Fixing the WORST Speaker with EQ - PreSonus Eris 3.5 2nd Gen

[@bryanjones9952]

Glad you did this. It helps put a little perspective on why you actually have EQ at all, rather than trying to fix everything by trying to buy the perfect measuring speaker or going crazy with massive room treatment.

[@joentell]

Perspective is the key word. EQ isn't the solution to everything either, right?

[@bryanjones9952]

@@joentell ...depends on what you can afford...😁

[@meepp5929]

hey guys for anyone interested, i have the Presonus E3.5 first gen and i can tell you right now, stuff the whole in the back with a sock on both speakers, download the Eq APO and Peace Equalizer and on the suggested settings that Joe left in the description, a world of a difference, watching a KZbin video used to irritate me because the speakers had so much treble and a peaked low end, it made people sound like the have a subwoofer in their mouths and an echo chamber at the same time. now its just a pleasant experience

[@Awyang]

Hey man just curious, did you use the GEQ or PEQ settings?

[@meepp5929]

@@Awyang GEQ, its a bit easier to setup since the frequency response graph is available

[@Friendly_music_man]

Thank you for the EQ. It’s not a perfect match for my room, but it’s a good starting point. This is probably the only video with EQ for these speakers.

[@doctorkj5640]

I had these for about 5-6 days and ended up returning them. Lots of tweeter hiss when no signalis detected. Junk boxes.

[@deanstechcorner2556]

For an EQ on Mac, you can use AU Lab and BlackHole, it also supports Parametric EQ

[@jugantadas8917]

What is the settings on the back knob of the speaker ?

[@XTerkRS]

I bought the first gen to avoid the "2nd gen worse sound quality" and these ones I bought (1st gen) are booming terrible bad when frequencies between 125hz and 130hz (around C note) are played. What a waste of money. I don't recommend these speakers as this booming is a widespread issue and PreSonus hasn't been able to tell something different to its customers more than offering returning them. These speakers cannot be used as studio monitors as they sell them. You can EQ your entire OS (using equalizer APO or any other tool) which will add noticeable latency when playing regular multimedia, but as soon as you need to record and play something using an ASIO driver you're fckd.

[@martinmares8998]

Thank you Joe for this great demonstration. DSP is a wonderful thing. I run a 5.4.2 system, all except my center channel speaker, are RSL Speakers and MB has made them sound better than ever. Before I found this wonderful app called MB, I was using MultEQ-X and using a 1000 Hz curtain with a generic tilt curve and I thought it sounded good but here comes MB and I couldn't be happier with the calibration results for my speakers in my room. I use the SVS Ultra for my Center channel and I love how it sounds.

[@deepoprax]

This was a really good video. I have the Eris speakers and I’m currently slowly upgrading my CD player setup. I didn’t think my speakers were horrible until you compared them to better ones. Thanks for the info 🫡👍

[@portman8909]

I've got Prosonus Eris 4.5 2nd gen they sound pretty good to me for a casual multi media environment for films and games. Still a huge improvement over TV speakers or soundbars for same price. Only comparable speakers in this price range is Edifier R1700BT but from sound demo's these sound too coloured and lack clarity.

[@MultiKev78]

@@portman8909 Do you have any troubles with a hiss when speakers are active?

[@roycruzphoto]

Thank you for doing this! The speakers sound so much better with your settings!

[@stingber]

Nice! Great video Joe! The song was perfect👍

[@dudebro777]

Are they good for 75€ or what would the alternative to this be if I put another 50€ on it? BEcause i had the Edifier MR4 and they had a loud hiss noise :/

[@mattgiunt]

This was pretty amazing. I think Yamaha should drop a ton of cash on you and replace YPAO with Magic Beans in future products.

[@joentell]

We can dream. 😉

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Wow, I can hear the improvement over my phone speaker. Magic Beans 😮. Great video!

[@michwoz]

If you don't need it to play very loud (meaning spl headroom) then EQ is powerful tool.

