INTRODUCTION --------------------------- A little run down. My short quest for new speakers came about when the Mackie CR3โs I had for 7 years decided to stop working. In that time, I was quite happy with them. I donโt produce music, but do video editing on occasion. My primary use case is casual listening to music/movies/games. In that regard, I donโt need to have the flattest sound available or desire it โ I just like clean, distinctive audio. Iโve been using Sennheiser HD555 headphones with a Sound Blaster Z soundcard for about a decade now. I know thereโs better sound options out there these days, but really, these do the job well enough for me and itโs not a necessity to upgrade at the moment. Particularly, Iโm impressed with the Sound Blaster software and functionality. I can switch between headphones and speakers on my computer easily and with separate settings for each that changes automatically. Which seems itโd be a convenience barrier switching to a DAC. In any case, I was previously using RCA and have switched to TRS when trying these speakers. The sound is noticeably clearer and unearths sounds more hidden with RCA. I have to crank the windows output a bit higher, but itโs unquestionably better. I also donโt turn the speaker volume up more than half or 3/4th to mitigate noise. With that, Iโll move onto my experience with these two speakers I decided to try to replace my deceased CR3โs. Upon receiving the Edifier MR4 first, I threw on some lossless tracks with some variety, albeit dated. Some artists included: Boris Brejcha, The Chemical Brothers, Erik Jackson, Emancipator, Gorillaz, Hot Chip, Linkin Park, Macklemore, MGMT, Nero, Paul Oakenfold, Papadosio, Pretty Lights, Rinรดรงรฉrรดse, Robert Miles, Sleater-Kinney, System Of A Down EDIFIER MR4 --------------------------- Off the bat I wasnโt stricken with the high end. I like a crispness in my highs and found there was room to be desired with snares etc. But itโs definitely good enough and doesnโt invoke fatigue. Using an equalizer in addition to increasing the treble knob helps and with dialogue in entertainment; which can be a bit muted. The speakers have decent separation and pleasing bass; while having a sound thatโs brought together coherently. I have an external bass, which I wonโt be inclined to turn on often, as I can also amplify it through software. Playback is warm and easy to listen to. Pressing the power button once enables or disables Music Mode. From what I could tell, it raises the decibel level slightly, as well as the bass and mids for added presence, at the expense of some clarity. Iโll probably use Monitor Mode most of the time. What I particularly liked about these speakers over the E3.5โs is a perceived wider soundstage; instruments have depth and can lightly reverberate (while still having a flatness to them), which sounded more lively comparatively. Overall, these grew on me and Iโve been pleased. If they could be a bit brighter, there wouldnโt be much else Iโd desire out of them. ERIS E3.5 --------------------------- The ERIS has an adequate amount of treble and clarity in the high range that I liked at first listen. At the tradeoff of it being sharper and more fatiguing with prolonged use or higher volumes. Highs can sometimes be borderline harsh without equalizing; vocals can be sibilant. I turn the bass knob to the max at +6db and lowering or not touching the treble; which only does so much for lows anyhow. Bass is present, but itโs limited and not as full sounding โ the frequency it can hit is punchy though. If you EQ more bass you can get a slight rumble, but nothing compared to the MR4. Even with a subwoofer, itโs not as full sounding. The lower mids donโt feel like they quite bridge to the bass. These speakers donโt sound bad and if I had no other options in this price range or hadnโt compared it directly to a pair with more lows, they might be acceptable. They can just be a bit flat and lifeless (which is part of the idea with monitors I guess), despite having crispness on itโs side. Honestly, I didnโt give this set as much time of day, as I kept gravitating towards the MR4โs; which didnโt make me weary with listening either. If the MR4โs werenโt around as an option, I might have compared with the Mackie CR3โs again. But doubtful: as I think their updated design is ugly, still have that green accent, and apparently theyโve declined in build quality. BUILD --------------------------- Both speakers are quite similar with an understated clean design and near identical dimensions. The MR4 seems to have a slightly better build and I prefer the the carbon fiber looking cone. The volume knob for the E3.5 is smooth โ the MR4 turns with an interval of 12 clicks. The E3.5 indicator light is blue and brighter for my taste: Iโd cover it up if I were to keep these speakers. The MR4 has a subdued red and green LED for monitor/music mode. Unfortunately, the green light has already started acting up and stopped working in less than a weeks use. The bass/treble knobs have more length to them on the MR4 and are easier to reach back and turn than the E3.5โs. The MR4 weighs a bit more and comes with slightly nicer speaker wire than the E3.5 The E3.5 has a detachable power cord โ MR4 does not. The MR4 tweeter actually measures about three quarters of an inch, not the full 1โ they claim. With both these speakers I could occasionally detect light distortion/crackling in mids and highs. Not enough to be detrimental for me in keeping the MR4โs. But also due to some solid portrayal, I could hear more of the noise added to the production of certain tracks. For example, listening to some Phantogram, where vinyl grain is frequently added. I believe the E3.5โs also displayed this characteristic, but I returned them already upon noticing more of this. CONCLUSION --------------------------- I tried both these speakers in various configurations of equalizing, but made most my judgments based on how they sound out of the box or their capabilities. The Presonus ERIS E3.5 can hit a higher frequency range; while clear, I found the Edifier MR4 sounded more pleasing and I could almost picture vocalists singing into a mic, rather than just sound coming from a speaker. This carries into the overall experience between the two. The MR4 can give me the impression of being at a concert or watching a movie at a theater, to a degree. I feel the E3.5โs are lacking a bit of soul, but maybe thatโs because theyโre not as warm. When switching between the two to compare, I found myself wanting to just keep listening to the Edifierโs and not switch back to the Presonus. Itโs more lush with itโs prevalent bass for the size and highs can be more pronounced after equalizing (though, they still have an audible frequency ceiling, whereas the E3.5 reaches higher). Given, both these speakers havenโt had a chance for a decent break-in period; but thatโll mostly round out the sound thatโs already there anyhow. Iโve also seen more feedback in regards to the Presonus not working after only a year. Most products these days can be a crap shoot, but Iโd rather keep the MR4โs for the sound alone and physicality of it (with the aforementioned differences) and hope I get lucky they last awhile. But the LED being faulty already isnโt ideal and Iโll probably replace the pair. I might look further into spending a bit more for different speakers. Though, it seems moving up generally doesnโt include an aux input/headphone output, which is occasionally useful. So, once again, it comes down to weighing out price/sound/conveniences. The MR4 really does sound decent for the price ($129) and I will probably just stick to this model in the end, since Iโm not ready to invest in a DAC setup either, thatโll make it worthwhile for spendier speakers. Again, I'm not a music producer, so I can't speak to the decency of these speakers for actual production โ you can find reviews with graphs. I'd spend the $30 extra for the Edifiers; unless pronounced highs are super important to you (especially for rock & jazz). But if you create music with any substantial caliber of bass and need to portray it, Iโd probably look elsewhere than the Presonus 3.5โs. Youโd likely be wanting larger speakers anyhow; though, you may be able to get away with it by adding a sub. If you do consider the Edifier MR4โs, just know thereโs a small margin of highs that arenโt as present. But they can be a more fun listening experience overall and less fatiguing.
