Faithful studio monitor speakers with flat frequency response and truthful high definition sound

[Master Mi]

Yo, dudes.

I already have some good studio headphones (Sony MDR 7506 as well as the legendary Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro, already connected to a Lake People G109-P headphone amp - I'll definitely keep up with those!) and I had at least a not too bad multimedia desktop speaker system (Logitech Z533) some time ago.

But then I was lookin' for a nice studio monitor speaker system, because it can be still a big difference concerning accurate listening experience and improving my mixing skills.
I've tested some studio monitors in a store before, but I wasn't really that satisfied with lots of studio monitors because the bass was often far to heavy or not defined enough. And in general, a lot of them didn't have the crystal clear sound quality I was expecting, with the exception of some really big and expensive concert speakers that I couldn't afford and didn't have enough room for (not to mention the potential electricity bill if I used those things :D).

I really had my eye on Yamaha NS-10-like studio monitors - because some top producers would probably say that a mix that sounds good on these speakers would also sound good on any other speaker system.

Ultimately, I was looking for a speaker system with the following characteristics:
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1) truthful and crystal clear high-definition sound with a a frequency response that is as flat as possible
2) want to trust my ears and hear all the little details you don't hear on every speaker system or with most headphones exactly (like if there's too much or too less reverb, if the bass is tight enough or if similar frequencies or their reverb effects bleed into each other)
3) should play a decently deep bass level where you don't miss relevant low frequencies
4) not too big in size - should fit on my desk, so a fitting size would be around >>> 20 cm * 25 cm * 20 cm (width/height/depth) at the maximum size
5) should be energy-saving speakers (around 100 to 150 W for the whole pair of speakers)
6) should have something like front bass ports ('cause the rear of the speakers would be directly at the wall or maybe a few centimeters away from the wall)
7) should have a stylish design and the colour should be a mostly dark/black
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Perhaps you have extensive experience with this topic and have some good advice for me and all the others who are dealing with the topic of studio monitors or speaker systems.


With my current level of knowledge and experience with studio monitors, I would choose between the following if you have a larger or specially treated producer room for room acoustics:
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1) Neumann KH 120 II >>> https://www.thomann.co.uk/neumann_kh_120_ii.htm
- high-end German quality with one of the best sound quality you might get at this size and in this price range
- has one of the highest audio definitions in the world of studio monitors
- extremely clean, truthful and natural sound
- really flat and accurate frequency response
- good frequency range of 44 to 21000 Hz
- faithful impulse fidelity as well as excellent reproduction of stereo panorama, depth and spatiality
- DSP-controlled electronics
- room-adaptive calibration (via optional Neumann Automatic Monitor Alignment MA 1)
- front bass ports
- very energy-wasting with an excessively high power consumption of around 245 W per speaker
- very expensive with around 700 euros per speaker

2) Yamaha MSP5 Studio >>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/proaudio/speakers/msp_studio_series/index.html
- amazing successor series of the legendary Yamaha NS-10 and professional studio version of the Yamaha HS studio monitors
- top Japanese quality - pretty solid 'n' heavy stuff
- one of the best, most detailed and well-defined high-definition audio in the world of studio monitors including really tight, well-defined bass (no muddy, roaring or room-flooding bass - might be very useful for medium-sized, untreated rooms as well)
- entire Yamaha MSP series has a crystal clear sound as long as you're listening to professional mixes - but on the other hand, these professional studio tools will show you right in the face if even the smallest detail in your mix isn't right
- one of the quietest studio monitor series, which does not cause annoying tweeter hissing or woofer hum even at close range
- really flat and accurate frequency response
- great frequency range of 50 to 40000 Hz for their compact size
- faithful impulse fidelity and excellent stereo panorama reproduction
- front bass ports
- kinda stylish black design
- pretty energy-saving devices with only around 40 to 70 W per speaker
- unfortunately, the production of the legendary MSP series, at least the larger MSP5, MSP7 and MSP10 models, has been discontinued for the time being (I read somewhere that this was probably due to the departure of the retired designer of the MSP series, Akira Nakamura), although the successors to the smaller MSP3, the MSP3A, are still being produced

3) Genelec 8020 DPM >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/genelec_8020_dpm.htm
- well-known high-end studio monitors made in Finland
- highly impressing sound quality, accuracy und frequency range for its small size
- sufficient frequency range of 62 to 20000 Hz
- kinda unstylish design for my taste, but this rounded design might be really good for room acoustics
- rear bass ports
- around 100 W per speaker