[@realspacegiraffe]

i just bought these with bluetooth would you recommend i refund them and get something like the swans OS-10's instead or are they alright with the eq change?

[@joentell]

Check out my speakerleaderboard.com and see if there's anything you like better

[@TheLkdude]

Yes, the muddy dull sound is significantly reduced!

[@iavyy]

can you do an eq video for mr4's?

[@joentell]

I don't have these anymore

[@srtswpak47]

Great video. It would be interesting for you to do this with Erin's most hated speaker (B212XL or B215XL) that don't have good DI. They must be paired with a subwoofer and can get very loud while playing clean. Maybe more suitable for HT, but I have a pair in my garage because there's nothing like loud to me. How does one weigh DI when loudness is important and of course wants to be cheap? For me, if they can't get loud, I couldn't care how accurate they are, but to each his own.

[@joentell]

The DI on those don't look too bad to me. I think they might sound a bit bright with EQ in a typical room because of the horn, but I think they're worth a try in a budget HT situation.

[@oceanman4786]

Considering the directivity, where do you think the E3.5 Gen 2 would land on the leaderboard for the best overall sound quality?

[@joentell]

They're still very limited speakers. They would definitely rank higher with EQ than without

[@eddietours3728]

Pretty cool no need for GR Research 😅

[@joentell]

Ha! If I could DSP every passive speaker, I would.

[@zbigniewkrol3899]

Proper frequency response/balance is not everything. Imaging, dynamics, details are also important. So I believe GR + MB will bring you even better results. 😉

[@davestevens4193]

The music used isn't very good. Autotuned, quantized.

[@MichaelSoles-m7y]

Hey Joe how do you know what the orginal soundd like

[@joentell]

Because pink noise is a known signal with equal levels per octave. We can measure the output and compare it to the input.

[@MichaelSoles-m7y]

@joentell i was talking about the music track the actually original song

[@joentell]

@@MichaelSoles-m7y If a speaker can accurately produce pink noise or a sine sweep, that means it can reproduce any audible combination of frequencies in music as well. For music tracks, I’ve placed the track directly without additional processing, so you can compare the sound to the original source.

[@MichaelSoles-m7y]

@@joentell what did you use to play the original song with no processing did you use pure direct to play the song

[@joentell]

@@MichaelSoles-m7y I'm confused about what you're asking. For the sound comparisons I use in the video for the viewer to compare, I simply add the audio file directly into the video.

[@acche-rc]

Would you please fix the Ai41 as well 😅

[@joentell]

I think I recall some of those having issues with the compression limiter being too aggressive. I wouldn't be able to fix that.

[@gino3286]

Hi very interesting video I would give a look to the internal xover as well I guess that some mods there could flatten a little the FR curve Then another suspect is the reflex They need some work but everything can be cured a little I would never go below a 6.5" monitor anyway The price to pay in the bass could be too much A bass provide body to the music Thanks a lot and kind regards gino

[@aldeveron9498]

Excellent video, Joe! Having just bought a pair of these 3.5s for my tiny studio, and discovering that they didn't seem as flat as studio monitors ought to be, this video was just what the doctor ordered! I bought these because my 5" Tannoy reveals were taking up too much space on my desk, and they were old and beaten-up, so I wasn't sure if I could trust them for accuracy. I also thought the 3.5s made sense, because most people listen to my music on small computer speakers, anyway. Now I just need to figure out how best to use my old hi-fi amplifier to just power a passive subwoofer that I have. I probably ought to get hold of a crossover unit so that the bass frequencies don' t go to the Presonus 3.5s. Any tips on what I should look for? Thanks again!

[@joentell]

There's no cheap way to do it that isn't overly complex. It's probably best to get something like a MiniDSP 2x4 or 2x4HD. You can also look into the Dayton DSP 408. They're significantly more expensive than these speakers though. Or you can get the sub I showed. If you try the EQ on your set, let me know what you think.

