Presonus Eris E3.5 vs Mackie CR3 || Sound Demo w/ Bass Test

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I know many of You have been waiting for comparisons of new small monitor from Presonus, the Eris E3.5, and here it is compared with its main competitor, Mackie CR3. Mackie and Presonus both have very similar size, build quality and price but they both sound quite different. Mackie is rather relaxing speaker with nice, laid back midrange and sweet top end. The biggest flaw of Mackie is its bass performance which is boomy (esecially on desk where the desk resonances combine with the speaker boominess), rather hollow and boosted in upper rages. Presonus on the other hand has much tighter and cleaner bass response. Unfortunately Presonus is not free of compromises to sound, mainly the shouty coloration to midrange which is artifically forward. Overall Presonus is more balanced and less boxy speakrs.
To be honest, as a fan of Presonus Eris E4.5, I expected Presonus E3.5 to be better that in turned out to be. Do not get me wrong, it is not a bad speaker (especially for the money), but it has its compromises to sound that lets it down a bit. To sum this up, I would point to Presonus as a winner of this comparison, so if You are in the market for a studio monitor under 100dollars than go Presonus. Which one would You choose and why? Let me know in the comments below! Cheers!
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All the tracks used in this video can be found here:
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Sound recorded using Tascam DR-22WL recorder. Levels matched using SPL meter (avarage level ca 75dB). All tone controls set to neutral.

[HollywoodDreamsMusic]

I ordered a pair of Presonus E3.5 a few days ago based mainly on this. These were exactly the two models I was most interested in and couldn't find a good comparison that helped me to decide, until I found your video. Thank you! :D

[PHASES_OFFICIAL]

I was literally just given both of these options on amazon to buy as my first monitors and ended up choosing the Eris' thanks to your video.
8:45 bass comparison was the final battle for me.

[afifinasir]

First real world test of Eris E3.5 on YT! Your sir, broke the record again. Mackie is just too muffled; and Presonus, although mids is not all satisfactory, sounds better in this comparo. Eris E3.5 wins!

[maurogonzalez]

The clarity on the Presonus is outstanding, I think these two E3.5 with a woofer could reach insane results. I mean the only thing those are missing are low end, but balance and clarity are nailed. The Mackies were kinda muddy on mid lows i think, more bassy. Maybe more suitable for consumers not mixing engineers.

[Djaneso]

Mackie sounds like in the box and Eris sounds with much better clear presence. Thank You for comparing.

[nostalgiapink]

I purchased the E3.5 and i have to say how pleased i am with them! They have amazing sound in such a small and portable package. This video was key in my decision. Thank You! I appreciate your videos!

[TtTt-mnkr]

It doesn’t really matter which studio monitors you use each brand sounds different as long as you do a clean mix on them it will sound good on almost all monitors

[i-Zen]

The sweet spot in comparison to BASS was at 60hz <Eris

[VincentHan]

I was actually considering these very two models a few weeks ago. After reading some reviews that the Mackies are very inaccurate and too bass heavy, I decided to take a chance on the Presonus Eris E3.5s since there was not much information online and impressions at the time. I am very glad I chose the E3.5s, as I am coming from a really unbalanced and muffled set of Bose Companion 2 Series IIIs that had horrible midrange and treble. Thank you for posting this excellent comparison, and I hope it helps others choose the flatter and crisper E3.5s over the CR3s!

[Master.Mi.]

I think there 's much more definition and clarity at the Presonus Eris 3.5 speakers.

[Chroon]

It confirms my impression after some research, the Eris have a little less roundness and are more faithful to the original sound, clearer. Knowing that on the Eris we have 2 potentiometers to adjust bass and treble and adjust them to +/- 6db, which the Mackies do not have. My choice is therefore validated, I order the PreSonus Eris E3.5 BT now! Thank you for this simple and effective test!

[ray_]

8:32 If u hear this in earphones, the bass goes slightly deeper when it turns to e3.5. Even though it should be same beat. Really interesting.

[williamf.]

I sent back Ilouds and Yamaha HS5's because they didn't work well in my room (the dining room table - no acoustic room treatment - in close proximity - triangle sweet spot). Both had too much bass, even with thick pads and stands. My mixes didn't translate well to other systems. Everything sounded thin and weeny, as I was having to reduce the low end to make it sound OK, even with all settings on flat. I couldn't trust them and I'm not into guess work.
So I tried the 3.5's on the off chance, as they were extremely cheap. Could always send them back anyway. The result is: they sound much bigger than they are and all of a sudden my mixes translate ...very well. I'm so pleasantly surprised. Good stereo separation, nice clean bass, good soundstage. Perfect for my little setup with MacBook Pro, Logic and Thunderbolt interface. I still can't believe how cheap they were. I saw a YouTube clip about them and the guy said they were a gift from Presonus and that the price was actually just a nominal service fee. I can affirm what he said.

[Finious]

For the listener, this test depends on the audio output from youtube and the headphones or speakers you are listening this comparison on, keep that in mind. Tnx for making these kind of the reviews. 🙂

[justinjones]

The lows are overcompensated in the mackies therefore giving you a unreliable final mix.

[Suonlyna]

Mackie is clearer.. just my feelings 😊

[froydian]

Just ordered my pair of Presonus after watching this for the course of a month, thinking about it and saving up. I make music on a budget and the Eris' sound incredible and truly flat for the price, great to get the ball rolling. What a time to be alive and make art.. Can't wait for them to arrive and get even more productive! Thank you so much for your videos! <3

[Pabloamasifuenmusic]

So Presonus Eris are going to be my first monitors ever. Thank you!

[cannotkazi]

As someone who's bought the Eris, lemme tell you, it's not "flat"
But that in no way has put me off the product. I was blown away with the sort of witchcraft these guys pull of with such a budget product. The stereo image is superb, and the sound stage is elaborate enough for you to think there's three speakers instead of two.
As long as you position yourself right, you'll really hear the mix and the master and any errors in said processes if there are any. For $99, I'm hooked for life.
But trust me when i tell you, despite the channel's extremely sophisticated measures to compare these speakers, a video on YouTube doesn't do either of these justice I'm sure. You need to hear it in-store for an accurate representation.

Ps : Listening to Flacs, the eris does tend to distort at max volume. Could be the dac I'm using..but it's worth noting. But if you have a small space like i do, you don't really ever need to crank it up that high. Even a little past half volume on the speakers is substantially loud.

[zcubedmusic]

I honestly ordered the Presonus 3.5's this morning and was looking for videos to make me feel more encouraged about my purchase even though they were cheap as dirt. Thanks for taking the time to make this, it's a nice presentation and a good range for the comparison.