4) Adam A5X >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_a5x.htm
- pretty expensive, but also high-end German quality
- kinda accurate flat frequency response (seems to be slightly boosted at bass frequencies and might have some harsher high frequencies)
- unique, but more machine-like than natural sound
- widest frequency range of 50 to 50000 Hz
- pretty stylish design (although they often remind me of a tank or war machine instead of studio monitors)
- front bass ports
- 100 W per speaker

5) Presonus Eris E5 >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e5.htm
- pretty solid newcomer from USA
- really good sound quality
- kinda flat frequency response
- great frequency range of 53 to 22000 Hz
- probably has one of the most stylish designs among studio monitors
- very compact size
- front bass ports
- around 80 W per speaker
- a really unbeatable price of around 220 bucks for a pair

6) JBL LSR 305 MKII >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/jbl_lsr_305p_mkii.htm
- decent studio monitors with a good sound quality (however, some users complain about minimal hissing noise and that you have to turn the volume up a bit to hear everything you need to hear)
- nice frequency range of 43 to 24000 Hz
- solid design and acceptable size
- rear bass ports
- around 82 W per speaker
- really nice price (I've also seen an offer of a 2-speakers bundle and 2 stands for only 249 euros)

7) Adam T5V or T7V >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_t5v.htm
                                 >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_t7v.htm
- were actually some of my favorite studio monitors back then 'cause of the top German quality
- very good sound quality (however, I experienced kinda annoying tweeter hissing sounds at a close range and a distance of less than 1 meter)
- might sound a little bit harsh, bass-heavy and machine-like, pretty hard to listen to at lower volumes as the powerful bass causes strong room modes
- huge frequency range that goes into the lower bass sections down to 45 Hz (T5V) or 39 Hz (T7V) and into to the higher frequencies up to 25000 Hz
- awesome design - but the size (depth around 30 cm!!!) and the rear bass ports could be a problem
- kinda low wattage with around 70 W per speaker (both models)
- very affordable price (around 160 euros for one studio monitor)

...

If you have a smaller music production room and/or don't want to treat your studio environment specifically for room acoustics, I would definitely go for a smaller set of studio monitors, because larger studio monitors in too small, acoustically untreated rooms can cause lots of room modes (where the room can literally drown in bass waves) and make the perceived sound experience worse (and kind of useless for mixing) than some of the better PC desktop speakers.

In this case, you should take a look at these smaller studio monitors:
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1) Yamaha MSP3 or the newer model Yamaha MSP3A >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_msp3.htm
                                                                                      >>> https://www.thomann.co.uk/yamaha_msp3_a.htm
- typical Japanese high-end studio monitors in their smallest version within the Yamaha MSP series
- heavy and solid building quality
- amazing, really outstanding audio definition (one of the best in the world of studio monitors)
- crystal clear and natural sound (really love the well presented and very detailed mid and high frequencies with the very pleasant, smooth and airy sound feeling - really made for listening to atmospheric and complex soundscapes) - but don't be fooled by the excellent sound of these studio monitors just because a professional mix on them is really good and extremely detailed, because even the smallest weaknesses in your own mix will show up right in your face with these little professional audio tools
- really nice to listen to and mixing with even on lower volumes
- MSP series won't annoy you with any kind of strange inherent noises, not even at close range (not only in this respect the perfect near-field monitors)
- for lacking lower bass a proper subwoofer might be added
- kinda useful frequency response for its highly compact size
- kinda outstanding frequency range of 65 to 22000 Hz (MSP3) or 67 to 22000 Hz (MSP3A) for this small size
- faithful impulse fidelity as well as really good spaciousness and stereo panorama reproduction for this size
- front bass ports (MSP3) or rear bass ports (MSP3A)
- some of the most energy-efficient studio monitors with only around 20 to 30 W per speaker

2) Genelec 8010 AP >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/genelec_8010_ap.htm
- perhaps some of the most space-saving high-end studio monitors in the world, made in Finland
- very clear, detailed and accurate sound
- sound much bigger than these small studio monitors are
- decent frequency range from 74 to 20000 Hz, although this is unlikely to be suitable for critical mixing
- for this small set of studio monitors the design seems much more agreeable than the similar design of the much bigger brothers from Genelec
- rear bass ports
- about 50 W per speaker

