne told an Oireachtas Joint Committee that the technology would be in the hands of bad actors within months.

However, a source has now told Bloomberg that a handful of users gained access to Mythos weeks ago, on the same day Anthropic announced its limited launch. The group has been using Mythos regularly since, but not for malicious purposes, the source added.

“We’re investigating a report claiming unauthorised access to Claude Mythos Preview through one of our third-party vendor environments,” Anthropic told news publications in a statement.

Mythos has sent shocks through the tech industry, which is scrambling to bolster its security systems in light of the powerful AI model. Soon after its launch, US authorities told Wall Street leaders to take the matter seriously.

But not all authorities have taken an equally serious approach, with Deutsche Bank commenting that Germany’s financial institutions are well-prepared for cyber risks posed by the model.

“Naturally everyone is trying to get access, but I think it’s entirely appropriate that this access remains restricted for the time being,” said Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing earlier this week.

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Adobe Illustrator began development in 1985, with its initial release coming out in 1987. 39 years in an eternity in computing terms, and it’s amazing this venerable piece of software is still the ruling king when it comes to design, illustrations and vector-based work.

We’ve long championed it as one of the best graphic design software apps around – but now I’m taking a look at some of the new features that are being introduced with the latest version, Adobe Illustrator 2026 (I explored version 30.3).

As a gamer, I’m enjoying the current renaissance of video game adaptations. Whether it’s the new 3D-animated Super Mario Galaxy Movie or Sonic movies or award-winning TV series like The Last of Us, Fallout and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Hollywood is now filled with creators who are actually fans of the games they’re adapting, a shift from the 1990s when licenses were often purchased just to cash in on younger audiences. 

On Monday, A24 revealed the cast of the live-action adaptation of the Elden Ring movie, which will be directed by Alex Garland (Civil War, Annihilation) and released on March 3, 2028. While this looks promising on paper, it’s hard to ignore the scale of the challenge to adapt a game known for its personality-less protagonist, cryptic lore and multiple endings. Still, there is reason to believe this could become one of the most successful video game adaptations.

To start, A24, the studio behind the production, is known for acclaimed films such as The Brutalist, Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All at Once — all very different films following unique, humanistic visions. While the studio typically produces smaller films with budgets under $50 million, the Elden Ring movie is reportedly set to exceed a $100 million budget.

Filming is already underway, and leaked set photos show what appears to be an almost perfect recreation of locations and scenes from the game. On Wednesday, a video uploaded to YouTube showed a crowd cheering during the hanging of a character known as the Dung Eater, closely mirroring a moment from the game’s opening intro cinematic.

Watching that short clip of a character who isn’t central to the story, yet is depicted with such accuracy, is astonishing. My biggest concern, though, is Elden Ring’s story. Unlike some other adaptations in development, such as Death Stranding, The Legend of Zelda and Resident Evil, Elden Ring is just one game with one DLC (Shadow of the Erdtree) and one multiplayer spinoff (Nightreign). That’s it.

Even so, developer FromSoftware packs an immense amount of lore into the game, though not in the traditional sense through dialogue or readable documents. Instead, as in its other titles, the studio distributes background details about characters and the world through descriptions of items, weapons, armor and spells.

This approach to world-building, which FromSoftware first used in 2009’s Demon’s Souls, is like a jigsaw puzzle. But instead of assembling pieces to form a picture, it’s about taking two or three sentences and building an entire book. Literally, fans who create YouTube videos about the game’s lore are now publishing a 400-page book.

Not only is there a vast amount of lore to dig into, the Elden Ring’s sheer scope is immense. The game’s main story follows the player character’s journey to become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between, a god over mysterious undying lands. That quest is shaped by wars and betrayals that occurred long before the events of the game. It unfolds like a season of Game of Thrones, which is fitting given that George R. R. Martin helped develop Elden Ring’s story.

Fortunately, there’s hope that director Alex Garland understands the assignment when it comes to adapting Elden Ring. Unlike earlier video game adaptations, where screenwriters were often tasked with making sense of stories from games they hadn’t played and forcing them into a 90-minute structure, this production is being led by a fan of the game.

A New Yorker article about A24 last year recounted an anecdote involving Garland and Noah Sacco, the studio’s head of film. Sacco visited Garland, who had been enthusiastic about the game, and proposed a film adaptation. Sacco approved the idea, and Garland went on to write a 200-page script that includes 40 pages of visuals. The two later traveled to Japan to seek approval from the game’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Miyazaki was reportedly impressed with Garland’s knowledge of the game, which came from completing it at least seven times — a sizable feat considering it takes 60 hours or more to beat.

We still don’t know which time period the Elden Ring movie will explore. One assumption is that it could serve as a prequel, focusing on the Shattering, the in-game historical event that set the stage for the game’s present-day story. Extensive lore surrounds those events, and because FromSoftware leaves many details open to interpretation, there’s room for Garland to develop a compelling narrative while staying true to the source material.

Looking at all the elements of this production, the pieces are in place for a successful film. An award-winning studio is making one of its largest investments in a video game adaptation, led by a director who is a devoted fan. He has the approval of the game’s creator, who was not quick to grant licensing rights, and Martin is also involved as a producer. The Elden Ring movie has the potential to be not just a worthy adaptation, but one of the best video game adaptations ever made.

At least, that’s the hope.

It appears that all of life is becoming one big subscription fest. There’s Netflix, Spotify, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, food order subscriptions, Duolingo, Amazon, and YouTube. Can you believe there’s even a subscription for buying socks? Look, the list could go on, but I don’t want to bore you or myself.

Subscription services are here to stay, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it. As much as we hate them draining our money every month, if we want the goods, we must accept that, in return, we have to part with our hard-earned cash.