HIFI Diary: PreSonus E3.5BT Gen 2 Monitor Speaker Review

I. Introduction

A few days ago, a friend asked what speakers would be good to buy for 1000 yuan. The first brand that came to mind for the BLOG owner was PreSonus, known for its high cost-performance. Back when the E5 was released, it had both good reviews and sales. Now, several years later, the BLOG owner noticed that the smaller model, the E3.5, has reached its second generation, and its price remains at the 1000 yuan mark. So, the BLOG owner recommended it to the friend and took the opportunity to listen to it for a while.

II. Preparation for the Evaluation

The PreSonus E3.5BT Gen 2 is being evaluated this time. The test audio includes QQ Music and audio streams from the BLOG owner's self-built audio server. The comparison involves the BLOG owner's Genelec 8010a. In terms of hardware, to simulate the actual effect of friends using the Moondrop Dream Disc player, the decoding is done using the BLOG owner's TASCAM Portacapture X8 voice recorder, with a LO direct RCA output to the E3.5BT Gen 2. The speakers are placed directly on a solid wood table, spaced 1.2 meters apart, and positioned in a triangle with the listener's ears, meeting the requirements for near-field monitoring. Additionally, no vibration isolation or third-party accessories were added, making the setup extremely minimalist.

III. Evaluation Pieces/Scoring Method

The tracks selected are those frequently listened to by the BLOG owner, with a listening preference that is approximately 70% Japanese music and 30% large-scale orchestral works, hence the selection will lean significantly towards Japanese music. The scoring criteria are derived from a simplified version of Liu Hansheng's "Twenty Essentials for Audio," with a maximum score of 10, though generally, the highest score given is 9 (ultra-flagship). An 8 indicates outstanding performance in the scoring category (flagship), a 7 signifies excellent performance in this category (mid-range), a 6 means it can be normally appreciated (entry-level), a 5 indicates it can be normally listened to, and scores below 5 are not commented on. For a more detailed evaluation scheme, please refer to this link.

IV. Test begins

项目	N300	E3.5BT II	MTM	8010a	SC204
Sound Quality / Timbre	6/10	6/10	6.5/10	7/10	7/10
Frequency / Balance	6.5/10	5.5/10	6/10	7/10	7/10
Transient / Dynamics	6/10	5/10	6/10	7/10	6.5/10
Resolution / Detail	6.5/10	5/10	6.5/10	7/10	7.5/10
Density / Weight(BODY)	6/10	5/10	6/10	6.5/10	6.5/10
Transparency / Airiness	6/10	5/10	6/10	7/10	7/10
Soundstage / Imaging / Spatiality	6.5/10	6/10	6.5/10	7/10	6/10
Character / Proportion	6/10	5.5/10	6/10	6.5/10	6/10
Total Score	6.19/10	5.38/10	6.19/10	6.88/10	6.69/10

1、Song:波隙漂浮（Wave-borne Float），Singers:JINGYAN，Album:波隙漂浮（Wave-borne Float）

In fact, the BLOG owner initially tested "雪琥珀 -snow amber- (Remix)", but the speaker exploded so thoroughly that they had to find another song close to the upper limit of E3.5BT2 for testing. This Touhou song, which the BLOG owner has recently grown very fond of, is undoubtedly the closest to the expressive upper limit of E3.5BT2. You can judge for yourself whether the arrangement and mixing of the songs you usually listen to are more complex than this one, especially in terms of low-frequency quantity. Due to its thin enclosure and 3.5-inch main driver quality, E3.5BT2 should not be able to support more majestic low frequencies. However, it is worth praising that E3.5BT2 performs well in large-scale orchestral music, as long as it is not a piece that severely tests low frequencies and dynamics like "Magic Bullets Fast Polka" or "From the New World." In fact, its performance in strings and wind instruments is commendable.

II. Song: Suite from the Ballet Swan Lake op.20 1.Scene, Artist: Various Artists, Album: Tchaikovsky Ballet Collection

This is the first time I've reviewed Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake on a blog. This ballet, composed in 1876, is renowned worldwide, and the first movement of the suite, Scene, is taken from the ending song of the first act of the second scene, which is also the soul of the entire suite. In B minor, at a moderate speed, the theme of the oboe is set off by the unique sound of the harp, as if depicting a beautiful yet sorrowful swan. As the piece develops, the addition of the French horn, violin, and viola makes the music more layered, and the emotions expressed in the piece deepen further, until the cello appears, pushing the emotions of the piece to a climax. The performance of the E3.5BT2 is quite good; in terms of instrument reproduction, it indeed demonstrates the quality level that a monitor speaker should have, with excellent sound quality that can faithfully reproduce the instruments, rich and resonant tones. Although there is a slight lack in dynamics, the intended mood of the piece has been conveyed, and for normal listening, there are no issues; the overall feeling is comfortable and pleasant.

III. 歌曲名：敢爱敢做（Dare to Love），歌手名：George Lam，专辑名：花街70号（70 Blossoms Lane）

The overall vocal performance of the E3.5BT2 is its best feature. Under the premise of not excessive bass, the thickness, texture, and imaging of the vocals in the E3.5BT2 justify its price. Whether it's a vocal recording that leans more towards the stage or a HIFI-oriented binaural recording, it can effectively recreate the intentions of the original creators and performers. Although there are still issues of lacking detail and low density overall, it cannot be said that the vocal experience is poor.

V. Conclusion

Overall, the sound of the PreSonus E3.5BT Gen 2 is quite standard, neither particularly outstanding nor a regrettable purchase at the 1K price point. In fact, the E3.5BT Gen 2 is making a strong effort to showcase itself, including its shortcomings. For monitoring purposes, this revealing style might be exactly what users need (though it cannot be denied that its quality is not high), but for listeners, this unapologetic way of presenting itself might not be very palatable. The blogger also reviewed the Bluetooth functionality of the E3.5BT Gen 2, which has a significant gap compared to the wired version, making it unsuitable for listening to music, though it might be barely acceptable for gaming or watching movies. Given that it only supports the SBC protocol, it's a bit hard to swallow. Considering that the non-Bluetooth version of the E3.5 Gen 2 is available for as low as 700 YUAN, the blogger recommends opting for the non-Bluetooth version if you're looking to buy.

VI. Summary-Update (241201)

The blog owner sincerely apologizes for committing an error of empiricism and for the erroneous habitual thinking of favoring foreign brands and lacking confidence in domestic brands. After reviewing the Edifier N300 speaker, the E3.5BT Gen 2 was immediately repositioned by me as a grievance-inducing, garbage-level speaker. The goodwill that PreSonus had accumulated in the blog owner's heart was instantly emptied. Although the release times of the two are different, good is good, and bad is bad, without a doubt. Those interested can refer to the N300 review.