a0x
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- Apr 3, 2026
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Hi!
I recently got Presonus Eris Studio 5 and Eris Sub 8Bt (as an upgrade for Edifier R1600TIII) and I'm a little surprised with the amount of hiss present in Eris 5 monitors. I did all the troubleshooting and I'm sure what I'm hearing is self noise of Eris 5. I still have some time to return them and I'm wondering if you could recommend some similar monitors+sub with less self noise. I searched for some popular models and if I look for hiss related topics, they all seem to have hiss issues.
Do you know any substitute for Eris 5 and Sub 8 which will have much less self noise? They can be more expensive, but not like 2x the price. I spent 445 USD on current setup, I can spend, let's say 560 USD on a less hissy alternative.
I was considering Kali Audio LP-UNF but (1) they have internal DAC and I don’t want my own DAC to stay out of the system (also don’t want double processing) and (2) it seems hard to pair them with reasonably priced subwoofer.
I was also considering switching to passive speakers and some amplifier but (1) most of the budget amplifiers have analog volume control which messes with the balance (had really bad experiences with analog volume knobs in the past) and (2) they seem to have unavoidable DACs on them just like Kali monitors. Maybe I’m wrong. (3) Exceeding budget if choosing an amplifier with digital volume control.
Another idea were Yamaha HS8s but (1) I will have to exceed my budget and (2) they will not fit on my desk so I will have to buy stands and severely rearrange my room. (3) Yamaha monitors have bass reflex on the back which will take even more space. (4) Not sure if connecting unbalanced RCA to TRS will work well.
Edifier S360DB and Klipsch Promedia Heritage 2.1 will fit the budget and space on the desk but (1) they also have internal DACs and (2) there are mixed opinions on hiss and sound quality.
I did some research on other solutions but all of them have some issues listed above. Maybe I could convince myself to live with Presonus hiss but knowing they will probably break in 2 years is even more discouraging. I’m basically stuck and I feel there is no good choice possible for me, even with some extension on the budget. Maybe some of you could suggest different solutions or shed some light on the ones I posted above. For now it looks like I’m stuck with old Edifiers.
Thank you!
PS
I'm using FiiO K11 DAC connected to my PC through Toslink. RCA to subwoofer and TRS cables between sub and monitors. My room is about 20m2. I’m not doing any studio work, I just want to listen to music. If that matters, here are my favourite artists: Sade, Jamiroquai, Men I Trust, L'Imperatrice, Mcbaise, Parcels, Satin Jackets, Cannons, The Marias, Roosevelt. Would like not to exceed 560 USD but will do it for a solution which will resolve most of the issues. I’m located in Poland.
I recently got Presonus Eris Studio 5 and Eris Sub 8Bt (as an upgrade for Edifier R1600TIII) and I'm a little surprised with the amount of hiss present in Eris 5 monitors. I did all the troubleshooting and I'm sure what I'm hearing is self noise of Eris 5. I still have some time to return them and I'm wondering if you could recommend some similar monitors+sub with less self noise. I searched for some popular models and if I look for hiss related topics, they all seem to have hiss issues.
Do you know any substitute for Eris 5 and Sub 8 which will have much less self noise? They can be more expensive, but not like 2x the price. I spent 445 USD on current setup, I can spend, let's say 560 USD on a less hissy alternative.
I was considering Kali Audio LP-UNF but (1) they have internal DAC and I don’t want my own DAC to stay out of the system (also don’t want double processing) and (2) it seems hard to pair them with reasonably priced subwoofer.
I was also considering switching to passive speakers and some amplifier but (1) most of the budget amplifiers have analog volume control which messes with the balance (had really bad experiences with analog volume knobs in the past) and (2) they seem to have unavoidable DACs on them just like Kali monitors. Maybe I’m wrong. (3) Exceeding budget if choosing an amplifier with digital volume control.
Another idea were Yamaha HS8s but (1) I will have to exceed my budget and (2) they will not fit on my desk so I will have to buy stands and severely rearrange my room. (3) Yamaha monitors have bass reflex on the back which will take even more space. (4) Not sure if connecting unbalanced RCA to TRS will work well.
Edifier S360DB and Klipsch Promedia Heritage 2.1 will fit the budget and space on the desk but (1) they also have internal DACs and (2) there are mixed opinions on hiss and sound quality.
I did some research on other solutions but all of them have some issues listed above. Maybe I could convince myself to live with Presonus hiss but knowing they will probably break in 2 years is even more discouraging. I’m basically stuck and I feel there is no good choice possible for me, even with some extension on the budget. Maybe some of you could suggest different solutions or shed some light on the ones I posted above. For now it looks like I’m stuck with old Edifiers.
Thank you!
PS
I'm using FiiO K11 DAC connected to my PC through Toslink. RCA to subwoofer and TRS cables between sub and monitors. My room is about 20m2. I’m not doing any studio work, I just want to listen to music. If that matters, here are my favourite artists: Sade, Jamiroquai, Men I Trust, L'Imperatrice, Mcbaise, Parcels, Satin Jackets, Cannons, The Marias, Roosevelt. Would like not to exceed 560 USD but will do it for a solution which will resolve most of the issues. I’m located in Poland.