[@aldeveron9498]

@@joentell Thank you for the tip, Joe. I sent the Presonus speakers back and ordered Edifier MR4 instead. As for the passive sub, I found another way to connect it, using gear I already have. Anyway, congrats on the excellent videos. Keep 'em coming! Liked & subscribed.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

Great demonstration of what EQ can do! Stock just sounded like horse poop, they sounded rather good after the high pass and EQ!

[@ri-ealismtattooart2244]

Love this channel I have the Eris 3.5 in my tattoo studio hanging on the ceiling but iw work with the Eris 8 sub 1st gen . I also prefer always a v shape in eq so listen to Spotify I make a v shape with the mids down high higher en low and they sound very nice together !! I have owned in the pat Yamahas 8 , krks and has e also the Eris 5 ext . because of this video and a longer thought of buying a sub for the speakers because I always have 8 inch speakers . but after very big illness I never could make music again and I cant even sit in front close like u used to be but since last year I can try some fl studio stuff out again just for fun but cant live without the sub it makes it very complete and now I even bought the new sub but also the new studio 5's haha so hope they are better because I will use them for fl studio and other daw stuff and not going to eq them to let them listen buetifull but not like it supposed to be haha But I have had a lot of speakers and soundsystems , high end home cinema speakers but I find them not that bad when you eq tem ( 3.5 ) i so used to it so I put it off yesterday and indeed the sound is so different But maybe its wrong I dont know but for listening also on Jbl 320 party box and other listen devices instead of producing I always love to reduce the mids and push the high for clarity I hate muddy sound and bass also pump up but always different to sound good not overwhelming and the studio looked to sound a lot more like I love it dont know If thats good or wrong for me but will test it out Thanks !! But with sub they are realy great for the money and for people like me that dont have the need to pay so much money i also saw some hi fi speakers I guess for 400 ( dont know the name now the debut or so but then I need a amp again ) and know from my dolby atmosfeer with real speakers no standard 5.1 set it was expensive then hahah sorry for the long essay hahah thank you !! but no studio monitors thats be clear but listen with sub and eq is good for that money

[@jefffffffx]

Love all these tweaks to end up playing music.

[@gregmatula9749]

This was great!

[@SunnieBeatsTV]

Does MB work for car audio?

[@joentell]

It can, but it isn't optimized for that.... Yet

[@chrisjoebekham]

tq bro love ur videos..this helps me to make my decision

[@Grommet2007]

FWIW if you've got REW running, you don't really need Magic Beans. Just use REW's EQ feature. Set up the "Target Settings' and "Filter Tasks" and then select "Match Response To Target". It will then calculate and determine all the EQ settings needed to create the closest match. I've used it for both my car audio and desktop audio system. Also, while Equalizer APO is nice, I think it's better to just use an external DSP, and Dayton's DSP408 is pretty decent for that job. Plus it's easy to control it from the PC and you can save multiple settings - like one for every pair of speakers, and you don't have to worry about the settings disappearing if something happens to the PC 🙂 I use a DSP permanently attached below my desk and 6 of its 8 channels are used to adjust the response of the 4.1 surround sound system I have in place on and around the desk. The other two channels I use while building and/or testing other speakers

[@joentell]

To be clear, MB isn't simply conforming the nearfield to a flat target response. It looks at other parameters to determine which corrections to make. Also, is there a way that you've found that will generate graphic EQ settings automatically from REW? I know how to do PEQ and convolution, but not graphic EQ.

[@Grommet2007]

@@joentell No doubt MB is a slick piece of software, but the website suggests a starting price of $680, which IMO puts it a bit beyond the reach of many DIY desktop tweakers. As for REW and graphic EQ, it is possible, but not straightforward unfortunately. Here's how you can emulate the use of a graphic EQ: Select the "EQ" option, ensure that the EQ option is set to "Generic", then select "EQ filters" and set the number of filters you need to use to "PK" and their Qs to the Q of the graphic EQ that you're trying to emulate (the more filters, the higher the Q should be). Also configure the center frequencies of each filter to match those of the graphic EQ that you're trying to emulate. Set the other filters you won't be using to "None" and deselect their "Auto EQ" option. Once you've done this, save the filter set, because it's always a bit of work to have to do this again for another measurement, LOL. Now, after doing all of this, when you're ready to use REW's auto-EQ option, instead of selecting "Match response to target", select "Optimise gains" under "Manual optimisation controls". REW will now try to adjust the response to meet your target curve by adjusting only the gains of the filters that you just configured. Presto-zappo - graphic EQ 🙂