3) Adam A3X >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_a3x.htm
- solid high-end studio monitors made in Germany
- typical sound of Adam studio monitors - a somewhat machine-like sound with kinda harsh higher frequencies and tight, pumping bass frequencies
- by far the largest frequency range among the smaller studio monitors with an incredible range of 60 to 50000 Hz
- pretty futuristic design (but still look a bit like war machines)
- front bass ports
- about 50 W per speaker

4) Presonus Eris E3.5 or E4.5 >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e3.5.htm
                                                >>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e45.htm
- pretty good and well-defined sound quality for these 2 pairs of studio monitors
- not too heavy, both with sizes that might fit on nearly every desk
- good audio definition and sound quality (might sound a bit too good and polished for professional mixing purposes)
- Presonus Eris E3.5 have a brighter and more crystal-clear sound with more higher frequencies and less low-end bass, while Presonus Eris E4.5 have a fuller, more truthful sound and a flatter frequency response
- frequency range of around 80 to 20000 Hz (Presonus Eris E3.5) or 70 to 20000 Hz (Presonus Eris E4.5), which, however, is no longer really suitable for critical mixing (especially the Presonus Eris E3.5, while the Presonus Eris E4.5 might be still good for creating critical mixes)
- only a very low level of inherent noises on moderate volumes if you get with your ears close to the tweeters
- pleasant to listen to and mixing with even on lower volumes
- both versions have different kinds of acoustic tuning devices
- unfortunately not biamped
- very stylish design
- rear bass ports
- also some of the most energy-saving studio monitors with only about 25 W per speaker
- unbeatable price with only around 100 bucks for the whole pair of Presonus Eris E3.5 or around 200 bucks for the whole pair of Presonus Eris E4.5


If you are going to buy some of those smaller studio monitors, I would recommend to buy an additional smaller subwoofer which can generate a really clean, accurate, highly defined, tight and dry bass and sub-bass down to 40 Hz.
If you add a subwoofer and set it up carefully (better a little more restrained setting with less bass, but deeper bass), you also get a pretty decent 3-way speaker system with fairly clean and very well separated bass, mids and treble.

In this case, I would definitely recommend the smaller but quite powerful Japanese subwoofer Fostex PM-SUBmini 2, which is very energy-efficient with an output of only 50 W:
>>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_pm_submini_2.htm

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If you want to compare the sound and frequency response of different studio monitors with your own ears and eyes even far away from music stores, there is also a very useful YouTube channel where the uploader with the channel name "Digital Stereophony" (or "DSAUDIO.review" these days) does kinda professional or at least useful comparisons between many studio monitors and/or hi-fi speakers within a number of different soundtracks.

In his more recent uploads, he has also added the original sound of the soundtracks to better compare the speakers.
He has also added the frequency response diagrams of the speakers at the end of his more recent videos.
According to him, these are apparently the frequency response curves of the speakers in a semi-treated room.

So if you are still looking for studio monitors, you should take a close look at his speaker sound comparisons:
>>> https://www.youtube.com/user/skubny/videos

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My own studio monitor equipment over the years
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To conclude, I would like to briefly describe how my speaker and studio monitor equipment has changed and developed over the years, from my very early days in sound engineering and music production to the present day.

And it started around 2013/2014, when I finally bought my first DAW full of curiosity and anticipation, but had practically no relevant knowledge about DAWs, music theory, composition, mixing, mastering, sound design or audio engineering.
At that time, I didn't even know that there was such a thing as "studio monitor speakers" - it was a completely new world for me, a completely unknown universe.

Accordingly, I began my musical journey at that time with the simplest desktop speakers for the PC, which I gradually replaced over the years with reliable studio monitors as professional tools for sound engineers.

Here's a brief timeline of my speaker equipment since 2013:

I) Fujitsu Siemens Soundsystem DS 2100
- a rather ordinary desktop speaker system with subwoofer, which was apparently so irrelevant that I could hardly find it again even in the depths of the internet
- can't even really remember the sound, but I don't think you could even create a usable rough mix with it (in principle, you didn't really know what you were doing in your mix with this speaker system - a kind of paper sword for the adventurous hobby composer)

II) Logitech Z533 Multimedia Speaker System
- definitely one of my best desktop speaker systems with integrated subwoofer, volume control and separate bass control, a quite impressive sound for the time and charming satellite speakers with a really cool retro look
- was able to create reasonably usable rough mixes with it, even without in-depth mixing knowledge and, according to my memory, I even mixed an early version of my Star Tropics remix "The Fire Of The Southern Cross" with it, which didn't sound bad at all (Logitech Z533 speaker system was quite the sound engineering yoyo among the early weapons on the great South Sea island adventure trip)

