Presonus C3.5 BT Channel Studio Monitor

To clarify, I'm not a professional sound technician, nor do I claim to be well-versed in hi-fi sound setups. I'm just an independent filmmaker who needs these speakers for editing and viewing my films (and also to listen to my vinyl. Yeah, yeah call me a hipster. Whatever.) I had read a few reviews for Presonus's Ceres line of speakers, and just from those, I knew they were the ones for me. I was worried about the amplifier hum that so many people seemed to encounter, but I took the plunge anyway. The sound quality that people were talking about seemed to outweigh that potential pitfall. I ordered my 4.5 BT set two days ago (at the time of this review) and they arrived this afternoon. The box was in perfect condition--no scratches or tears. Upon opening the box, you're greated with a nicely organized and extremely well put together product. There's the normal warranty/product info pamphlet, instructions, and in this case, a really neat letter welcoming you to the Presonus family. As far as box openings go, I was really surprised at how far Presonus went to prepare and ship the product, and then to top it off, they personalize it a little more with the letter. It's a nice touch. Once the speakers are removed from their protection and plastic covers, it's a pretty straight forward install. Connect a few wires to the coordinating slots on the back of the left speaker, plug in the power supply, and Bob's your uncle. For me, I decided to test out the speakers with my turntable. I plugged my RCA cables into my preamp, then into the back of the speakers, laid down my original Star Wars Episode IV OST, hit the power button, and dropped the needle. But low and behold, as soon as I turned them on, that dreaded amplifier hiss engulfed my ears and throttled me into a state of pure dispair. It's utterly pervasive and weaves it's way into whatever other sounds are coming out of the speakers. I was obviously not ok with this, which led me to Presonus's half terrible, half amazing customer service. It's a mixed bag really, and here's why: If you call into Presonus's hotline, and then go through the numerous menus you have to go through to get to the correct section, you be put on hold. And then you'll wait. And wait. And wait. I waited for about an hour, and then the call dropped. I did this twice. Finally, I called the number again, and mashed the 0 button on my phone until someone answered. And therein lies the trick: just mash 0 on your phone and a real person will answer and get your problem sorted. I went through with the Presonus worker on the phone and explained my problem. He had me fill out an online ticket and put my problem into the description, and then wait. Less than ten minutes later, I had someone helping me. However, we couldn't figure out the problem, and it was decided that my speakers were defective. I went to Amazon and started the refund process, sadly printing out my slip because I had wanted these speakers to work so badly. Then a thought hit me. Maybe it wasn't the speakers. Maybe it was the source audio. So I tried the Bluetooth on my phone. No dice. The hiss was still there, as prominent and annoying as ever. Distraught, I started to unplug cables from the back, starting with the RCA cables that went into my preamp. Suddenly, the hiss was gone. The music from my phone that was still playing over Bluetooth was as crisp and as clear and as beautiful as I had imagined it would sound, only this time, the amp hiss was absent. I racked my brain as to why the preamp could possibly be making the hiss, and I realized it was because it wasn't grounded. Most cables nowadays have a ground wire built in, but my preamp didn't. So now, I'll have to manually ground it, which isn't a big deal in order for me to get perfect sounding music and films. Moral of the story: make sure that your source audio (and anything that it has to go through in order to reach the speakers) is grounded! Otherwise you'll get a feedback loop/hiss like I did. Aside from my issues, these speakers are incredible. The sound quality is absolutely astonishing, especially for the price that Amazon has them for. Highs and lows sound punchy and present, and there's no muddiness or muffling, which is rare to find in speakers this well priced. The build quality is also phenomenal. These things are solid and feel appropriately weighty when you pick them up. The Bluetooth is also a very nice nice touch and works perfectly. There's no lag whatsoever and is syncs with my 5S extremely fast every time. So, if you're looking for a really well-built, amazing sounding set of speakers, and you're not willing to spend upwards of $400-$700 for a hi-fi setup, these Presonus Ceres speakers are exactly what you need.

