When comparing PreSonus Eris E4.5 vs M-Audio AV42, the Slant community recommends PreSonus Eris E4.5 for most people. In the question“What are the best studio monitors under $200?” PreSonus Eris E4.5 is ranked 1st while M-Audio AV42 is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose PreSonus Eris E4.5 is:
These speakers are very close to accurate, and will allow you to hear music as intended by the producer. The highs are crisp, airy and are quite revealing. The bass is punchy and controlled instead of overpowering and bloated. The mids sound very good with these speakers. They are rich, warm and very natural, so vocals will stand out in a good way.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Balanced and accurate sound with great mids
These speakers are very close to accurate, and will allow you to hear music as intended by the producer. The highs are crisp, airy and are quite revealing. The bass is punchy and controlled instead of overpowering and bloated. The mids sound very good with these speakers. They are rich, warm and very natural, so vocals will stand out in a good way.
Pro You can adjust the audio output to best fit your room
You’ll be able to optimize output in relation to your room acoustics. The Acoustic Space switch allows you to cut volume levels depending on speaker positioning so you can get as close to accurate audio as possible no matter what your set up is.
Pro The sound can easily be tweaked
It’ll be very easy for you to customize the sound output to fit your preference. At the back of the left speaker are knobs to adjust the mids and highs, and there is also a low cutoff switch that can increase or reduce the bass output.
Pro Multiple I/O options to choose from
You’ll be able to connect multiple devices to the speakers simultaneously. At the back of the main speaker are TRS and RCA inputs with an auxiliary 3.5mm input on the front. There is also a built in headphone-amp with a 3.5mm output allowing you to quickly monitor audio through headphones as needed.
Pro Clean and balanced sound
The audio output of the AV42 speakers is fairly flat. The highs are clear and have good levels of detail. The mids are natural sounding and full. The bass is decent, with good punch and depth, but does not overpower the other frequencies.
Pro Light and compact
It’ll be easy for you to incorporate these speakers in your current studio or entertainment setup. The speaker cabinets are not very big, so you can easily fit the AV42 on your computer/mixing desk or in your home theater space without too many issues. These are also fairly light, so you won’t have too much problem lifting and positioning these to your preference.
Pro Volume controls and auxiliary I/O are easy to reach
You won’t have too much difficulty adjusting volume or connecting devices through the 3.5 mm port to the speakers. The volume knob and 3.5mm aux connectors are on the front side of the main speaker, so they are very easy to access when needed.
Cons
Con Bass may not be powerful enough
The Eris E4.5’s bass output is tight and punchy, but may not be powerful enough for some. A sub-woofer may be needed if you are after boomy bass.
Con Some find the highs to be harsh
The highs can get fatiguing to listen to as they can get too forward and harsh. This can be remedied by reducing the treble level using the tone control knob at the back side of the speaker.
Con Some build quality issues
Many users consider the AV42s to be too light, which, they feel, is a sign of poor quality. Also, there have been many reports of users having issues with the speaker volume levels significantly different between pairs.
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