Adam A5X Active Amplified Professional Studio Monitor Speaker

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The control panel at the rear no longer shares space with a protruding heatsink, and the screwdriver‑adjustable rotary switches have discrete settings rather than being based on conventional pots, so each setting can be made much more precisely. You'll still find the power switch and volume setting on the front panel, where they can be easily adjusted, but the power LED is now green (blue is apparently no longer fashionable!). Although critics of the brand have claimed that ADAM’s original designs offered less bass, less sparkle, and a less flattering midrange than even some lower-priced studio monitors, I say remarks like these miss the point entirely. It’s precisely these qualities that made the best ADAM monitors such indispensable studio tools. Genelec 8030c and Neumann kh80/120 are top notch stuff, but for music rich in the lowend spectrum you need a subwoofer to properly hear what’s going on down there, or use headphones.

My only concern is that the A5X (and to a greater extent the new A8X), are slightly more scooped and forgiving in the midrange than earlier ADAMs. I have 3 (well 4 in all) sets of powered monitors/actives, which all serve a great function in different parts of the house and all sound really good. We focus on education, discussion, and sharing of entry and mid level separate & multi component audio systems.up were the A3Xs which sounded really great! Surprisingly so, it was all there; definition, clarity, soundstage, and bass (lots of that). The Adam A7 features an integrated A/B amplifier, designed specifically to partner with the X-Art tweeter and driver. Adam Monitors utilise the highest-grade components and technological advances to ensure optimal audio quality and performance. The integrated power amp is no exception, with its ultra-low distortion and excellent damping factor. The amplifier features an internal bandwidth of more than 1 MHz, delivering an ultra-wide response up to 300kHz. With its simple yet effective design, the high frequency power amp ensures optimal audio performance for your X-Art tweeter and driver. Stereolink Why would a port even be doing cancellation at a frequency that's like 3 to 4 octaves higher than the port tuning frequency. Ok, I get why it happens, but not why we allow it to continue.

In the A5, that same tweeter is teamed with a 5.5-inch woofer, using a cone material that's fabricated from a sandwich of carbon fibre and a specialist material called Rohacell. This produces a rigid, well-damped cone which, suspended in its soft-roll surround, bodes well for low-end clarity. The drivers are mounted in a neat and fairly conventional ported enclosure, with all the connections on the metal rear panel, which also serves as a heat-sink for the electronics. Two small bass ports are located at the lower corners of the front baffle. Design & Construction

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The line-level inputs are on the rear panel in both balanced XLR and RCA phono (unbalanced) formats, but the level control is on the front panel, alongside the circular power switch and blue power LED, which makes it easy to access. For those with no separate monitor controller, there are two additional stereo-link RCA phono inputs and outputs on each speaker, enabling the user to link them both via an included RCA phono cable — so you only need feed the stereo line signal from your DAW to one speaker. To do this, the slave speaker must have its level control set mid-way, so that you get the correct balance between the two speakers. As soon as the linking cable is connected, a white LED illuminates on the front panel to show the status of the system. You can't use the monitors balanced in linked mode, but that shouldn't cause any practical problems in most cases. Legendary German microphone builder Neumann recently acquired Klein and Hummel for its own line of monitors. Cranked up, the 5Xs scream like only an opera singer can scream. Compared to the ASP8s, their low end is tighter and more solid, the high end cleaner and less pointy, the midrange more complex and detailed, and the stereo imaging more concrete and precise. With two 50-watt amplifiers and the ability to cruise at about 102 dB, they also have plenty of power and headroom. (And if you ever mix that loud for long, please trust me when I say you’re doing it wrong.) This added headroom and stellar performance at high levels is a genuine improvement of the original ADAM A-series. Is it worth it to get monitors if producing in an untreated room or should I just continue with headphones?