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From its 1999 launch in Berlin, ADAM Audio has built a solid reputation among the pro audio cognoscente. The engineers at Sweetwater know that a superior speaker system has superior components, and this is one area where the company has a distinct edge. With years of R&D behind each proprietary driver, ADAM Audio’s custom driver technology expresses itself in breakthroughs such as their X-ART (eXtended Accelerating Ribbon Technology) tweeter, which is based on a groundbreaking 1960s invention, the Heil Air Motion Transformer — and in fact, was the main impetus for the formation of ADAM Audio. The X-ART tweeter became the key to ADAM’s signature transparent, high-definition sound and the core development of ADAM’s proprietary designs going forward.
The ADAM Audio name carries a certain prestige in monitor land. We’ve all seen the futuristic AX Series monitors or formidable S Series main monitors in upmarket studios. ADAM Audio’s T Series monitors released in 2018 are a more financially viable product family within the brand. It consists of the T5V and T7V, the T10S subwoofer released in 2019, and now the eight-inch T8V. Being relatively unexposed to the world of ADAM Audio monitoring, I was excited to hear the T8V when it arrived for review. As with many modern active monitors, the control circuitry is digital and in this instance includes DSP-based active 2.6kHz crossovers, response equalisation and driver/amplifier protection. All three monitors are compatible with the ADAM Audio T10S subwoofer, though for most home studio rooms, the T8V should be able to deliver the goods without needing help from that quarter. Indeed, that 8-inch woofer provides bass extension right down to 33Hz, while the U-ART tweeter's folded diaphragm reaches up to an impressive 25kHz. The tweeter is fitted with a waveguide designed to match the dispersion characteristics of the High Frequency Propagation (HPS) waveguide used in ADAM Audio's rather more costly S‑series monitors, resulting in a wide listening sweet spot. ...these are impressive little monitors that sit comfortably within ADAM's sonic orbit... The U-ART 1.9-inch accelerated Ribbon tweeter offers a more dynamic range which means even if you move around your desk, you can hear the same frequencies. During sound generation, the by folded U-ART membrane leads to direct and fast response even when maxed out or trialled with complex transients. This accompanied with the HPS waveguide taken from Adam Audio’s flagship S Series ensures the monitor has a consistent dispersion, stable imaging over a broader area and reduces early reflections on surfaces. This is why Spinorama was apparently groundbreaking news for audio industry. Hence in the mid-late 2010's, most brands and magazines began publishing Spinorama measurements, despite the challenges of making such measurements.
Customer Reviews
The Adam Audio T8V is a powerful, high-performance studio monitor with fantastic transient response and high dynamic range that produces optimal, accurate audio. This is achieved through the newly integrated Class D amplifiers, which provides 20W power to the tweeter and 70W to the woofer. The lightweight polypropylene construction of the woofer also aids in the accuracy of the sound quality. I performed over 800 measurement which resulted in error rate of less than 1% throughout the range. The highs and the mids are detailed, balanced, and ample. What they are not, though, is neutral. This is not the flattest response you can get in studio monitors. They do color the sound a little with the signature ADAM timbre. Now joining these affordable but detailed speakers is the bigger, bolder, beefier T8V variant, which sports eight-inch woofers. The T8V has been designed for those who have always wanted to work with monitors equipped with eight-inch drivers but find most models prohibitively expensive – many manufacturers’ entry-level ranges stop short of larger models such as this one.
I simply don't have room for such a large speaker on my desk/workstation. Still, I managed to fit them in. Overall, I was very pleased with the sound. There is plenty of bass and tonality on the warm/balanced front. I tried to put an EQ in the crossover to pull that up a bit and while that increased detail some, it made them too bright so I just listened with no EQ. We combined Spinorama data with room acoustics and came up with Soundton. A very simple, 2D online tool that allows you to: The T8V features an 8-inch woofer which adds to the high-resolution of the stereo image and produces a deep and punchy low end, thanks to the rear-firing bass reflex port.Firing up a new pair of studio monitors is a similar feeling to getting a new pair of glasses. The sensation of sitting between a fine pair of monitors and hearing a dense mix being teased apart into its constituent components is similar to seeing the world a little more clearly than before. I find this analogy a useful mental starting point when reviewing studio monitors – a good monitor will offer new clarity and insight into music I may be already familiar with. BIG BOYS’ TOYS As aforementioned, the Adam T8V offers the broadest bass response. That doesn't necessarily mean that the Adam T5V does not deliver here. If anything, the compact delivery of the same is quite remarkable.
On the rear of the T8V is a range of basic controls and connectors you find in most monitors in this price range and also throughout the T-Series. Apart of the on/off switch and IEC connection for power, there are two choices of inputs on offer - Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA along with switches for LF and HF shelving filters which can be used to boost or cut 2 dB for tuning the response of the monitor. While having these switches for tweaking the monitor’s tone is welcome I found the effects very subtle. ADAM's U-ART is a 19-inch pleated polyamide film. Accelerated Ribbon Tweeters can move air 4x faster than most tweeters, making it a super-efficient machine that results in detailed audio delivery. With the large 8 inch driver, I could play as loud as I wanted and in this regard, they are superior to just about any studio monitor I have tested in this situation. I did not detect any distortion at my 1 meter listening distance.
Customer Added Media
ADAM Audio has included the HPS waveguide (high-frequency propagation system) in the T Series which is also found on the flagship S Series. Framing the ribbon tweeter, the square-ish waveguide disperses treble broadly on the horizontal plane but keeps vertical dispersion narrow to minimise reflections off horizontal surfaces like desks or consoles. Powering the T8V is efficient Class D amplification supplying 70W to the woofer and 20W to the tweeter. A DSP controlled crossover splits the drivers at 2.6kHz. LISTENING TEST
Introduced in 2018, German maker ADAM Audio’s T Series was launched with the T5V and T7V monitors, which feature five-inch and seven-inch mid/bass drivers, respectively. We reviewed both favourably upon their release, concluding that they offer outstanding performance for a remarkably low price. The T5V impressed us so much, in fact, that we not only awarded it our coveted MusicTech Excellence award but also our Value merit.See it? It is the RCA input. It is very rare to see such on a studio monitor. Only computer powered speakers have these, not pro monitors. This makes it easier to integrate for hi-fi applications. The new flagship of ADAM's T‑series offers serious bass extension even for those with limited budgets. Even for more modern EDM, Hip-Hop, or classical music with deeper bass, it delivers all you need without needing a subwoofer for near-field monitoring. As with the rest of the series, the T8V does feature a few design choices that are not ideal. The most notable is the rear-facing port. I’ll admit a monitor of this size is best placed within a spacious studio, so it isn’t the most concerning issue. But even larger studios can feature a work area that might be close to walls. Front-firing ports inherently are easier to tame. Sharing the same build quality and many of the features of its smaller siblings, the T8V monitor measures 400 x 250 x 335mm but weighs in at just 9.8kg. This is in no small part due to the lightweight yet powerful onboard Class D amplification, which is more compact and more efficient than standard Class A/B transistor amplifiers. Because ADAM’s PWM (pulse width modulation) amplifiers are switching types that use power transistors too, they’re able to run much cooler than traditional solid-state amps, meaning there’s no need for heat sinks in the cabinet enclosures. Mr T
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