PreSonus Eris monitors offer incredible value. Jon Musgrave powers up the newly updated Studio 8
KEY FEATURES AMPLIFICATION: Class AB, LF 75W, HF 65W CROSSOVER FREQUENCY: 3.5kHz FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 35Hz - 20kHz INPUT IMPEDANCE: 10 kΩ ROOM SETTINGS: Acoustic space (0, -2dB, -4dB), low cut 12dB/octave 80Hz/100Hz EQ: +/-6dB at 10kHz, +/-6dB at 1kHz PEAK SPL: 106 dB @ 1m INPUTS: balanced ¼” TRS and XLR, unbalanced phono
PreSonus has recently revamped its popular Eris line of monitors, and the latest one I have for review is the Eris Studio 8. This large 2-way nearfield is an update of the Eris E8 XT, and priced at just over £400, a pair offers excellent value.
At 419mm high and just over 10kg, the Eris Studio 8 is a big monitor, even for an 8” design. That said, with a front bass port and the incorporated bass tweaking options, you should be able to mount them reasonably near to a wall, and that certainly makes them viable in smaller rooms.
Visually, the front panel is very similar to its predecessor, although the power indicator is now a central strip rather than an illuminated badge. The LED doubles as a standby indicator (white) if you have the optional power save standby selected on the back panel. The front baffle includes a wide slotted bass port, and the top section is dominated by a large Elliptical Boundary Modelled (EBM) tweeter waveguide. I have to say, this delivers a very wide sweet spot and makes working with these monitors incredibly easy.
The monitors use quality drivers, with a silk dome 1.25” tweeter, and a woven composite 8” woofer. Back panel input connections include two balanced (XLR and TRS) and one unbalanced (phono). These are joined by input gain and a good selection of acoustic tuning controls. You’ll note there’s no digital connectivity or remote room correction, but I wouldn’t expect these features at this price point.
The Studio 8 uses individual class AB amps for woofer (75W) and t
