We’ll focus on the slightly bigger Eris 4.5s here, named so because of their 4.5-inch woofer, because their price is still hard to turn down. PreSonus’ flagship studio monitor range, Eris, features two dinky monitors: Eris 3.5 and Eris 4.5. Speakers: 3-inch woofer, 0.75-inch silk dome magnet tweeter.

There must be some colouration added here, we would assume, but IK has done it very well, and the bass sounds round and twangy when needed and not as artificial as some monitors many times the price.” In our review, we said: “Up against our more expensive monitors they surprisingly held their own in the bass – one area where we thought they might fall down, given their size. These are a little more expensive than the M-Audio and Mackie monitors, but you’ll find these more suitable for production and mixing in a home or portable set-up. These perform competitively against larger speakers, with EQ switches to shape the sound to suit your environment. They might look like nothing more than computer speakers, but IK Multimedia’s iLoud monitors pack a serious punch for their size. The Genelec 8010s are a remarkable set of monitors that provide a professional quality reference at medium levels in an effortlessly portable format.” Admittedly, our listening room isn’t especially large, but the 8010A filled the space with crystal clear and wide-open sound. Only this time, it’s way bigger than you would ever expect. In our review, we said: “The sound belies the actual size. With their high SPL, waveguide technology, and Iso-Pod stand, the extremely compact 8010A are an ideal choice for reliable monitoring in home and pro studios. The 8010A active monitors are the smallest that Genelec produce and, while they are more expensive than most others in this list, they are the epitome of small but mighty. Its speakers are often found in high-end studios, and we’ve often come across artists’ studios that love the Genelecs they’ve invested in. Genelec is renowned for being one of the best monitor manufacturers in the industry.

Best mini studio reference monitors at a glance

Best speakers for mac studio