PreSonus Eris E3.5 Best Price
The PreSonus Eris E3.5 BT are a pair of active nearfield studio monitors aimed at home studio enthusiasts and professional studios alike.
As part of PreSonus’ Eris line of speakers, the E3.5 BT promises to bring the same high-quality sound reproduction and acoustic tuning as its larger siblings in a compact and affordable package.
With a retail price of just $89.99, the E3.5 BT packs a surprising amount of technology and features into its small vinyl-laminated MDF enclosure, including a 3.5-inch composite woofer, 1-inch silk dome tweeter, 50 watts of Class AB biamplification, Bluetooth connectivity, and acoustic tuning controls.
Its diminutive size belies a fuller-than-expected bass response and clear stereo imaging that rivals speakers twice its price.
PreSonus Eris E3.5-3.5" Near Field Studio Monitors (Pair) – Powered Desktop Speakers for Music Production, Studio-Quality Recording, and Active Media Reference
Characteristics
Design and Build
The Eris E3.5 BT comes sold and used exclusively as a pair, with one serving as the powered master speaker and the other as a passive slave.
The vinyl-covered MDF cabinet has a sleek, professional aesthetic with gently rounded edges that blends into any desktop environment.
At just 162 x 141 x 210 mm (H x W x D), the E3.5 BT has an extremely compact footprint perfect for tight spaces and positioning at close range in smaller project studios.
The passive radiator port at the rear helps extend its bass response down to 80Hz despite the small woofer size.
Amplification and Connectivity
The active E3.5 BT houses a 50-watt Class AB amplifier that delivers 25 watts of power to each speaker driver.
Input options include both balanced TRS and unbalanced RCA connections, with additional 3.5mm aux input and headphone jack on the front panel.
A unique feature for such an affordable monitor is the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.0 support, allowing wireless audio playback from mobile devices and computers.
Pairing is activated by a small button next to the bass port.
Acoustic Tuning
PreSonus’ proprietary Acoustic Tuning technology gives the E3.5 BT exceptional clarity and precision for the price.
The tweeter and woofer have been designed to smoothly integrate at the 2.8kHz crossover point.
shelving EQ sliders on the rear panel allow boosting or cutting high and low frequencies ±6dB to compensate for room acoustics.
Features
Drivers
Despite its small size, the Eris E3.5 BT delivers a surprisingly full and impactful listening experience.
This is thanks to its 3.5-inch composite fiber woofer and 1-inch low-mass silk dome tweeter.
The woofer uses a rigid yet lightweight composite material that provides tight, accurate bass beyond what is expected from a driver this size.
The silk dome tweeter, meanwhile, has excellent transient response for reproducing fine detail.
Amplification
A 50-watt Class AB amplifier drives each speaker individually with 25 watts of continuous power.
This biamplified design prevents low frequencies from distorting the mids and highs, resulting in a clearer stereo image.
An auto-on feature eliminates power-up pops and thumps that could damage sensitive drivers or ears.
Other protection includes RF interference filtering, current limiting, thermal overload prevention, and a subsonic filter for safe operation.
Connectivity
The Eris E3.5 supports both professional +4dBu balanced connections as well as -10dBV consumer RCA inputs.
This allows interfacing with anything from budget audio interfaces to professional mixing consoles.
Stereo Bluetooth 5.0 makes wireless playback possible from phones, tablets, computers, or other smart devices.
An aux input and headphone jack on the front panel provide quick access without reaching around to the rear.
Acoustic Tuning
Acoustic Tuning gives the E3.5 BT outstanding clarity and accuracy for critical listening applications.
Proprietary signal processing helps achieve a linear frequency response and seamless driver integration through the crossover region.
Rear panel EQ sliders make it easy to compensate for bass or treble absorption from room placement.
Boosting or cutting high and low frequencies helps tune the sound to your environment.
Sound Performance
Despite its tiny footprint, the Eris E3.5 BT sounds far bigger than its size would suggest.