Pros ------ • Bluetooth streaming • 3.5 mm input & output • RCA input • TRS Balanced input (6.35 mm) • Control knobs on the front of the speaker • Acoustic tuning knobs • Speaker grilles • Price • Accessories included (3.5mm cable, 3.5mm to RCA cable, rca to 6.35mm adapter, speaker wire) • Subwoofer out port (6.35mm design) Cons ------ • No remote volume control (Unless controlled via bluetooth source volume control) Power management (The speakers sleep after inactivity and wake up as needed) TL:DR; -------- The Presonus Ceres c3.5BT speakers are a very good option at a very good price point. They have inputs to accommodate many different needs and produce a very good sound via wire and wireless (bluetooth) input. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone looking to delve into higher audio quality without breaking the bank. Other Thoughts ------------------- After recently acquiring a record player with not so great built in speakers, I found myself looking for some better audio with active bookshelf speakers. One of my requirements was finding an option with an available subwoofer out as I had a subwoofer lying around from my old Pioneer AVR setup without a use. Before beginning my search for active speakers, I had never heard of Presonus and their products. I can understand why, because they used to be exclusively for creative professionals until they decided to bring some options to the home market. I ended up landing on the Ceres series from Presonus after comparing several competing options such as... Audioengine, Kanto, M-Audio, PSB and others... that didn't quite meet my criteria. The Ceres series ended up being the cheapest and most featured filled option for the price. I was surprised to see that the Ceres speakers had most if not all of the features of the competitors for a lower price point. So after reading and watching a few reviews online that all pointed to a positive experience, I picked up a pair. I took the speakers out of the box and plugged them in before hooking anything else up to perform a basic audio test if they worked at all. The first feature I tested was the bluetooth streaming. I had received a Black Sabbath album (Paranoid) for free on Google Play Music and decided to use this as the test album. I connected my phone to the speakers via bluetooth, which was dead simple to do might I add, and prepared myself to stream audio. Wow, was I surprised by how great these sounded! They produced very good audio with all of the details from highs to lows coming through clearly over bluetooth streaming. I was surprised how such a relatively small speaker could produce such a clear sound. I then hooked up my subwoofer to give a little bit of extra sound in the low end and fell in love with these. Even for a smaller driver (3.5inch), these produce a fantastic sound by themselves and when coupled with a subwoofer for extra sound in the low end, I was really able to enjoy the music. I then hooked up my record player and listened to a record on them and was again surprised by how well these sounded. The difference between the sound quality via bluetooth and via wire was indistinguishable, at least to me which is a huge plus. I am very pleased with these speakers and with my purchase decision. The brand Presonus may not be widely known with consumers but it definitely should be because they produce a very good product at a very good price point. I'm sure the other options out there are just as good, but to pay more for the same feature set and audio quality that the Presonus speakers provided would be silly in my opinion. If you're looking to dive into a higher quality audio experience, then I highly recommend this as a solid option that will not break the bank.

Very clean sound. Audiophile quality? Probably to the extent a $299 speaker/amp combination can squeeze out... but it makes me long for a real hifi system still... of course, at 10 to 15 times the cost, and much more complicated hook ups, which I am hesitant to jump into just for streaming music. Excellent value for the price and really convenient with the bluetooth. I did notice bluetooth going in and out last night from my macbook air, but I am still trying to figure out why - it wasn't interference from my iphone or ipads because BT was turned off on all of them. No issues so far this morning. Doing an A-B comparison with my Bose Soundlink speaker, it's clear how much more detail is presented by the Presonus speakers. Doing an A-B comparison with my Audio Technica headphones, it's clear how much is missing from the Presonus. Wife isn't impressed because it's lacking the boomy bass in her definition of "good" speakers. I suppose it's physics... a little 4.5" woofer can only do so much. I'm debating if I want to go deeper into presonus and and get the T8 subwoofer to make the wife happier, though I don't think she'll ever be happy with the little speakers. I had these in the living room and have since moved them into the dining room. Nice that they are small and self-contained so I can do that. They aren't exactly stylish, but not offensively un-stylish either. Sounded OK watching American Idol on Hulu+ streamed over Roku too. Again, missing all the boomy bass. Still debating if that is a good or bad thing. Update: so I got the Temblor T8 subs and calibrated the levels according to the instructions and found a sweet-ish spot for the low pass filter (around 80Hz), and it sounds a lot more complete. I can at least hear the double bass in the music now. Had to mess around with the low pass filter and volume of the sub to get the lows without it being overly boomy. Update 2: after an afternoon of calibrating to my taste, I think it's super now. Listening to a reasonably contemporary live recording of Ben Webster now, and it's seriously good for the amount of money I spent on this equipment. I'm enjoying the music instead of focusing on what the speakers are or aren't doing - and isn't that the whole point if it all? If you decide to get these speakers, I hope you do enjoy them as much as I am now. My 6 year old hijacked the system to play her music all morning long - that was really great to see. I think the wife appreciates it now as well! (as for the macbook bluetooth issues - I give up, done all kinds of resets as advised by Apple support and it just stays stable for 10 or so minutes and starts dropping again. it's an Apple issue. Streams fine from iPhone)