III) Adam T5V
- my first real studio monitors, whose impressive, powerful and extremely beautiful sound I fell in love with during a demonstration in a music store
- however, joy only lasted a short time after I realized that they didn't sound so nice at home and, in addition to a really annoying tweeter hiss that could be heard even a few meters away, they had such a powerful bass that it literally drowned my acoustically untreated room in bass reflections, making neither proper mixing nor relaxed music enjoyment possible
- as a result, oversized studio monitors babies went back to the music store a few days later

IV) Presonus Eris E3.5 + Fostex PM-SUBmini 2
- decided to try out a few smaller studio monitors after this experience and a lot of research on the Internet and bought the Presonus Eris E3.5 soon after, which were quite new on the market at the time
- were my first studio monitors that really impressed me with their sound and at the same time harmonized well with my acoustically untreated room
- additional extension of the low bass range down to 40 Hz via a small, extremely compact Japanese subwoofer called Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 (although I only turned it up subliminally at a low volume in relation to the volume of the studio monitors and with the lowest crossover frequency setting)
- mixings of my soundtracks and remixes subsequently experienced a significant improvement, although the mixes still didn't always sound as good and impressive as they could have on other audio playback systems (mainly because the Presonus Eris E3.5 tended to cover up some relevant weaknesses in the mix and always made the mix sound a little nicer and more impressive than it actually was)
- have used this studio monitor system to mix almost all the soundtracks and remixes I've made and uploaded up until about 2020 (until at some point I felt the desire to buy some really professional sound equipment in the form of studio monitor speakers of a similar size that would harmonize just as well with my room conditions)

V) Yamaha MSP3 + Fostex PM-SUBmini 2
- insider tip from an employee in a music store and further in-depth research led me to the legendary Japanese Yamaha MSP studio monitor series (the professional version of the much better-known Yamaha HS series), which fortunately also included a smaller size with a nearly 4-inch woofer, the Yamaha MSP3
- together with Japanese Fostex PM-SUBmini2 subwoofer, it became a kind of studio monitor system of two rising suns, the Niten Ichiryū of future sound engineering sword fights, so to speak
- didn't really like the MSP3 at first, despite the incomparably high sound definition (because my previous mixes, which I had created on my previous speakers, suddenly didn't sound so good on the Yamaha MSP3), but when I mixed my first remix on the MSP3 until it sounded halfway acceptable, it suddenly sounded worlds better, sharper, crisper and much more defined than my previous mixes on all other systems
- MSP3 as professional sound engineering tools really taught me how to hear properly and subsequently how to mix properly with much more precision, sensitivity and a healthy trust in my sense of hearing, which was a fundamental building block and a necessary prerequisite for the development of my dynamic mixing concept called "Life Force" during the last years

Yeah, and since I've been working with the Yamaha MSP3, I've had no real interest in looking around for more studio monitors for my small, cozy and fairly well-equipped home studio.
When I moved into my new apartment, I bought a set of Presonus Eris E4.5 studio monitors, but I primarily use them for my gamer and movie corner or as secondary control studio monitors for final listening to my mixes.

Now that my studio equipment and my mixing concept have finally been satisfactorily completed and implemented, I can put a lot more of my time, energy and creativity into developing my compositional skills in the coming years, which I'm really looking forward to. ))

Edited Monday at 02:11 AM by Master Mi

[AngelCityOutlaw]

M-Audio, KRK, and Yamaha are pretty popular for near-field monitors, should meet all your specifications, and they're pretty much all "flat-frequency-response" as they can get it.

However, you have to be sure that your room isn't going to undo that.

[Master Mi]

Thanks for the quick response. ))

I edited the topic with some good studio monitor speakers in my momentarily closest range according to my current knowledge if you want to have a look at, too.

[Neifion]

I currently use a pair of Yamaha HS monitors (7-inch model). Very happy with them.

https://soundreview.org/studio/yamaha-hs8-active-studio-monitor/

[Master Mi]

So, you don't think that the Yamaha studio monitors (MSP series are the more professional versions - compared with the HS (Home Studio) versions)) are a bit too bright and high-pitched compared to the natural sound signals?
 

