Good evening. I am an amateur involved with audio in general, either for editing, DJ mixing, monitoring, or mini studio use. The speakers I have had over time were nothing special... Trust, Creative, Mackie, etc. So, I had been looking for a long time to get some speakers better than the ones I had, because I was not satisfied with their sound and they tired me a lot. After much thought and a lot of research, I decided to get the Presonus Eris 3.5 2nd Gen... for 99 euros. (I did not buy the version with built-in Bluetooth because I am not interested in that feature at all, so why pay 20+ euros more for something I will never use.)

I chose Presonus as a company not only for the price-to-quality ratio and the many good reviews, but also because it is a company... absolutely honest. These specific speakers (and this cheap series in general) are not marketed as pure Studio Monitors, as other cheap companies misleadingly do, but are promoted as "Active Media Reference Monitors"... That is exactly what they are and what they provide to a very good degree.

So, these Near Field Monitors are ideal for listening, mixing, monitoring, gaming, mainly from PC laptops, PC towers, audio mixers, video mixing/monitoring, etc... and finally for completely amateur and low-demand studio monitor use. Not that they can't be used as studio monitors at all, but for a somewhat demanding amateur or professional, it's better to get something much better and more expensive.

"Presonus" is not a random company. It is an old, good American company founded in 1995 in Louisiana, USA. PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. is an American manufacturer of professional audio equipment and software used for creating, recording, mixing, and mastering music and other audio in general. This includes the Studio One digital audio workstation software series.

Although everything is now manufactured in China, the manufacturing specifications vary according to the company’s requirements and the cost/profit they desire. High-quality products are made in China, but there are also cases where if the parent companies want to maximize profit, the final product may not be good.

In the case of Presonus, we have a company that is honest about what they sell, in technical specifications, and the result—quality—is a level above the purchase price, and for that reason, it is VFM (Value for Money).

The speakers are very good, and for 99 euros they are definitely Value for Money. Overall, the build quality is good, with a nice design and material quality that doesn’t look fake.

The first time I used them, I left them on for 1 hour so all the electronic components could "settle," and then I started testing. Surely, after playing them for several hours, the membranes will start to break in, the speakers will soften, and the sound will improve a bit more.

In my tests, they seem to manage the internal amplifier temperatures well, and inside there is a fairly large heatsink for heat dissipation. I don’t think there will be any temperature issues.

Some reviews circulating about "hiss," ground noise, crackling, and whistling, or that they get very hot, are completely unfounded for me, and in my own tests, they do not apply. Surely, these negatives are caused by other reasons, such as poor installation, faulty cables, problematic computer cards/sources, electromagnetic interference, etc.

I did tests using the cables included in the package, with everything at max and no sound, and with the power on (blue indicator), putting my ear close, I heard nothing! I also tested various volumes and bass at different frequencies and with an Audio Analyzer, and the characteristics are indeed as the manufacturer states... I noticed a little air coming out of the front 3.5mm jack ports and the rear jack, but this little escaping air did not cause any "whistling" or anything else in the sound.

I also tested with the WiFi router on top, the cordless phone, and the mobile phone very close, and the speakers were not affected at all!

The sound performance is very good with nice clarity, good stereo, and good bass. The highs are quite distinct (crispy) and clear, and the bass is clean and full. The mids are rendered as needed, and overall the response curve is satisfactory and quite flat with the controls at zero.

Of course, these speakers are Near Field, so you hear them well and with quality at a distance of about up to 1m, and they have controls at the back for LOW/HIGH (Bass/Treble), which you should adjust carefully to get the best result you want at 1 meter from them, and of course, the adjustment should be made according to the distance from the wall and the room space.

With proper speaker placement, at correct distances, and with good, proper adjustment, you will get a good result that will surely satisfy you. If you follow the installation and listening triangle of 1m x 1m x 1m and adjust the High/Low, you will get a good result, full, with good responses, good volume, and good stereo.

The disadvantage is that at medium and high volumes, the mids get mixed up with the bass, and the clarity of the mids is lost, which is why they are not so suitable for studio monitor use, where a clean flat curve is needed at all volumes.

The volume is good and clear, with body at 1m, and they really sound quite loud for their size and category as Near Field Monitors. For those who want high volumes, these are not for you; prefer much larger speakers. For those who want very good computer speakers, these are the ones you should get!!!!

On the front, you will find, apart from the volume control, two 3.5mm jack ports for headphones and AUX IN, which are very useful and convenient being at the front. In very few speakers will you find such useful ports at the front! The ON/OFF switch is also at the front, which is very convenient, unlike other similar speakers that have the switch at the back, making it difficult to turn them on/off or requiring a separate device management switch.

You will also find a clear indicator that, when the speakers are in Stand By Mode (no input signal for over 30min), a white-purple light comes on, and when the speaker is activated by an audio signal at the input, it turns blue. The Stand-by function can be enabled or disabled with a switch at the back, a very good and useful option.

Apart from the front AUX IN port, at the back, the main inputs are RCA (UNBALANCED) and TRS (Jack 6.3mm - BALANCED).

I highly recommend these speakers as Multi-Media Monitors, for an office or mini studio, driven by a PC, audio mixer, etc... and they are very good, but not for demanding studio monitor use.

Because I am satisfied and want to get bigger ones, with more volume, and to be pure Studio Monitors, I will probably later go for the very good VFM Presonus Eris Studio 5 or Presonus Eris Studio 8.

For those considering not buying the Presonus Eris 3.5 2nd Gen, but instead buying the slightly larger "Presonus Eris 4.5 2nd Gen," I suggest you don't, because the differences in volume and sound quality between the two models are very small. If you want more volume, fuller sound, and more of a Studio Monitor, go at least for the "Presonus Eris 5.0 2nd Gen" or much better, for larger models.

Anyway, I really liked Presonus, for the quality, performance, usability/functionality, and the V/M (Value for Money) equation. The whole range of their speakers is at lower prices than others, and you are not disappointed by their purchase; on the contrary, you get a level above in quality/performance for what you pay... I hope they also prove to be reliable. I have not found any serious negatives so far, unless something arises or is observed, I will come back.

POSITIVES......
+ Very good price.
+ Good quality materials.
+ Good build quality
+ Nice, beautiful, and elegant design that fits almost anywhere.
+ ON/OFF switch at the front!!!
+ Master Volume at the front!!!
+ Headphone output at the front!!
+ Extra AUX IN input at the front..!!
+ High / Low adjustment.
+ Very good acoustic performance as MultiMedia speakers.
+ Good bass.
+ Stand By Mode, selectable with a switch.
+ Very good shielding from electromagnetic radiation
+ Ideal for Multi Media monitors, mixing, and generally as very good speakers for PC, etc....
+ Includes the necessary connection cables for PC, mobile, power, and speakers.
+ Includes special adhesive pads (feet), which you stick depending on how you place the speaker, so that as much as possible the bass does not pass to the support surface.
+ Honest company regarding technical specifications, marketing, and the real purpose of the product.

NEGATIVES.......
- At medium and high volumes, the clarity of the mids gets mixed up and lost with the bass.
- Indeed, they are not suitable for studio monitor use for medium and high demands.
- Moderate to good volume.
- No 6.3mm Jack cables included