So what is the PreSonus R65?
This is the smaller monitor in the new R Series AMT studio monitor range.
The AMT stands for Air Motion Transformer and is a reference to the tweeter type.
This tweeter setup is aimed at producing a greater response to high frequencies, transients, and highlighting the “air” and “space” in the audio spectrum.
It has similar acoustic controls to the rest of the PreSonus monitors which allow you to tweak the response to fit your setup no matter how perfect or….less than perfect it may be.
Quick Specs
- size: 6.5″ woofer, AMT tweeter
- technology: 100W LF/50W HF amps, acoustic tuning, HF control, HF filter, output current/over temp limiting, RF shielding
- connections: power, xlr, 1/4″ trs, rca
- price: $399.99 each
- product page: http://www.presonus.com/products/R65
- purchase: http://www.zzounds.com/a–1786589/item–PRSR65
How do they sound?
Of course I can’t give you an actual demo of how they sound, but I can share my thoughts 🙂
I think they sound good, upon first hooking them up I immediately noticed that the high end was very detailed yet smooth, not harsh, so I didn’t find myself needing to adjust the HF settings on the back to cut the highs out. That’s in contrast to the PreSonus Scepter 6 monitors ( a lot of you asked me how they compare) which I initially did dial back the highs. The bass response is nice and tight, not super deep, but definitely present.
I personally prefer to use a sub in my setup, not that I have it turned up very loud at all, but I find it gives me a better representation of what I want to hear from my low-end, though when I don’t need it, I find the bass of the R65 to still be represented well.
The overall sound is nice, I do find that the stereo field wasn’t quite as wide as I would like, there’s definitely a sweet spot with these, however, they do sound good, and the high end response is really nice.
So what’s the bottom line?
I find monitors to be such a personal choice, it really depends on your setup and what you’re looking for. I prefer a super wide stereo field so I can move around various spots in my setup and not miss anything, as I have gear situated in different areas. These sound great though, just not the monitors I would pick for a huge stereo field.
I give the R65 AMT monitors 4 out of 5 subs, the high end sounds very detailed yet smooth, and the overall sound coming from these monitors are really nice.
I did find that I could “hear” the amplifier, if you know what I mean, most amps will give off a subtle “hiss” when you crank the volume and I can hear that even without audio plugged in. It’s nothing major and something I’m sure most people are used to with powered monitors, or any form of amplification really. I personally find the level of “standing noise” to differ between different monitors I’ve tried. It also could be that the amplification is so powerful in these that I don’t have to turn my volume up quite as high before I actually hear that. Still, something I noticed so something I’ve got to mention.
Ultimately the best thing to do is go to your local store and listen to them for yourself, though you really won’t know how you feel about them until you try them in your setup. There are so many variables, including quality of your power, the room, and other things in your system.
The R65 is a great monitor, for me, as many of you have asked, I still prefer the Scepter line, specifically due to the wider stereo image. But I honestly woudln’t mind having a set of both to switch between as they do sound good, powerful, and very pleasing to listen to.
Go on over and learn more about the technology behind them at the PreSonus website: http://www.presonus.com/products/R65
Let me know what you think!