 

[Neifion]

1 hour ago, Master Mi said:

So, you don't think that the Yamaha studio monitors (MSP series are the more professional versions - compared with the HS (Home Studio) versions)) are a bit too bright and high-pitched compared to the natural sound signals?
 

 

The 5-inch probably, but the 7-inch is well balanced for my purposes (mostly orchestral).

[Dextastic]

I had a chance to demo the Adam A7x's next to the new T7V's about a week ago. 

The T7V's sounded like toys by comparison.

Even more to their detriment, the T7V's are rear-ported as compared to the front-ported A7x's.

[Jorito]

I have the JBL LSR’s and had the Yamaha HS5 before. While the Yamaha had better built quality (it’s hefty), they are also very top heavy and lack bass. I didn’t care for the sound much, not to listen to, not to mix on. The JBL’s sound a lot nicer to my ears, also great for normal listening, and for me they seem to translate pretty well. I did plug the sound holes on the back because they are close to the wall and would sound boomey otherwise. From a bang for the buck perspective I would recommend to check them out to.

Caveat: I do like 95% of my mixing on headphones.

 

[Master Mi]

Thanks for the many different points of view.

Is somebody able to make a comparison (based on own listening experiences) between JBL LSR 305 and the Adam T5V or Adam A5X series?

[timaeus222]

Just wanted to point out, @Jorito seemed to be talking about the HS5, and @Neifion was referring to the HS8.

[Jorito]

21 minutes ago, timaeus222 said:

Just wanted to point out, @Jorito seemed to be talking about the HS5, and @Neifion was referring to the HS8.

Not quite, Neifion was talking about the HS7, the one with the 7" woofers (the HS8 has 8" woofers). 

[timaeus222]

(His link was to the HS8.) Point is, different models with the same brand name, and @Master Mi should not mix them up.

[Dextastic]

4 hours ago, Master Mi said:

Thanks for the many different points of view.

Is somebody able to make a comparison (based on own listening experiences) between JBL LSR 305 and the Adam T5V or Adam A5X series?

The jbl 305 and 308 also sound like toys next to the a7x, based on a different listening experience of mine. I have not had the chance to demo the jbl's against the t5v's.

[Master Mi]

Dudes - I've checked out the Adam T5V. They were awesome in the store to listen to (even in comparison with the A7X, T5V seem to make a deeper bass and a cleaner sound somehow) - and now at least I know that I've mixed my coming Lufia remix already very well with my headphones and my Logitech Z533 speaker system.

I bought the Adam T5V studio monitors - but in my room I recognized that they are roaring so much that this would probably mean war with my neighborhood. The sound is really too heavy for my flat.
So, I guess I'll bring them back and stick with my Logitech Z533 speaker system which has obviously the perfect size and sound for my production room in my flat.

It's really annoying because I was really on fire to go for some high quality studio monitors.

But maybe somebody has another tip for me what could be a good quality 3-way speaker system (high & mid speakers + subwoofer bass) that could be useful for production purposes in a medium-sized flat as well (primarily an energy-saving speaker system with good sound quality, flat frequency response, black/dark colour and a cool design) instead - at least something which has a bit smaller size than studio monitors and which doesn't roar that heavy...

What do you guys think about a combination of:

1) Presonus Eris 3.5 Monitor Speakers
>>> https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-Eris-E3-5-Professional-Multimedia/dp/B075QVMBT9
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o9GCtaimjU

and

2) Yamaha NS SW 50 Subwoofer
>>> https://www.amazon.com/YAMAHA-subwoofer-NS-SW050-B-Black/dp/B01LZRLF6E/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1526718076&sr=8-7&keywords=Yamaha+NS+50

Subwoofer could be a bit smaller - but wouldn't this be a great 3-way studio speaker as well (compared to my Logitech Z533) to hear most of the details in a mix within a small room and without my professional headphones?

 

[Jorito]

13 hours ago, Dextastic said:

The jbl 305 and 308 also sound like toys next to the a7x, based on a different listening experience of mine. I have not had the chance to demo the jbl's against the t5v's.

Makes total sense, as you can literally buy 4-5 of them for the price of a single a7x

[Master Mi]

Insane - found a nice combo of a smaller 3-way-speaker system with subwoofer for my sharp-eared flat that might be good for mixing and music production purposes - though its smaller size.

