Bringing my hand close to the ribbon cable increases the hum significantly, while gripping the cable and touching the signal ground eliminates it completely. With their smooth, accurate frequency response; powerful amplification with tons of headroom; and acoustic tuning functions that ensure you always get the best sound... it's no wonder that the original Eris®-series studio monitors have been a runaway hit since their introduction. The Eris E5 XT is a substantial update to a lauded classic. Deeper lows and a wider, more controlled sweet spot (thanks to its new EBM wave guide design) mean that our best-selling studio monitors just got even better. Studio speakers with a wide sweet spot.

However, the near-field experience is excellent for monitoring. They are rather loud when within close proximity and more than loud enough for most listening and studio applications.

Ala Kazam!

I have an issue that is driving me batty. I've owned quite a few active studio monitors and bookshelf speakers, including models from Edifier, Swans, JBL, Dayton Audio, Kanto, and now Presonus. I've tested the -2 and -4 dB selector switches, and they seem to lower the gain below 1,000 Hz. If you're not going to EQ these units, I suggest you always enable the -4 setting regardless of position, as this significantly flattens the bass bump. The rolloff setting does what it says on the tin. If you are going to manually EQ these units, you get the least distortion by starting with -0 dB and rolloff set to Flat.

First, you’ll need to choose between passive and active monitors. Active monitors are powered by built-in amplifiers, so they’re more convenient and require less gear. The amps in high-quality active monitors are specifically matched with the speakers, which translates to better performance. Passive monitors aren’t powered and need to be paired with standalone amplifiers. This makes them more affordable and versatile, but managing the extra gear can be a hassle. For most people, active monitors are likely a better choice. Suitable for both home recording studios and professional mix engineering, the Eris XT studio monitors combine sterling audio quality with the flexible tuning and connectivity you've come to expect from PreSonus. It’s Eris, remastered. Specifications Inputs In the smaller studio where monitors capable of too much bass extension would only provoke the inevitable room problems, the Eris E5s would appear to be a great choice — and I've heard speakers costing twice as much that don't deliver nearly such 'adult' results. They benefit from being raised above the desk rather than sitting directly on it, so some good-quality speaker platforms (or some cheap foam ones with a heavy floor tile on top) would make a worthwhile improvement to their bass tightness and general focus, but then this advice applies to most desktop speakers. We were impressed at the quality of these affordable monitors and expect them to be a popular option, especially for content creators."Does anybody have any suggestions? I believe I've tried just about everything - and purchasing the line conditioners (with no improvement at all) were eye openers to say the least. As I mentioned, this makes me think it's the speakers themselves. The music I record comes from electric guitars and all of them are tuned in standard D, electric bass with 55-110 strings tuned in standard D etc. I can hear everything on the E5's and pretty much as they were recorded. In fact as I am writting this review, I am listening to some Miles Davis mid fifties music and I can hear the uptight bass loud and clear (and that's with -2db on the bass freqs due to speaker placement).

We outfitted the Eris XT studio monitors with a new EBM (Elliptical Boundary Modeled) wave guide designed by none other than Hugh Sarvis of WorxAudio, the mind behind our award-winning CDL loudspeakers and lauded R-Series monitors. The result? A superior high-frequency response and wider 100-degree horizontal dispersion to create a broader sweet spot. It’s ideal for group listening and collaboration—while narrow vertical dispersion reduces reflections from your desk. Silk-dome tweeters ensure snappy, accurate transient reproduction. Lows that go lower. There’s also the option of putting them on desktop stands, which will raise them up in space, so the tweeters are inline with your ears.

At a distance of around 1m, off-axis (facing straight forward) measurements were mostly consistent with on-axis, so these aren't super sensitive to angle, within reason. I use about a 20 degree angle with mine. I have an iFi ZenDAC running my E5 XT's, with higher end audiophile cables. I have Audioquest upgraded USB cables running to my PC. I've even replaced the AC cords running from both Presonus speakers with better Audioquest 10 gauge models - still all to no avail. The constant low level hum, hiss, and in particular, a buzz sound is enough to take notice when you are not listening to music. It should also be noted that I am "not" using any balanced audio gear, so my connections between the DAC and the speakers are with audiophile grade RCA cables. For the best acoustic experience, place your desk symmetrically, midway along the wall. This will ensure that both monitors have a similar acoustic environment. If you’re producing audio, it’s often said that your results will only be as good as the weakest link in your production chain. For many people, the weakest link is their studio monitors. Finding a pair of quality monitors can be a real challenge in any situation, but it’s even harder to find them on a budget. The fact that so many home studios aren’t exactly ideal acoustic spaces only adds to the difficulty. This review of the PreSonus Eris E5 studio monitors will offer a potential solution. The PreSonus Eris E5 monitors are designed for small spaces, where too much bass would be detrimental to the sound. There’s no point in having the lowest sub-bass if you’re in a small room. The lower frequency sounds would become cluttered and messy. You’d have no way of hearing an accurate representation of your music.