Amazing, especially for the price...these work perfectly for me. I do not experience any of the hissing/noise issues others have mentioned. I got these as an alternative to the overpriced - under performing soundbars and all-in-one bluetooth speakers that seem to flood the market. Most of the ones I've used/tested are overrated and overpriced. I decided I wanted to try a stereo pair of bluetooth bookshelves to replace all the other stuff, and these fill the ticket perfectly. These are used as TV speakers for my smaller front room TV, replacing a pitiful Vizio soundbar of similar price. I also have a chromecast audio connected to the front aux input, and of course use them for bluetooth streaming from phone, laptop, and echo dot. These speakers sound GREAT!! There is no noise. Bluetooth performance is excellent. The size is small and unobtrusive, which is why I went with the 3.5 instead of the 4.5's. They automatically turn on when they sense audio input, and turn off when not in use for a short time. The only con I have is that the supplied audio cables aren't great. I replaced the supplied right to left speaker wire with better quality / larger gauge wire. For the record, I do not give the sound quality props lightly...I am a professional musician, recording engineer and live sound engineer with 30+ years experience. I work with the best stuff out there. I know what good sound is, and what it takes to make it. These speakers sound great. Do they sound like a $4000 pair of Genelecs - no. And they don't have massive amounts of bass because they're small, and laws of physics apply... But in my opinion they punch way above their price / size ratio. They produce a quality sound due to good (not great) components and good power. I am familiar with much of the Presonus product line and own some of their other products. It all seems to be good sounding, good quality for the price. Reliability remains to be seen, but I have not experienced any issues with any of the Presonus gear I've owned. I am not an employee of Presonus nor am I being paid for my review. Actually I never write reviews, but felt motivated due to the unexpected goodness of these small powered speakers.

I had these speakers for less than 3 years. They were great to begin with. I used the bluetooth capability to listen to my iPhone and the wired feature to listen to my vinyl. No complaints for the sound for the size of the speakers. Clear and crisp. However - when I recently went to listen to a record, a high pitched noise started out in the background of the song. After about a minute, the song itself stopped transmitting through the speaker and all that was left was the high pitched noise. I turned off the speaker, checked all the wires, and troubleshooted as much as possible. I connected the record player to another sound source to make sure the problem wasn't that. When I turned off and on the speaker the high pitch noise stopped until I again tried to play a record. Once again I turned off and on the speaker and this time tried to play music with the bluetooth connection thinking that maybe the wiring was the issue. The high pitch noise immediately started with no music transmitting. Good speakers to begin with but for almost $300.00, they should last a lot longer than 2.5 years.....very disappointed.

good quality sound, I was expecting more from all the reviews, but they are decent. The most annoying feature is the standby mode. There are two lights, the bluetooth light with is solid blue to indicate a link is established, but to its left is another LED that is blue when the speakers are playing and red when in standby. There's no mention of this in the getting started guide or on the company's website, but to get the speakers to play (which, after all, is their function) you have to turn the volume up on the driver (my iPhone) and then they switch on (at full volume) and you're deafened until the volume control can bring the level down. I wish I could switch off the standby mode. There is also noticeable hiss, I've tried the iphone on full volume and the speakers lower and the other way round but it's the amplifier in the speakers. Still for $129 they aren't bad. Update Jan 2016 (10 months after purchase) and the speakers are fine but the bluetooth has failed, it kind of works but all distorted. Fortunately I can buy a cheap BT receiver and still get use out of these speakers but it's disappointing that they failed so quickly.