1) Presonus Eris 3.5 Speakers
>>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e3.5.htm?ref=intl&shp=eyJjb3VudHJ5IjoiZ2IiLCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6IjIiLCJsYW5ndWFnZSI6ImVuIn0%3D
>>> https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-Eris-E3-5-Professional-Multimedia/dp/B075QVMBT9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1526725108&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=presonus+eris+3.5&psc=1
                                               
and

2) Fostex PM-SUBmini 2
>>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_pm_submini_2.htm?ref=intl&shp=eyJjb3VudHJ5IjoiZ2IiLCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6IjIiLCJsYW5ndWFnZSI6ImVuIn0%3D

I guess this could work even for ordinary flats with noise-sensitive people around - within a smaller studio environment where you still can hear a good amount of details with an hopefully flat frequency response at the right hardware settings.

I ordered the stuff after checking lots of alternatives in the smaller studio size sections and will be able to test the new stuff in about two weeks - will leave ya a feedback if somebody is interested.

What's your opinion about (or maybe your experience with) those two components for smaller studio environments?

And what do you think sounds better and more natural with a good flat frequency response - Presonus Eris 3.5 or 4.5?
I tend to go for Presonus Eris 3.5 because there the mids don't seem to mix up with the bass in the speakers so much - so it could be working excellently with the subwoofer as a separate bass unit. ))

[Nabeel Ansari]

Nowadays small details of response comparison between studio monitors are moot and needless effort to shop around for. If you pick up Sonarworks Reference 4 w/ their mic, then once you set up your monitors in the right configuration, calibrate the Reference 4 profile. The mic will detect differences between expected signal sound and what both your monitors and room are giving you, and apply a counter filter that cancels the differences out. You do have to manually set it to linear phase, which adds some latency to your path, but having that un-affected phase response is crucial.

It gets you way better results than agonizing over configuration settings. The important thing is that you just buy a good quality set with a decent response and then have your room at least minimally treated so that Reference doesn't have to do an unnatural amount of work to fix it.

Reference mostly gets a ton of praise all around, but also a small handful of disappointed customers, so you can shop around for other companies that do the same thing, there are multiple ones.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Ref4StuMicBun--sonarworks-reference-4-studio-with-mic

That being said, your mileage may vary if you're throwing a subwoofer in there too, since it needs to calculate L/R independently. Honestly like... a subwoofer isn't necessary, and I see of accomplished (home) engineers leaving it out of their setups. Getting something above 5" drivers for your monitors will already guarantee you a good sounding bass response.

Getting a sub can actually be detrimental if your room isn't right for it, or you aren't prepared to potentially do a lot of interior design work to make it work.

[Wiesty]

I've been on the Yamaha MSP7s for a few years now. Very nice and transparent monitors to mix on. 

[Dextastic]

By the way, no set of monitors is going to sound crystal clear unless you treat your room. sonarworks might help in an untreated room but it will add some coloration (as all eq's do-either transient smearing or pre-ringing) and it can't do anything about standing waves.

[Nabeel Ansari]

On 5/25/2018 at 4:04 AM, Dextastic said:

and it can't do anything about standing waves.

Definitely why I said getting a sub isn't the best idea unless your room is set-up.

[Master Mi]

I'm not a too big fan of adapting my cosy living room for my speaker system (especially not with those unesthetic dark wall absorber mats) - I rather prefer buying a speaker system that really fits my room.

Unfortunately the store won't get the whole new speaker system until late August 2018 - so it seems like I have to wait over 2 months to get my first chance to give ya a little review of this obviously pretty awesome small-size studio speaker system combo.

[Master Mi]

Professional, very energy-efficient 3-way studio monitor system for under 300 bucks
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After waiting a few months I could finally check out my brand-new 3-way speaker system which consists of the following components:

1) Studio monitor speakers >>> Presonus Eris 3.5
>>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_eris_e3.5.htm?ref=intl&shp=eyJjb3VudHJ5IjoiZ2IiLCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6IjIiLCJsYW5ndWFnZSI6ImVuIn0%3D
>>> https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-E3-5-3-5-Professional-Multimedia-Reference/dp/B075QVMBT9

2) Subwoofer >>> Fostex PM-SUBmini 2
>>> https://www.thomann.de/gb/fostex_pm_submini_2.htm?ref=intl&shp=eyJjb3VudHJ5IjoiZ2IiLCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6IjIiLCJsYW5ndWFnZSI6ImVuIn0%3D

The beloved equipment is already prepared and adjusted - while the subwoofer just stands on its little feet on my floor covering in front of my feet (love it to have some bass in the center just like in the mix) the speakers are placed on slightly angled absorber pads on my desk (at a distance of about 80 centimeters to each other and about 60 centimeters in front of me, slighty turned inwards and pointing almost in the direction of my ears).
The system is set up in my living room which is around 4 meters long, about 6 meters deep (in this direction the sound of the speakers goes primarily) and over 2,5 meters high.
The room itself is not specially prepared for musical purposes (for example with wall absorber mats or things like that) because I really like the bright Mediterranean colours and cosy atmosphere of this room - especially when it is flooded with sunlight.

