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DJ Tech Reviews

PreSonus Eris E3.5

PreSonus's 2017 desktop monitor pair: clean and balanced with handy front controls, but light on bass.

A pair of PreSonus Eris E3.5 monitors from the front

Photos: PreSonus

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4 of 4 professional reviews recommend it
Best for
Desks and small rooms needing compact monitors for music, video and games.
Skip it if
You need deep bass without a subwoofer, or want the current Eris 3.5 2nd Gen.

The Internet’s Opinion

From 4 professional reviews: a fair amount of evidence.

All four professional reviews found recommend it as a clean, balanced desktop monitor pair with handy front-panel controls and tone controls for the room. The one repeated reservation is light bass from the 3.5-inch woofers. PreSonus has replaced it with the Eris 3.5 2nd Gen, and no owner reviews were readable.

4 recommend0 mixed0 avoid

What people praise

  • Clean, balanced sound for speakers this small
  • Front volume knob, aux input and headphone output
  • Rear bass and treble controls to suit the room
Show 3 more
  • Small enough to sit either side of a computer screen
  • Cables for phones and computers in the box
  • Strong value

What to know first

  • Light bass: the 3.5-inch woofers don't reach deep
See the 4 reviews behind this

4 professional reviews (4 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 avoid); no owner reviews read: Thomann no longer lists the E3.5 and no Guitar Center listing for it was foundCompiled 2026-10-12How this is compiled

Prices

Before you buy

Released
October 2017
Status
Discontinued
Replaced by
PreSonus Eris 3.5 (2nd Gen)

Works with

  • Audio interfaces and mixers1/4" TRS or RCA

    Rear-panel balanced 1/4-inch TRS and unbalanced RCA inputs take a mixer, interface or media player Manufacturer spec sheet (Sonicstate), checked 2026-10-12

  • Phones and laptopsFront 1/8" input

    A front-panel 1/8-inch stereo input takes mobile devices Manufacturer spec sheet (Sonicstate), checked 2026-10-12

  • HeadphonesFront headphone out

    An integrated headphone amplifier shares the front volume knob Manufacturer spec sheet (Sonicstate), checked 2026-10-12

  • Desks and untreated roomsHF and LF controls

    Rear high- and low-frequency controls adjust the response for the room Manufacturer spec sheet (Sonicstate), checked 2026-10-12

You’ll also need

  • Balanced TRS cables (optional)Not in the box

    The box holds a 1/8-inch stereo cable and a 1/8-inch to dual RCA cable; balanced TRS cables are not included SoundRef, checked 2026-10-12

  • Space for the powered speakerAmp in left speaker

    The left speaker holds the amplifier, controls and power; the right speaker connects to it with the included speaker wire Manufacturer spec sheet (Music Connection), checked 2026-10-12

Key specs

Configuration
2-way active media reference monitors, sold as a pair (one active, one passive speaker)
Woofer size
3.5 in
LF driver
3.5" custom-woven Kevlar
Amplifier power (total)
50 W
Amplifier power
50 W Class AB (25 W per side)
Max SPL
100 dB peak @ 1 m
All 17 specifications
Frequency response
80 Hz – 20 kHz
Inputs
2 x balanced 1/4" TRS, 2 x unbalanced RCA (rear); 1 x stereo 1/8" TRS (front)
Weight
2.9 kg (6.4 lb) per pair
HF driver
1" silk dome
Tweeter size
1 in
Crossover
2.8 kHz
Outputs
Front 1/8" headphone output (shares the front volume knob)
Controls
Volume; acoustic tuning -6 to +6 dB at 100 Hz and at 10 kHz
Input impedance
10 kΩ
Cabinet
Vinyl-laminated medium-density fibreboard
Dimensions (H x W x D)
210 x 141 x 162 mm (8.3 x 5.6 x 6.4 in)

17 of 17 figures sourced; hover one for its source

Our take

Tony AllenWritten from the sources on this page, not from a loan unit.

All four professional reviews recommend it: the sound is clean and balanced for its size, the front panel has volume, an aux input and a headphone output, and rear tone controls tune it to the room. The one repeated reservation is light bass from the 3.5-inch woofers. PreSonus has replaced it with the Eris 3.5 2nd Gen, so buy an E3.5 used for a desk, or choose the newer model.

What it is

Status, October 2026: discontinued. Its successor is the PreSonus Eris 3.5 (2nd Gen).

What it is

The Eris E3.5 is a pair of compact active monitors from PreSonus, released in October 2017 (PreSonus product page). PreSonus calls them media reference monitors. They sat below the 4.5-inch Eris E4.5 in the Eris line.

Each speaker is a two-way design with a 3.5-inch woven Kevlar woofer and a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter, crossing over at 2.8 kHz, in a vinyl-laminated MDF cabinet. Only the left speaker is powered: it holds a 50 W Class AB amplifier, 25 W per side, plus the controls and the power connection, and it drives the passive right speaker over the included speaker wire. PreSonus quotes 80 Hz to 20 kHz and a peak of 100 dB SPL at 1 m.

The rear panel of the left speaker takes a mixer, interface or media player on two balanced 1/4-inch TRS inputs or two unbalanced RCA inputs, and has high and low controls that adjust the response by up to 6 dB either way at 10 kHz and 100 Hz. The front panel has the volume knob, a 1/8-inch stereo input for a phone or laptop, and a 1/8-inch headphone output whose level the same knob sets.

Each speaker measures 210 x 141 x 162 mm, and the pair weighs 2.9 kg. The box holds the two speakers, the speaker wire, a 1/8-inch stereo cable and a 1/8-inch to dual RCA cable; balanced TRS cables are not included.

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