With tuned rear ports and internal bracing, the MDF cabinet produces very little unwanted resonance or coloration.
Music and speech come through cleanly with a surprising sense of space.
Frequency Response
After placing the speakers about 1 meter from my listening position and angling them inward, I begin auditioning various tracks.
Considering its low price point, what immediately jumps out is the E3.5 BT’s balanced tonal quality and smooth frequency response.
The 3.5-inch woofer delivers impressive low-end punch, sounding full and authoritative down to about 60Hz before naturally rolling off.
Response across the mids is neutral and transparent, with just a slight bump around 250Hz adding a sense of body.
Highs are detailed but teeter on the edge of brightness, likely due to a prominent 13kHz range.
Dialing back the treble EQ makes Strings and vocals sound less aggressive.
Soundstage and Clarity
Imaging is another high point – the E3.5 BT throws a surprisingly wide soundstage with excellent phantom center definition.
Stereo placement remains coherent even at low volumes thanks to its high 95dB sensitivity.
The accurate transient response reveals subtle details in content and easily conveys positional cues.
This helps make the listening experience more immersive, drawing the listener into the performance.
Changing tracks to some electronic dance music, the punchy dynamics and rhythmic drive make it hard not to tap your feet.
The Class AB amplification clearly handles dynamic peaks and loud passages without harshness or distortion.
Conclusion
In closing, PreSonus has delivered an incredible value with the new Eris E3.5 BT active studio monitor.
Combining premium drivers, amps, and construction in a compact nearfield design, it easily outperforms competing speakers anywhere near its affordable price point.
Sound Quality
The coaxial woofer and tweeter achieve a surprisingly full, balanced sound with impressive clarity and stereo imaging.
The rear acoustic tuning controls are effective at minimizing harmful room interactions.
Both music listening and audio production benefit greatly from its accuracy.
Features
A rich input and connectivity suite includes both consumer and pro-grade connections making it compatible with virtually any system.
Convenient front panel aux and headphones round out a package leaving little to be desired in such a small footprint.
Value
At just $89.99 per pair including cables, the E3.5 BT provides professional-grade performance and features at a consumer price point.
PreSonus cuts no corners in sound quality or construction – this speaker screams value for money and is easy to recommend.
PreSonus Eris E3.5-3.5" Near Field Studio Monitors (Pair) – Powered Desktop Speakers for Music Production, Studio-Quality Recording, and Active Media Reference
Review
PreSonus Eris E3.5
The PreSonus Eris E3.5 BT punches well above its weight class. For an incredibly affordable price, these compact nearfield monitors deliver premium sound quality on par with models double the cost. The coaxial 3.5-inch woofer and 1-inch silk dome tweeter achieve accurate frequency response across the spectrum with tight, extended bass and crisp highs. The Class AB amplification provides plenty of clean power to convey detail and dynamics without distortion even at loud volumes.With its professional connections and Bluetooth support, the Eris E3.5 BT can seamlessly integrate into practically any studio workflow. Convenience features like the acoustic tuning EQ, front panel aux input, and headphone jack make these monitors a versatile Swiss Army knife. Well-crafted and great-sounding, the E3.5 BT represents unmatched value in its category. PreSonus leaves very little room for improvement at this tiny price point - for professional and home studios alike, the Eris E3.5 BT earns an undisputed recommendation.
PROS
- Excellent sound quality with tight bass and clear mids/highs thanks to composite woofer and silk dome tweeter
- 50 watts of Class AB biamplification provides plenty of clean power and headroom
- Professional +4dBu and consumer -10dBV connections for seamless integration
- Bluetooth 5.0 for convenient wireless playback from mobile devices
- Acoustic tuning controls help minimize room coloration
- Great price
CONS
- Size constraints limit extreme low frequency extension - bass rolls off naturally below 60Hz
Review Breakdown
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Price
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Best Price
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