[@joentell]

@@Grommet2007 Appreciate the information about REW. I will have to test that out sometime. Regarding the starting price of $680 for MB, I'm not sure how you arrived at that number. The standard is $249 and we sometimes run sales.

[@Grommet2007]

@@joentell Near the bottom of the home page for the Magic Beans website, I see the price of "True Target" is listed as $680 and "True Target Pro" is listed as $1,089. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing...?

[@constantinoskatodrytis542]

How important is directivity when listening nearfield I wonder….

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

hah, good video. those are treble messes... so much treble and sucked out mids. good end result though but yeah rather get good out the box so less tinkering

[@bingdong8571]

u can tune any speaker to your liking now but u cant fix bad or cheap hardware. Why buy cheap speakers and spend twice as much on dsp to fix speaker? Its nice that its doable now but that doesnt mean crappy speaker are all awesome now. It just means you can tune ur speakers to get the best out of them. If ur gonna spend money on a dsp i would buy more expensive quality speakers to make it worth it.

[@voltagetoe]

Those speakers are too garbage to begin with. Presonus dared to call them 'studio monitors' when they don't have anything to do with such. I have to say that Presonus has caused a lot of harm to beginner/poor musicians and should be busted up due to it. IIRC they did this again with their latest "studio" series. Though if someone is using these you just might have helped someone out of a catastrophical problem of completely ruining musical creations. Even though straightening the FR of these doesn't fix other problems, it can help.

[@joentell]

Perhaps they are too bad to start with. I took it as a challenge because I thought it was so interesting that their on-axis frequency response was so bad but their directivity was rather good, which means they could've just EQ'ed it to sound better out of the box.

[@ri-ealismtattooart2244]

And please what is the song I fell in love with it :) and how do you eq ? wishing de Mac or outboard ? can you test the studio 5 versions the 2nd gen I think ? I havent fiolowed this for years till your videos so thanks for a angry wife this past weekend haha just a joke my friend give you a follow

[@joentell]

I think it was Hawaii by Lil Loca

[@ri-ealismtattooart2244]

@@joentell Thanks good song !!

[@micbsounds]

Hi Joe, I did enjoy the video and seeing you re-dsp the little speakers to be actually listenable. Thanks for the windows EQ suggestions I will try them out.

[@joentell]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is the kind of stuff I do for fun. Sad I know. 🤣 I just decided to make a video out of it this time.

[@RobertoRNS]

Equalizador A.P.O é o melhor para configurar caixas no computador. Ele cria mais um canal, ficando com 2.1 ( reais ). Para ver que realmente existem 2.1 reais de canais, uso outro aplicativo que fica perto do relógio do Windows ( é o Sound Locker ). No caso do subwoofer é só usar o high pass filter. Mas eu consegui configurar no subwoofer também o low pass filter. Não instalei a interface Peace. Eu tenho várias configurações para as caixas 2.1 que tenho já uns 20 anos ou mais da marca ( Speed ) no equalizador A.P.O. Eliminei tudo da configuração original do A.P.O e criei um arquivo no Bloco de notas com essa configuração, é a que mais estou gostando no momento, está abaixo, com o comando ( include ) dentro do A.P.O. ::::::: Copy: LFE=-0.25*L+-0.25*R Channel: L R Preamp: -3 dB Filter: ON PK Fc 400 Hz Gain -5 dB Q 1.4 Filter: ON HP Fc 100 Hz GraphicEQ: 50 0; 100 0; 200 0; 400 0; 800 0; 1600 0; 2500 0; 4000 0; 6300 0; 10000 0; 16000 0 Channel: LFE Preamp: -8.2 dB Filter: ON LP Fc 100 Hz Filter: ON PK Fc 35 Hz Gain 5 dB Q 1.4 Filter: ON PK Fc 60 Hz Gain 5 dB Q 1.4 Filter: ON HP Fc 40 Hz GraphicEQ: 25 0; 50 0; 100 0; 200 0; 250 0; 400 0 ------------------------------------ Tem que configurar o driver Realtek em 5.1 e eliminando as caixas que não estarão em uso, ficando só com 2.1. Tem que colocar as caixas como Small ( desmarcar full range ). Para caixas 2.1 vendidas para computador, são aquelas ligadas somente na saída verde do computador. 2.1 que tenho, as 2 caixas menores são ligadas no subwoofer e ele que tem o amplificador. 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Mossytube]

