Welcome to your behind-the-scenes review of the PreSonus Eris E3.5 monitors.
Studio Monitors are essential pieces of equipment for any audio expert, budding music production enthusiast, or DJ. Investing in the right monitors is how you ensure that you can create the kind of incredible sounds your fans love.
Unfortunately, knowing which monitors to pay for isn’t always easy.
The most crucial decision for most professionals to make is whether they’re going to spend the huge amount of cash required for a market-leading set of monitors or whether they’re willing to compromise on functionality for a lower price.
Fortunately, there are a few options on the market that don’t ask you to make that choice at all.
The Eris E3.5 studio monitors deliver studio quality sound without the ludicrous price tag. Compact but effective, these monitors are quickly gaining the attention of professionals all around the globe.
Are the PreSonus Eris E3.5 monitor speakers any good?
The Eris E3.5 stand out as some of the most popular compact near-field studio monitors in the world. Though far from the biggest or most advanced products from the Presonus team, the Eris E3.5 seems to go above and beyond expectations in virtually every regard.
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Review: The Basics
The Eris E3.5 monitors are a set of professional active media reference monitors, designed by the Presonus brand.
PreSonus is a market leader in creating tools for musicians and audio experts, with a huge selection of powerful technology systems to choose from.
The company has been around for over 25 years, making it a veteran in its space.
The Eris E3.5 monitors are just one item within the Presonus portfolio. These also happen to be some of the better-known products from Presonus, thanks to their small price tag and impressive functionality.
Far from your standard “cheap studio monitors,” Presonus promises quality you can trust, built specifically for audio experts.
Features range from genuine 3.5-inch Kevlar-woven woofers to dome tweeters and a fantastic natural frequency response range of between 80Hz and 20kHz.
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Specs include:
- 1/8-inch stereo audio inputs
- ¼ inch TRS x2
- Unbalance RCA auxiliary input
- 80Hz to 20kHz frequency
- 2.8 kHz crossover frequency
- 25-watt amplifier power (per speaker)
- 100 dB peak SPL
- RF interference protection
- Fibreboard and vinyl laminated cabinet
These Presonus E3.5 monitors are also quite compact, with a width of around 5.6 inches and a height of 8.3 inches. Each set of monitors weighs around 6.4 pounds.
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Review: Features
For many buyers, the biggest benefit of the Eris E3.5 is its price tag.
This monitor set is intended to drive excellent outcomes without costing a fortune. The low price point means that more beginners can get involved with exceptional audio interface.
There are a few compromises to keep the price this low, but overall, you get a set of monitor speakers that go leaps and bounds above others in their range.
For anyone in search of a well-constructed, reliable, and affordable set of studio monitors, the E3.5 check every box.
Aside from sensational music quality for mixing and creating, these small speakers can also perform well in home video systems and gaming settings too.
The smooth and accurate listening frequency response combined with a compact design means they work anywhere.
Design and First Impressions
The first thing you’ll probably notice about the Eris E3.5 monitors is how they look. These are a set of studio monitors intended to appear more expensive than they are.
At first glance, they immediately look like the kind of speakers you’d expect to see in a professional studio or mixing room. The matt black finish is instantly professional and attractive too.
Though compact in size, these are speakers that can definitely stand out.
The structure looks solid and sturdy, although you might find they’re a little more lightweight than expected when you hook them up. The cables that come with the Presonus E3.5 are decent enough, too, although you might want to invest in some extra accessories to use with these monitors in certain use cases.
One particular stand-out feature of the design is the strong fixed metal guard over the tweeters, intended to prevent damage and the exposed woofers.
This ensures that you can see and feel the vibrations of your music as you create.
Build Quality and Size
The Eris E3.5 monitors don’t just look good; they feel high in quality too. When you pick them up, you’ll notice how lightweight they are, which can be a little worrying at first, but it also means that you’ll have an easier time transporting your speakers to gigs and events.
