Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

[dg27]

I'm looking for near-field monitors for use when doing rough mixes (I use an MBox 3 and Pro Tools).

I'm limited to about $300 for a pair. Footprint is a concern. I've listened to Rokit 5s, JBL LSR305s, and the Presonus Eris E5.

Wondering if anyone has experience with the Presonus. Right now I can get a great deal on those locally.

dg

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

I think the Presonus will be fine. Heck, the NS10 has served many engineers well and those speakers are terrible!
You may be able to find a good deal on used, smaller Adams at that price; but personally I don't think it would yield such a drastic improvement to warrant anything beyond a cursory search.

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Thanks, TO. I did check on some used Adams and Focal and didn't see anything that thrilled me. I listened to all three of them (Rokit, JBL and Presonus) @ B&H and preferred the Presonus over the other two. I'm a big fan of JBL in general, but the build seemed cheap on the LSR305s.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Great deals in Focal will be tough to come by unless you are a dealer.

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Great deals in Focal will be tough to come by unless you are a dealer.

Yup--I learned that very quickly!

[dystrust]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

I'm in the process of redoing my home studio and I could use some real monitors instead of the glorified computer speakers I have now (M-Audio DX4s). The two sets that I keep coming back to are Presonus Eris E5s and Equator Audio D5s. I've heard that the E5s are great for the money, but their quality control and reliability aren't great so it's best to buy new. The Equators OTOH are supposed to be the best monitors available without spending $1000/pr, but they're nearly twice the price of the Erises.

First of all, is anyone familiar with the Equators? Second, are they worth the extra $$$ over the Erises if I have a smallish space and limited acoustic treatment? Either of these speakers are light years ahead of what I have now, but money is pretty tight so I'd like to save where I can.

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

I also considered and abandoned the idea of the M-Audios.

I decided to take a chance on the E5s--will receive them tomorrow and will report back after I've tried them out. I always shop at a NY retailer who takes returns up to 30 days, so there's little risk involved. My only prior experience with Presonus is the HP4 headphone amp. I really like that, so I figured I'd try the E5s. The build seemed solid on the ones I checked out. (Both the JBLs and M-Audios in that price range seem really cheesy to me.)

I didn't consider the Equators because I simply do not have the space for them.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Equator makes very good monitors, though they are a very unique design.

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

I've heard that the E5s are great for the money, but their quality control and reliability aren't great so it's best to buy new.

Well I received the Presonus Eris E5s and got a taste of what I think it lousy QC. On one of them there are two noticeable scuff marks on the front. But more alarmingly, on both of them the LF cones are mounted crooked. There's a recessed lip around the cone. In all the pictures the cone is mounted perfectly centered (there's an equal amount of this lip showing all around). On the two I got one of them is pushed down and to the right and the other is sort of reversed. While I have no idea whether this would degrade performance, to me it's just a sign of poor workmanship. I've seen these offered as "factory seconds" or "B stock" at a lower price. I paid full price and expect the workmanship to be better. Exchanging them tomorrow. Will likely opt for the JBL LSR 305s, though I'm also considering the Yamaha HS5 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...o_monitor.html). I don't like the low end specs on those (54 Hz to 30 kHz vs 43 Hz - 24 kHz on the JBLs), so the JBLs are likelier. Haven't found the Equators.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

The difference between a measured response of 43 and 54 Hz is not going to be that noticeable; that is barely half an octave. And you should be SERIOUSLY discounting anything below 200 Hz in any event unless you are in a tuned room.

Bummer about the Presonus debacle; hopefully you will have a better experience tomorrow!

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Thanks, TO--as always sound advice (pun intended).

I figured it wouldn't make much difference--good to know,

Right now the JBLs are a steal because my preferred source (B&H) is throwing in a gift card with each, which makes these a bit cheaper than the Presonus and a lot cheaper than the Yamahas. I have JBL mains/centers/rear on my primary system and love those.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

JBL's really are tough to beat. I find that my 8" JBL's consistently give me a mix that translates really well across multiple playback systems without having to listen to the mix in 10 different environments. I do adhere to the adage 'small monitors for big changes and big monitors for small changes', though. I do about 80-90% of the mix on my small monitors, and bring out the big boys when I am finishing up and trying to dial in the bass when the mix is near completion.

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

I do adhere to the adage 'small monitors for big changes and big monitors for small changes

As do I.

These are really just for rough mixes; I generally go to a studio to do the final mix. I just want to be able to get to that 'almost there' stage.

Thanks again.

[dystrust]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Well I received the Presonus Eris E5s and got a taste of what I think it lousy QC. On one of them there are two noticeable scuff marks on the front. But more alarmingly, on both of them the LF cones are mounted crooked. There's a recessed lip around the cone. In all the pictures the cone is mounted perfectly centered (there's an equal amount of this lip showing all around). On the two I got one of them is pushed down and to the right and the other is sort of reversed. While I have no idea whether this would degrade performance, to me it's just a sign of poor workmanship. I've seen these offered as "factory seconds" or "B stock" at a lower price. I paid full price and expect the workmanship to be better. Exchanging them tomorrow. Will likely opt for the JBL LSR 305s, though I'm also considering the Yamaha HS5 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...o_monitor.html). I don't like the low end specs on those (54 Hz to 30 kHz vs 43 Hz - 24 kHz on the JBLs), so the JBLs are likelier. Haven't found the Equators.

AFAIK Equator sells direct, so the link I posted earlier is the only place to get them new. I found a used pair on GC for $350ish the other day, but that's only $50 less than new so I'm not super excited about that. After your story I think I'm going to hold out for the Equators. I'll be sure to post a NMD thread when they come in and offer a review.

[dg27]

Re: Presonus Eris 5 monitors?

Great--I look forward to hearing about the Equators. Co-ax is surprising.

Off-topic, sort of: One thing that irks me about reading reviews of near-field, (ostensibly/supposedly) flat reference monitors is when they are reviewed by media outlets like c/net or pcmag. They often review them like they're intended to be desktop speakers. It baffles me why they even bother with them (I mean those guys can be pretty clueless about computers: IMO they are devoid of any knowledge of anything to do with pro audio gear).