I would like to ear Dave Rat is opinion on this..ahah

[@Xul]

To be honest the Kali Audio sound even worse. I can live with the less bass and the a bit "artificial" brightness, but this awful muddy sound on the Kali example is just the worst.

[@joentell]

I'm not sure how you're getting that. The Kali sounds more similar to the source which is audible and measurable. Maybe you're hearing the extended bass from the sub placed under the desk

[@Xul]

@@joentellCould be the reason - I was just judging by your audio example there. I see how it's closer to the original, which is kind of the point on studio monitors. I rechecked and it's actually the "dull" highs that seem to deliver my displease with the Kali ;) compared to the original ... For me this kind of "muddy" sound is usually really something I can't stand and would probably overcorrect in EQ. :D

[@joentell]

@Xul I don't remember how I recorded this, but depending on the type of mic I used, it might sound more dull than the original simply because it's in a room where high frequencies can get absorbed. This is normal and our brains understand this as a natural phenomenon which should not be accounted for with EQ. If you notice the estimated in-room response of most speakers has a downward tilt for the reasons I've mentioned.

[@Xul]

@@joentell Thanks for the kind explanation :) have some nice holidays!

[@oahupc4688]

i did experiments like this before with small speakers. i was surprised to find that the schiit loki eq (the original model not the now upgraded) bright out a ton of surprising clean bass from the small speakers. you might give that a shot if you have it.

[@joentell]

I have one. It was a good little device. These speakers need more than the 4 adjustments though and the last thing it needs is added deep bass extension.

[@Vietturtle2023]

Sounds like a 90$ pair of speakers

[@JoePastazza]

Thanks man, these simple guide and settings changed completely my listening experience. My speakers now sound 1000 times better with your EQ. SUPER! 👍😀🦾

[@joentell]

I'm glad you tried it and it helped!

[@audiosmackdown]

Nice job. I think I would pass.

[@joentell]

Probably a smart choice to choose better speakers and optimize them for the speaker placement after.

[@johnsmith-i5j7i]

yeah they sound awful even when listening on my laptop speakers lol

[@johnsmith-i5j7i]

Can you make your magic beans cheaper $200 is a lot of money :-( can't afford that

[@joentell]

It goes on sale occasionally. Keep an eye out

[@jacobsgarage1458]

I would rather buy new speakers with bigger bass units (8-15 “) By the Way studio monitors ain’t made for listening to music but rather listen when making music. And why you keep calling them speakers when they are just studio monitors 😂😂😂

[@joentell]

All studio monitors are speakers but not all speakers are studio monitors.

[@michwoz]

@@joentell And good studio monitors are great speakers. If someone like certain sound colorization it can be done pretty well on studio monitors too (as shown on the video), because those are usually very "EQable". The only problem with studio monitors for home use is that those are usually ugly as hell 😅

[@jacobsgarage1458]

@@joentell 😂 yeah you’re right but the real question is what is best for playing music ( and not just sitting in front of em ) studio monitors are made for studios 🫣 I guess you can’t really argue with that 😂