Prodipe Pro 5 V3 Review – Great Studio Monitors for $200
Despite the low price of $200 for a single monitor, the sound and build quality are impressive. The Prodipe Pro 5 V3 will suit: home producers, sound engineers and musicians.
In our Prodipe Pro 5 V3 review, we’ll take a look at the features of this model and why these monitors are a good choice to buy as your first pair of studio monitors.
Characteristics
- Design: Full-size, two-way speakers
- Frequency range: 55 Hz – 22 kHz
- Signal to noise ratio: 82 dB/90 dB
- Dimensions: 277 (H) × 180 (W) × 245 (D) mm
- Woofer size: 5.25″
- HF tweeter: dome tweeter, 1″
- Maximum power: 50 W (LF) and 25 W (HF)
- Weight: 5.5 Kg
Equipment:
- Monitor
- Documentation
- Power supply cable
🛒 Buy Prodipe PRO 5 V3:
📢 Appearance and build quality
The appearance of the Prodipe PRO V3 is austere and minimalistic. The body of the monitor is made of matte black MDF. On the front of the monitor is the company logo in the lower right corner. It is not backlit. The corners of the speaker are smoothly beveled. At the bottom of the cabinet there is a slotted phase inverter. This is a plus as the monitors are less sensitive to be placed near the wall.
Assembly at a decent level. The cabinet material is made of pressed wood (MDF). Prodipe PRO 5 V3 are budget monitors, but you can’t tell by the feel. The case is assembled monolithically, there are no gaps or irregularities. Everything is made of quality materials. On the bottom of the monitor there is a rubber pad on the entire area of the case. It allows the monitor to stay confidently on the table or stand and serves as a vibration-damping element.
I was pleased with the look and build. I was impressed that the monitors are assembled like a $500 speaker. The materials are of good quality, the design is peaceful. There is nothing superfluous. Strict and minimalistic, just what you need for a studio. They can fit in any interior.
🎛️ Functionality:
Regulators
This monitor features a volume control and a simple filter for high frequency (HF) control. The steepness of the filter is smooth.
Filter:
- HF – high frequency cut or boost (-2 and -1 dB or +1 dB)
The Gain control (monitor volume) is not fixed, the knob turns smoothly. This way of setting is very convenient for comfortable and accurate adjustment of the volume level.
Connection connectors
As in all such budget monitors we have 3 connectors available.
- Balanced XLR – for connecting via balanced input to your audio card or other source.
- Balanced TRS (Jack 6.3) – for connecting over the balanced input of your audio card or other source.
- Unbalanced RCA (Tulip) – for connection via unbalanced input.
On the back of the monitor there is a blue LED, which lights up when the monitor is on. At the very bottom of the monitor is the input current switch (220V or 110V). It is followed by the power connector for the power cable.
The studio monitor from Prodipe has all the connection variations you need. It’s convenient. If the upper range seems bright, you can attenuate the treble area. I have put these monitors on stands and on a table with stands. I was satisfied with the sound in both cases. I decided to leave them on the table, as I wanted to create the closest possible near field. Even so, the monitors delivered a wide sound picture and detailed sound.
🔊 Sound
The low frequency driver (woofer) is made of Kevlar-like material. It is a lightweight material, making the driver fast. 5.25 inches allows the monitors to sound low down to an audible 60 Hz, while the manufacturer claims 55 Hz. You should also not forget about the conditions in which the monitors will sound. The room is very important for the correct sound. In my case it is 18 square meters with a ceiling height of 3 meters. The room is equipped with mineral wool traps and diffusers.
The high-frequency tweeter is a one-inch silk tweeter. This type of tweeter is found in many monitors, both budget and expensive. I like the high frequencies in this model. They are not exaggerated, quite soft. Their openness reminds me of my ADAM T7V.
The Prodipe PRO 5 V3 class D amplifiers are rated at 50 watts on the woofer and 25 watts on the tweeter. The separation frequency of the crossover is 3 kHz.
The nonlinear distortion coefficient (THD) is less than one percent (0.05%), a good result among budget monitors.
Prodipe PRO V3 – AFC from the manufacturer:
The above figure is a demonstration of the AFC from the factory. This shape was measured under ideal conditions. In my case, the response was slightly different because the monitor is affected by the room.
In this AFC we can see a drop starting from 500 Hz. It is quite smooth.
I’ve secured sample recordings on a Lewitt 440 Pure microphone of one of the monitors in my room. You should not take these results as a reference. The recordings are for demonstration purposes.
With the help of IK Multimedia ARC 2 I can not only measure the AFC of my monitors, but also equalize it. This microphone comes with a plug-in that allows you to do this. I don’t always use correction, as I’ve been used to the sound of the room for a long time. I know its weaknesses. In case of Prodipe PRO 5 V3 I didn’t want to use correction. Even though the monitors sounded smoother thanks to the correction, but I was losing the character of the sound of the monitors. I like their character very much 😎 .
So how does the Prodipe PRO V3 sound?
