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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-02 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a compact, tuneable nearfield monitor with on-board tone shaping and a headphone jack right on the front, choose Behringer Truth 3.5; if you need a larger woofer, a desktop/bookshelf location switch and more input flexibility including a 3.5 mm jack, choose Mackie CR4.5.
• Behringer Truth 3.5 — biggest strength: a true reference-first design with a 3.5" glass-fiber woofer, 1" silk dome tweeter and an Advanced Waveguide that widens the sweet spot, plus front-panel volume, aux input and headphone connector.
• Behringer Truth 3.5 — biggest trade-off: the 3.5" woofer moves less air than the Mackie's 4.5" driver, so deep bass is not its mission.
• Mackie CR4.5 — biggest strength: a 4.5" woven woofer with a tone knob and a location switch that re-tunes the speaker for desktop versus bookshelf placement.
• Mackie CR4.5 — biggest trade-off: it is the more "creative" of the two — designed to flatter casual listening and gaming as much as to stay neutral.
• Choose Behringer Truth 3.5 if you mix close-up and want the most neutral, reference-leaning small monitor.
• Choose Mackie CR4.5 if you want one pair that swings from studio work to gaming to couch listening without adding a sub.
The Truth 3.5 is built around accuracy first. It is a 64-watt, two-way, active monitor in a 2-channel stereo configuration, pairing a long-throw 3.5" woofer with a deformation-resistant glass-fiber cone against a 1" silk dome tweeter. That combination — a stiff, light woofer and a soft-dome high-frequency driver — is the classic recipe for clean midrange and non-fatiguing highs, which is exactly what you want when you are making decisions about a mix rather than just enjoying one.
The Advanced Waveguide is the detail I keep coming back to. A waveguide controls how sound spreads away from the tweeter, and Behringer's version is designed to create a very large "sweet zone" — meaning you do not have to sit in one rigid spot to hear a balanced image. For a desktop producer who leans left and right in a chair, or a gamer who is not locked to a single position, that matters more than raw output.
Buy it if you want a genuine reference-class small monitor for music creation, multimedia work and gaming, and you like having headphone switching and EQ trims within arm's reach. Skip it if you want floor-shaking low end or wireless playback out of the box — a 3.5" woofer simply will not deliver that.
Mackie CR4.5: Who It's For
The CR4.5 takes a slightly different philosophy. Mackie calls these "Creative Reference" monitors, and the naming is honest: they want to be studio monitors, gaming speakers and party speakers in one cabinet. The hardware backing that up is a 4.5" woven woofer and a 1" silk dome tweeter, powered for a 50-watt stereo setup in a stainless-steel enclosure finished in black with silver accents.
The two features that define this speaker are the tone knob and the location switch. The tone knob starts at the transparent response you expect from a monitor, then gradually adds bass weight and high-end sparkle as you turn it — useful when you switch from checking a mix to playing a game or hosting people. The location switch flips between desktop mode for close, studio-style listening and bookshelf mode for listening from further back, like from a couch. That is a genuinely clever piece of tuning most small monitors do not offer.
Connectivity is broad: TRS and RCA for audio interfaces, mixers and playback gear, a 3.5 mm input for consoles and PCs, and a built-in headphone output that cuts the speaker audio when you plug in. The box includes a 1/8" to 1/8" cable, a 1/8" to RCA cable, foam isolation pads and the speaker-to-speaker wire — a complete desktop setup in one purchase. Mackie also notes you can add the CR8SBT subwoofer for real low-end reinforcement, though that is a separate product.
Buy it if you want the most flexible single pair — bigger woofer, tone shaping, two placement modes and a full accessory kit. Skip it if you need strict neutrality above all and would rather not have a tone control tempting you away from flat.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Most neutral reference sound → Behringer Truth 3.5. Reference-first tuning, glass-fiber woofer, no tone-shaping stage in the signal path.
• Wider listening sweet spot → Behringer Truth 3.5. The Advanced Waveguide is designed specifically for broader dispersion.
• Placement flexibility → Mackie CR4.5. The desktop/bookshelf location switch re-tunes the speaker for how far away you sit.
• Quick casual-listening boost → Mackie CR4.5. The tone knob adds bass and sparkle on demand.
• Front-panel convenience → Behringer Truth 3.5. Volume, aux in and headphone out are all on the front face.
• Console and smartphone hookup → Mackie CR4.5. It adds a dedicated 3.5 mm input alongside TRS and RCA.
• Everything in the box → Mackie CR4.5. Cables, isolation pads and speaker wire are included.
In my opinion, the Mackie CR4.5 is the better buy for most people reading this. The 4.5" woofer gives you more usable low end, the tone knob and location switch make it genuinely adaptable to a desk, a shelf or a couch, and the included cables and pads mean you can be running in minutes. I would pick the Behringer Truth 3.5 instead if your priority is the most neutral, reference-leaning small monitor with front-panel headphone access and a waveguide-designed sweet spot — that is a specialist's choice, and a good one. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit; both sit in the budget end of the category, but the gap can shift.
The phrase usually gets mixed up. Studio monitors are speakers, like the Truth 3.5 and CR4.5 here, built for accurate, uncoloured playback. Studio monitor headphones are the headphone equivalent — designed for the same flat, analytical job, but worn on your head. Both of these speakers include a headphone output so you can switch between the two.
What are reference studio headphones?
Reference headphones are headphones voiced for accuracy rather than excitement: a neutral balance so what you hear matches what is actually in the recording. The same idea drives reference monitors. The Behringer Truth 3.5 leans hardest into that reference character of the two speakers here, which is why its tone controls are limited to low- and high-frequency trims rather than a broad voicing knob.
Same answer, different wording: they are headphones built for monitoring — checking a mix, tracking, editing — rather than for casual listening. If you want that job done by speakers instead, the Mackie CR4.5 starts from the transparent response of a monitor and then lets you dial in extra bass and treble when you are not working.
Yes, on both of these. The Behringer Truth 3.5 puts a headphone connector on the front panel for easy reach, and the Mackie CR4.5 has a built-in headphone output that mutes the speakers when you plug in. Neither uses wireless, so it is a wired connection — which is exactly what you want for zero-latency monitoring.
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