It’s clear that you’ve got a lot of plastic on the bodies and casing of these speakers, but that’s not a bad thing.
Plastic can often be a lot more durable, and capable of standing up to long-term use. It also contributes to that lightweight appeal which makes these monitors so portable.
As mentioned above, the Presonus E3.5 monitors are small – compact enough to fit into most desk setups. Despite this, you shouldn’t have to worry about power.
The small footprint of your monitors is hiding a surprising amount of potential. What’s more, these monitors also come with a range of mounting and positioning options.
You can hang your speaker on a wall, place them on stands, or keep them on your desk.
Protection
Investing in the ideal studio monitors is a big deal; the last thing you want is to have to worry about various forms of distortion and damage happening.
The good news is that there are various kinds of built-in protection included with the Eris E3.5 monitors.
You get support built-in to protect against RF interference, and there’s output current limiting too.
Other bonus protection features include overheating prevention, ideal solution for when you’re playing in hot studios and clubs.
You’ll also have access to defense against transient and subsonic filter frequencies, which are nice added bonuses.
The amplifier also comes with a bonus soft-starting feature. This helps protect the cleaner overall sound quality of your mixes because it eliminates popping when you power up the monitors.
Tuning Options
Most budget monitors, like the Eris E3.5, won’t come with a lot to offer in the way of tuning functionality.
This can be challenging if you have a difficult studio space which makes it tougher to take full advantage of your sound good quality output.
Fortunately, the Presonus E3.5 doesn’t have this problem. Unlike other products in the same pricing category, the Eris E3.5 monitors give you some refined tuning options which allow you to adjust the high and low frequency.
There are dedicated easy to use controls on the back of the primary powered monitor which allows for swinging between minus or plus 6 Db.
If you need to balance the sound quality output during your creative process, because you have too much low-end or high-end refraction, you can easily adjust.
The controls are extremely easy to use too. The volume knob is smooth and versatile, so you can manage small increment changes at the same time.
Power
As mentioned above, don’t be tricked by the small stature of the Eris speakers.
These might be compact monitors, but that doesn’t mean that they’re lacking in power. The LF/HF amplifier power is rated at around 25 watts per speaker, which is the same power you get from the larger Eris model monitors.
You can also achieve between 80 Hz and 20kHz in frequency response.
The extra power built into the speakers means that you can generally get a much higher volume without compromising on delivering clear sound quality than you might expect.
Connection points
Presonus promises that audio professionals using the Eris range will have no problem connecting to virtually any line-level source they might use.
There are three kinds of audio output included with these monitors. This ensures that you can feed music into your monitors from a software interface, mixer, or media player, as well as other common sources.
The Presonus Eris E3.5 comes with a rear-panel ¼ TRS connection and RCA input, as well as a 1/8 stereo mini jack input on the front panel.
Unbalanced line inputs are available for use with your mobile audio devices too. This should mean that you have no problem hooking your main speaker sup with the devices you use most.
The front panel headphone output amplifier also means that you can connect your headphones and work quietly around other people.
Tweeters, Woofers, and Accuracy
One of the most thrilling features of the Presonus Eris E3.5 monitors is the fantastic same technology built into these devices. Every monitor comes with a woven composite low-frequency driver.
This basically means that you get a more consistent dispersion pattern for your accurate audio, and a cleaner, more natural sound. For experts, this is absolutely essential.
Just as you get a fantastic high-quality woofer with the Presonus Eris E3.5 monitors, you’ll also enjoy a one-inch silk dome tweeter producing higher transients and sound frequencies.
The tweeters radiate sound sensational with a wide dispersion pattern for large optimal listening area in any space.
Speaking of accuracy, the Presonus Eris E3.5 is built from the ground up to deliver a smooth and natural frequency response despite its compact sound.
You can even pair the Eris E3.5 with the Presonus Temblor subwoofer for a more complete finished audio system.