I will tell you my impressions of the Prodipe Pro V3. The first thing that caught my eye was the “adequate” amount of bass. I was surprised to hear deep and tight bass in a 5 inch speaker. Phantom Center catches perfectly, the space feels not only in width but also in depth when properly set up. In budget monitors this is a luxury!
- Low frequencies are tight, massive. These monitors handle the bass perfectly. The drum will be punchy and the kick you will not only hear, but also feel with your body. With a normal installation and correctly found sweetspot can be heard down to 50 Hz, which is quite low for 5-inch speakers.
- Midrange is good, but I was unsure about it. When I was working on mixes I always switched to the ADAM T7V and KRK VXT 6 that I have. And alas I missed with equalization. But I guess it’s a matter of habit. I’ve been working on Prodipe PRO 5 V3 for only 2 weeks. If you take into account the details in the midrange register, they are there, all instruments are audible. There is a lack of lower midrange, it seems to be masked under the dense bass.
- High frequencies are beautiful, airy and soft. I didn’t hear any “tsk tsk” from these monitors, which I don’t like. They are reminiscent of ADAM’s ribbon tweeter, the top is just as airy and open. Sibilants in vocals can be heard, cymbals and percussion too. I was satisfied.
The space is good. The monitors show the soundstage in width and depth. I was very surprised by this, that in $200 monitors you can visualize the stage and separate drums from vocalist, bass from drum. Instrument positioning is at a good level. Setting the stage when writing or mixing music will not be a problem.
I am satisfied with the sound of the monitors. I have worked with Yamaha HS-5, KRK Rokit 5 G4, JBL LSR 305 (I listed monitors with 5-inch drivers). Prodipe PRO 5 V3 from those mentioned above is probably one of the best options to buy. You can not only work on them, but also enjoy listening to your favorite music.
🗿 Competitors:
There are many similar models of studio monitors on the budget market. Let’s take a look at the most popular models:
- KRK Rokit 5 RP4 – 220$
- Presonus Eris 5 XT – 190$
- M-Audio BX-5 – 140$
- JBL LSR 305 – 200$
- Yamaha HS-5 – 230$
Each monitor is unique and has its own sound character. Before buying a pair of monitors I recommend to listen to them in your room where you will work or at least in a showroom (store). Against the background of the above models Prodipe PRO 5 V3 look confident and can compete. I was very impressed with these monitors.
🆚 Comparison with JBL LSR 305:
5 years ago I bought my first monitors – JBL LSR 305. After 2 years of work I realized that I had grown out of the sound of JBL LSR 305. So I bought ADAM T7V, then KRK VXT 6, Yamaha HS 5 and many others.
The JBL LSR 305 is an active studio monitor. A 5 inch woofer and a 1 inch silk tweeter. Their build suited me as well as their appearance. Minimalistic design and pressed wood enclosure. The phasoinverter is located at the rear, which required a location further away from the wall. In terms of controls there is a step volume control, HF, LF filter switch. The connectors are balanced XLR and Jack.
- Low frequencies – JBL’s are not as massive and crisp, even though the driver is 5 inches, like the Prodipe PRO 5 V3. But the detail in the bottom end of the JBL is not as accurate as the Prodipe.
- Midrange – JBL is better in this matter, as the area in the lower midrange is more intelligible. But for the rest of the spectrum starting from 500 Hz Prodipe seems to me better and more detailed.
- High frequencies – JBL’s are not bright. This is what I would call a matte sound. They are not as pronounced as Prodipe’s, I can’t call them airy.
The space did not seem as wide as the Prodipe PRO V3. The JBL LSRs have a horn-shaped tweeter and this should contribute to a wide stage. In my opinion this is not the case. The stage is not as wide as our reviewer and draws worse in depth. You can work, listen to music or write music, but Prodipe is more comfortable.
If you buy your first pair of monitors, Prodipe PRO V3 will be a better solution than JBL LSR 305. Prodipe has a better bottom end, a more open top end and a much wider and deeper stage. Their cost is about the same. Jbl can please with a low-pass filter, but it’s a small thing 😉 .
🏆 Bottom line
Prodipe PRO 5 V3 is a good budget studio monitor that will become a tool in the hands of sound engineer, home producer and musician. Sound, build, design – at a good level. My expectations were much worse. The Prodipe PRO 5 V3 surprised me. I now have 3 pairs of studio monitors: Yamaha HS-5, KRK VXT 6 and ADAM T7V. I can safely say that I would definitely replace Yamaha HS-5 with Prodipe PRO 5 V3 😉 .
💲 Buy Prodipe PRO 5 V3:
✅ About PRODIPE
Prodipe is a French company that has occupied the niche of budget solutions in the world of audio equipment. The company itself is not even shy to talk about it. On their official website it is written that they take French technology and Asian production capacity, combining these two factors can get a great result. All developments and prototypes are developed in France together with Ludovic Lanen (a specialist from Prodipe).
You can read more about Prodipe and their developments on the official website.