The whole speaker system is connected to my Steinberg UR22 USB audio interface.
The EQ settings of the speakers are set to normal (centered positions of the knobs).
The frequency range of the speakers is 80 - 20000 Hz - while the subwoofer has a frequency range of 40 - 150 Hz and a variable crossover frequency switch that can be adjusted between 60 - 150 Hz (used the lowest setting of 60 Hz to separate the moderate bass of the speakers and the deep bass of the subwoofer much better and to avoid unneccessary overlappings of frequencies with this setting).
The speaker volume is turned up at around 50 %, while the subwoofer volume is only turned up at around 25 % - just to add only a small and decent amount of deep bass for getting the most faithful results of the sound within a flat frequency response.

With this setup I could achieve a really amazing sound experience for many different music genres - like electronic music, rock/metal, jazz and especially classical music.
I'm really in love with these speakers because the sound is totally clean and highly defined. The bass, the mids and the treble are really well-balanced (nothing seems to stick out or sound too weak here) and well separated from each other.
And in addition to that I can hear some more details I couldn't even hear with my professional studio headphones (Sony MDR-7506) - for example, I can hear if there's just a bit too much reverb in the track or if some frequencies of different instruments are interfering with each other too much and create a muddy sound.

Compared to my former (and much bigger) speakers Adam T5V which sounded totally awesome in the big music store room - but really roared in my small room where a clean sound with these speakers wasn't possible anymore (cause of this I brought them back in the store) - the sound of my new Presonus Eris 3.5 speakers perfectly fills my living room and makes a really nice and clean sound.

Just by the sound they might be pretty close to the Yamaha HS speaker series - although the Presonus speakers have a bit less salient treble, fully present mids (which seems to be a pretty rare phenomenon at most studio monitor speakers) and a slighty warmer bass which - altogether - make a fuller, very detailed sound with a quite flat frequency response.
They could also keep up with some of the smaller Genelec speakers - especially if you compare the larger Presonus Eris 4.5 studio monitor speakers with the Genelec 8010A speakers.
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OjbZQoLviY

But I decided to take the smaller Presonus Eris 3.5 speakers because I didn't want to risk the big speakers' roaring effect once again and I thought the smaller ones could be quite perfect for my little room.
Another important point is that the mids of the Presonus Eris 3.5 speakers don't seem to interfere with the bass frequencies so much - compared to the Presonus Eris 4.5 speakers (which make a bit deeper and stronger bass) as you can hear in this video.
>>>

So, in the case of the Presonus Eris 3.5 speakers you really have some very clean treble and some well-defined mids which don't tend to bleed into the still pretty decent amount of lower frequencies.

And the missing part of the lower frequencies comes on a separate way with the subwoofer Fostex PM-SUBmini 2.
So, with this combination you probably have one of the best small home studio speaker systems you can set up in a small and totally unprepared room like this.

In addition to the speakers' lower frequencies this subwoofer contributes a decent amount of deep bass until 40 Hz.
Compared to the subwoofer unit of my former Logitech Z533 multimedia speaker system the Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 is not just an oversized roaring cube.
It's not some kind of Magitek with which you can create heavy earthquakes and tear down whole buildings - but I guess this shouldn't be an ultimate goal of a composer.
Instead this little subwoofer can shake your room if you turn its volume up to the maximum (of course you shouldn't do this in a flat with lots of nice and peaceful neighbours around - and, as I mentioned before, I recommend a setup with just 25 % of the maximal volume at the subwoofer and 50 % of the maximal volume at the speakers).
But no matter how you set the volume of this awesome subwoofer, it always comes with a highly defined, radically crisp bass.
You can easily listen to the high quality of the subwoofer bass if you turn off just the speakers while listening to a soundtrack with lots of lower frequencies while leaving just the subwoofer turned on.
I'm sure you'll fall in love with this pretty smooth and clean bass.

