Presonus Eris E4.5 2way Powered Studio Monitor

jmassey23 · December 14, 2014

So a couple on months ago I was looking to upgrade my computer speakers. The ones I had before were nothing special but I love listening to music while I study and do others things on the computer. Thus I went on the hunt trying to find the best speakers I could afford. My Price range was anywhere from 200 to 399. I Started off by watching Linus video series on speakers. However, I didn't really find anything that I like on those selection of videos. I did however like the concepts on having studio monitors. So I started to look for studio monitors in my price range. Well to be honest there were only a couple as most studio monitors start at 299 per-speaker. After doing so more research on audio forms I came across the brand Presonus. Most of the people on these forums would talk about how Presonus was a good bang for the buck and great studio monitor starters. I was sold after watching some reviews on youtube so I bought the Presonus Eris 4.5 on amazon for 129.99 on a holiday sale. (They normally go for $199.99 USD) I have had these speakers for about a week now and this is my thoughts on these studio monitors.

To start off these studio monitors are amazing. I really have no other way to put that. For my audio card I'm using the ASUS Xonar Essence STX. After plugging these monitor into my card there wasn't much I needed to do to make them sound amazing. With that being said Presonus is known for their built in controls and even these 200 dollar monitors have many controls so you can set up these speakers just the way you want. You can adjust the mids and highs for your liking and the frequency response based on your speaker placements. The presonus comes with a great manual that explains everything and how to adjust your monitors to the right setting base on your setup. I wouldn't let all these setting scare you off because once you get everything setup the way you want there isn't much to worry about after that. The sound quality is great and I really can't say that enough. These Monitors do get loud and I mean really loud so if you live in apartment these won't be the best choices for you.

The music: I listen to mostly post-hardcore/punk/Metalcore. However, during the first week I listen to everything that I could possibly get my hands on. For those of us that like metal they are great as I can hear every single instrument that is playing. The best part of having studio monitor is you really can hear everything but this also includes all the imperfections of the songs. I also had the chance to find some FLAC classical music and I can't really start to begin on telling you how amazing that was. I really couldn't believe these 200 dollar speakers can sound that good. I also listen to a lot of house music and dubstep music. I think Peroneus had house music in mind when making these monitors so these speakers are great for house.

Gaming: These Monitors aren't for gaming. However, I do a lot of gaming on my computer so they have already been used a lot for gaming. I have to stay the biggest benefit for gaming these monitor have is they get really loud. I mean extremely loud. So if you aren't in to headphones and want to hear people come up behind you in games then these are the way to go. WIth that being said they aren't different than any other speakers out there for gaming. I would stick with a DAC and AMP with a good set of headphone for gaming.

Specs:

Type 2-way 4.5in Studio Monitor

Inputs 1- Stereo 1/8 inch, 2 Balanced 1/4 inches TRS, 2- unbalance RCA

Frequency Response 70hz - 20Khz

LF / HF Amplifier Power 25W per Speaker

Peak SPL 100 dB

LF / HF 4.5 inches kevlar / 1 inch silk dome

High/Mid Variable control -6 to 6+dB

Low Cut Flat , 80Hz 100 Hz

Conclusion

These studio Monitor are great for the price. I mean all of the controls you get plus the sound is just amazing. The only down side is the size of the speakers. Even though they are small for studio monitors they are still really big. They take up a lot of room on my desk. However, if you are on the market for good computer speakers for music these are the way to go for the price.