Update 6/5/2020: five years on and our Presonus speakers still work and sound terrific. We have used them in many rooms, currently in an art workshop, and I have even brought them repeatedly to outdoor parties where all I needed was a plug in and my phone with BT to create a perfect music solution... not too loud, not too quiet, and beautiful sound. No regrets and no changes to the original review below, happy listening. Original 2015 review follows: After a side-by-side blind listening test of four ~$300 bluetooth speakers, we (wifey and I independently listened and agreed) found the pair of Presonus Ceres C4.5BT better than Wren, Audioengine's B2, and Polk's Woodbourne. Better than Wren by a small bit (close call Wren!), and significantly better than the Audioengine B2 and Polk Audio Woodbourne (refurbished was in price range). Maybe it's the studio monitor heritage? It was a clear win for the Ceres based on OUR priorities, but if you want almost as good sound and a prettier, more compact package I can confidently recommend the Wren as well... just make sure you buy the model with your preferred connection method (e.g. BT, Airplay, etc). Despite looking nicer than the Presonus system and all being fairly pleasant to listen to in isolation, each of the other bluetooth speaker sets had shortcomings compared to the Ceres: - Audioengine B2's tone was well balanced, and the Bluetooth range was nice, but the soundstage was just simply too small sounding. Very compact, loved the veneer and speaker look. - Woodbourne had lots of connection options, but sounded bass heavy and a little "muddy," and had some Bluetooth and Airplay connection quirks; the iOS app is necessary for wifi and Airplay but not very helpful otherwise. Large but pretty design. - The Wren was a close second, more balanced tone than the others with a nice soundstage for the size, but still not quite as clear and natural as the Ceres. Compact and nice to look at. - The Presonus Ceres presented a wider sound stage than the others even with the speakers within a foot of each other, and they maintained a beautiful, authentic, clear sound which was much more "believable." In other words, the musicians sounded like they were in the room... we drifted into the music much more readily with them, and isn't that what you buy speakers for? :-) Of course your music and tone preferences may vary, and all four systems are nice. Also some may not want the footprint of two speakers with a wire, or may not like the look of plain (and I mean seriously PLAIN) black boxes... but if your priority is crystal clear accurate sound the Ceres C4.5BT are your sub-$500 bluetooth choice. Hope this helps, happy listening!

These are really good! I came away really impressed. I consider myself a critical listener. I listen to mostly rockin blues, jazz, and vocals and accoustic guitar. These not only sound great (especially for the money), but you have so many ways to connect stuff to them. They are $119 vs $199 for the Eris 4.5..They have the same sized components plus the addition of bluetooth They are said to be designed more for home listening than studio work, and that makes sense to me. I like my sound accurate and try to play everything w. flat settings. I think if you were just listening to music most real studio monitors would get a bit raw and forward at any sort of mid to high volume.(for me anyway) These will do that as well, but not as bad. I recommend these for listening at low to mid volume. They get really loud, but became harsh sounding to me which makes sense because of their small size and amps. I gave these a good comparative test setting them up on top of my usual Altec Lansing large 3 ways (8" kevlar woofers, and blah blah). I have both hooked into Chromecast Audio devices via rca connectors and was playing from my phone. These really hold their own other than the expected lack of resonating bass. My Altecs are slightly warmer sounding and hold up great to playing at higher volumes, and I consider them to be on the more accurate side. These little Presonus guys were as good on the highs, but as i said, a little harsh at higher volumes in comparison. So I;ll be also hooking these up to my TV via the 1/4" cables hoping to eliminate the occasional hard to hear voices..This leaves the front aux port available as well as bluetooth....cant ask for more options. I think I could also hook in my Roland Handsonic Percussion pad. Also compared to listening to my headphones (Audio Technica) which sound a little warmer than the PreSonus..The PresSonus sound more like the Inner Ear Monitors I have. oh since I have everything hooked to Chromecasts, I have created a speaker group so I can play the PreSonus pair together with The Altec Lansings, which is perfect for the large listening area i have in an open floor plan. These little guys are really special for the price. They seem to be discontinued, so suck a pair up before they are gone. no compensation made for my review...Im just a music lover. ps HUM? Lots of reports of audio hum. I havent experienced that, but read the little manual that tells you not to hook up your stuff into different power outlets. If you do, you will likely experience HUM