If you keep in mind that this combinated speaker system has also a very low power consumption (2 * 25 W for the speakers and around 50 W for the subwoofer - makes 100 W in total for the whole system) - especially compared to many other studio monitor speakers (which often surpass 100 W easily - even without a subwoofer) - it's also one of the best energy-saving high-quality home studio speaker systems you can get in the music stores at the moment.

Another important thing I really like about this speaker system as a whole is the really awesome design.
The black colour, the very stylish tweeters, woofers and control elements, as well as the neon blue LED of the Presonus Eris 3.5 speakers, fit totally with the black design of the Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 subwoofer (which also contains a neon blue LED) - and of course the design of whole system totally fits the rest of my dominantly black PC and studio environment.

So, if you really look for an accurate, faithful and a very energy-saving, pretty stylish speaker system with which you can hear lots of details in the sound and which fits on an ordinary desk - no matter if you want to use it for a down-to-earth home studio, for playing video games or for other multimedia applications - you should give this really amazing studio monitor speaker & subwoofer combo definitely a try.

[SnappleMan]

With multimedia speakers like those you should be careful of resonant peaks at the lower end of the frequency rages, having a peak at 80-120hz is a typical problem with speakers like that and after a while can drive you insane, so test for that. Also run some tests to determine the mid-high response at the crossover points so you can compensate in your mixes.

I think room treatment as a whole is a bit overrated (even though it's necessary to some degree), what's most important is speaker placement in your immediate listening environment, so as long as you have the equilateral triangle you're halfway there. Buzz words like "flat" and "clear" are trivial because regardless of how flat a speaker is, the room will change the frequency response of what you're actually hearing, having some form of diffusion behind you, and some kind of absorption (like a heavy couch) can help you more than making sure your speakers are flat (which they wont be under the $2k per speaker range anyway, regardless of what the manufacturer tells you). Flat speakers need a precisely treated/designed room, otherwise you're defeating the purpose, that's why buying expensive speakers at home is not recommended.

[Master Mi]

Thanks for the hint.

According to my ears the Presonus Eris 3.5 sound pretty flat, very clear and much less bassy than most of the other studio monitors I've checked out in the store and on Youtube-Videos.
As I wrote about the sound they 're kinda close to the Yamaha HS series (or comparable with my Sony MDR-7506 headphones).

The missing deep bass (and I think this is a good fact in this case) comes on a separate way from the just slightly turned up Fostex PM-SUBmini 2 subwoofer (another example of excellent Japanese technology) - so there 's much more place for clear mids at the monitors.

I don't know how you would measure the frequency response of the studio reference monitors exactly by yourself (maybe by recording a mostly linear flat noise with a mostly linear studio microphone like Rode NT1 (not the NT1-A which has some elevations in higher and low-end frequencies) , play it with a frequency analyzer tool of your DAW and compare it to the orginal source?).

But I've found a source with the possible frequency response of the Presonus Eris 3.5 (have to enlarge the pic by right mouse click & examining the graphic element to see the whole scale until over 10k Hz)
>>> https://fr.audiofanzine.com/enceinte-active/presonus/eris-e3-5/medias/photos/#id:2090536

If you compare them to the frequency response of other famous studio monitors they seem to come off pretty well - even more in relation to their smaller size.
Just have a look at the picture with the title "Frequency response (before calibration)".
>>> https://sonarworks.com/blog/studio-monitor-test-and-calibration-5-speakers-in-a-bedroom-studio/


So, to me the Presonus Eris 3.5 look kinda well-balanced if you take the frequency response graphics - what's your opinion?

[Nabeel Ansari]

It doesn't matter what the graph of the speaker says because your room colors it beyond recognition. Also, I really doubt you can just hear what a flat response truly sounds like, especially if you're only testing it by listening to music where resonant peaks and standing waves may not even be present depending on the song you're playing. You measure this stuff, in real life, by using a sound pressure meter as you sweep up the range to detect deviations.

The Sonarworks product will tell you the total response of your room + speakers at your listening position, and I guarantee you, especially because you remarked that your room is untreated, that your system is most certainly way off.

Here was my system pre-calibration, in a completely untreated room:



Those peaks are 9 dB. Would make mixing snares basically impossible, as when swapping tones I get a completely different thump to them depending how they're tuned.

After calibration, the response has been flattened and the extra reflections from my walls were silenced so I could also perceive reverb mixing much better.