PreSonus Eris E5 Review – When Performance Matters But So Does Convenience

Controls:
Features:
Performance:

• Check Price on Amazon
• Check Price on Guitar Center
• Check Price on Musician's Friend

PreSonus Eris series has evolved the standard of budget monitoring. Whether you're looking at the most basic set from the bunch or the beefiest one. Eris E5 we are looking at today comes across as the best-balanced one. It also happens to be among the best monitors under $300.

Design

With Eris series from PreSonus, if you have seen one, you have seen them all. The main design theme is almost completely the same between different models from the range. One significant feature that E5 brings, which smaller Eris models don't have, is the section of front firing slotted ports. Aside from altering the overall aesthetic of the speakers, this change also impacts the dynamics of the speaker as well.

With that said, we still have those woven drivers, black MDF cabinets and back-lit PreSonus logos on both. From a purely aesthetic point of view, Eris E5 are the type of speakers that will easily fit in just about anywhere you could think of. In terms of size, they are chunky but much easier to work with than most, thanks to their simple cabinet design. PreSonus could have focused more on looks, but their original design has gained traction over time.

Features

Of all the hardware aspects of Eris E5, its power output has got to be the most impressive one. Where most other brands are offering around 40 Watts, PreSonus went out and packed the E5 with 70 Watts of RMS. Combine that with a 1″ silk dome tweeter and a 5.25″ woven Kevlar driver, and you have a pretty mighty configuration. On top of its raw power, we also have the built-in crossover that kicks in right around 3kHz, making it more mid oriented.

As most other speakers in this segment tend to, PreSonus Eris E5 comes with a full suite of room acoustic controls. We have the MF trims, HF trims, Low Cut controls and Acoustic Space controls. PreSonus went further in this regard than most of their competitors. So far Eris E5 speakers have proven to be more powerful than almost anything out there, and more versatile.

Performance

Its beefy nature and large drivers may lead some to think they are dealing with a brute of a monitor. However, that is not really the case. PreSonus Eris E5 are fairly well balanced, offering decent transparency across the range. They do show slight bias, but nothing that will impact your mixing experience. As a matter of fact, these are arguably among the flattest monitors in their segment.

Positioning them is much easier thanks to front firing ports while adjusting the output to meet your spatial needs is a piece of cake. It takes some time to dial in properly, but it is all well worth the effort. Trebles come across as rich, snappy and warm while mids are full of girth yet tight. Stepping into lower end, Eris E5 brings on the thunder in a very controlled manner.

Conclusion

If you are all about performance but still require some level of convenience, PreSonus Eris E5 are the speakers you definitely need to check out. In terms of acoustic room controls, these will offer more than most other monitors. Add the extra juice, and these are suddenly even more attractive.

For more info about the PreSonus Eris E5, click here.
For more studio monitors under $300 you might like, click here.