Sound Quality
Easily the most important feature to consider when purchasing a set of high-quality studio monitors, the sound will make or break your buying decision. The good news is that it’s quick and easy to get your Presonus Eris E3.5 monitors set up.
Once you’ve connected them to the music solution of your choice, you can experiment with the tuning knobs on the back.
Even if you start playing sound without any adjustments to the tuning system, you should be pleasantly surprised. These are speakers that deliver quality quite unlike anything you could expect from such a compact, low-price solution.
Blowing other competitors out of the water with crisp and clean frequencies, the Presonus Eris E3.5 is a delight to listen to.
Though compact, the Presonus Eris E3.5 monitors can deliver some truly impressive low frequencies, with a high level of presence that’s hard to accomplish, even with larger woofer technology. Low levels don’t drown out the other ranges in the spectrum either.
The midrange is crisp and clean, with powerful highs too.
Throughout the entire spectrum, the Presonus Eris E3.5 speakers deliver beyond expectations. One of the toughest challenges for most near-field monitors is creating a soundstage that delivers organic sound at a short space from the listener.
Yet, the Presonus Eris E3.5 had no problem with this challenge. Just under nine inches high, the speakers feel several foam feet tall when it comes to audio presence.
Another point worth noting is that the volume is extremely good too. There are no distortions to worry about if you need to crank the volume up higher. Although the bass can waver very slightly at the highest sound levels, it’s not enough to be a significant problem.
Accessories required
For the most part, the Presonus Eris E3.5 monitors come with everything you need for a professional audio experience.
You’ll get Kevlar custom woofers built-in, so a smooth and refined sound stage is available as standard. There’s also that fantastic silk-dome tweeter for producing highly refined sound at higher frequencies.
Extra bonuses include tuning knobs and a range of connection points.
One possible issue that you may have is a lack of available power cord options that come with the package. The cables weren’t as advanced for these monitors as you might expect for a professional DJ or music creator.
However, for the price, it’s not going to set you back too much if you feel the need to purchase some extra XLR input wires.
Remember that you’ll also need an audio interface or another output solution for streaming your audio through these monitors too.
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Monitors: Pros and Cons
Investing in studio monitors can be a complex process, particularly for beginners in the professional music mixing landscape.
Often, it seems like you’re making a choice between either spending a fortune or missing out on essential functionality. This isn’t the case with Presonus.
The Presonus Eris E3.5 checks all the right boxes as an affordable set of monitors with professional-level performance features. If you need a clean and balanced inputs sound from a well-made set of monitors with serious volume control, Presonus has you covered.
These speakers can also double up as multimedia speakers for your friends and family too.
Pros
- Attractive professional finish
- Compact and lightweight enough for portability
- Insanely powerful Woofer with great sound
- Fantastic silk-dome tweeter for higher frequencies
- Delightful range of connectivity options for your line sources
- Great levels of accuracy
- Connectivity with a range of external products
- Affordable price point will be suitable for beginners
- Minimalist design with a range of mounting options
- Tuning options allow you to make adjustments to your sound
- Strong enough to withstand regular use
- Good level of amplifier power
Cons
- May have some bass issues at higher volume
- Quite a narrow sweet spot for listening
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Monitors: The Verdict
This set gives you so much more than just a basic affordable set of monitors.
Whether you’re blown away by the available tuning options that tend to be overlooked on cheaper speaker systems or appreciate the wide collection of connectivity options, there are plenty of things to enjoy about these speakers.
It’s not just the practicality that really makes an impact with this purchase either.
PreSonus Eris E3.5 monitors look great value and perform amazingly well. For the price tag, it’s hard to believe that you get such an attractive set of high-performance monitors, designed to stand the test of time.
Though things like extra plastic in the construction might give you a moment of pause when you’re first setting these speakers up, you’ll quickly forget about them.
For beginners and intermediates in the audio creation world, the Presonus Eris E3.5 monitors are a must-have part of any true studio-level kit.
