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Adam T5V Review (Studio Monitor)

richard12511

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These speakers are almost too good to be true. I wonder how much more it would cost them to eliminate that hiss. If not for the hiss, I’d buy them immediately. I returned a pair of JBL 305’s because I couldn’t take the hiss. They are an insanely good bargain but we’re not for me. Also heard Kali LP6’s and loved the sound. Hopefully one of these pro audio companies will address the hiss because a set of good performing active monitors for around $400 or so would be a true bargain for music lovers.

I'm lucky that hiss doesn't bother me at all, but given how many people are very bothered by it, I'm surprised these companies aren't making it a higher priority. I've seen many people returning JBL 30Xp speakers simply because they couldn't stand the hiss. This is costing them money. Is it really that expensive to fix?
 
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maverickronin

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I've seen many people returning JBL 30Xp speakers simply because they couldn't stand the hiss. This is costing them money. Is it really that expensive to fix?

Yeah. The DSP, DA, and amplification are all handled by a single $3 chip, which is likely the limiting factor. I would doubt there's anything better for either the component price, or the board space.

Maybe they could pad down the transducers to hide the noise at the expense of power instead, but there would probably be plenty of people complaining about that too.
 
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busy_playtime

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I've got my new T5V monitors on my desk on top of some angled foam pads. I'm very happy with the sound quality. I'm feeding the speakers from an EVO 4 usb interface with TRS to XLR cables. With the gain on the speakers at max (+18dB) I need the EVO 4 output at 75% to get a nice listening level (55-60 dB-A). Even at the 100% level on the EVO 4 it's not over loud (70 db-A). Ironic considering the 85 dB waring on the back of the speakers.

Are the T5V quiet or is my EVO 4 not putting out a hot enough signal? I don't often listen to louder sources but I'm a bit worried about having both interface and speaker gain so close to maxed out.
 

Aldoszx

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I have my T5V pair also on foam pads but not angled.
For me it is ok like that. I think an angle would direction the sound to the floor, so...
 

Aldoszx

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I really like T5V !
For me, is the best speakers pair I have until now !
 

donnbialik

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I bought a pair of these T5Vs. All I have to say is WOW. For the size the bass response is very impressive, and the imaging and clarity of these speakers is very pleasant. Now, I'm debating about whether I should return them for the T7Vs.
 

Mosiris

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I bought a pair of these T5Vs. All I have to say is WOW. For the size the bass response is very impressive, and the imaging and clarity of these speakers is very pleasant. Now, I'm debating about whether I should return them for the T7Vs.

Very nice. I found the T5V to be very nice for TV use too. If only they had matching centers.
 

paulraphael

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It seems like these might be a competitor to the KRK G4 rockits. Anyone have any thoughts?

We just replaced our 8" Rokits with them. I'm sure they don't go as loud or as deep, but they're fine for us. They're well balanced (especially with a bit of eq) and I think they sound a bit more natural than the old speakers. They're also half the size, and most importantly, they don't suffer the Rokits' noise problem from caustic goo slathered all over the circuit board.
 

Quomz

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Would the Adam T5V work for a stereo setup for "home theater" (TV) in the living room? They are attractively priced in Europe, seem to have good bass for what they are so might work without sub woofer and are described here to be able to get quite loud.
 

aCuria

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Probably not the best speaker for the living room, given that it likely too small for your room. Small studio monitors such as this one are designed for use at close distance, usually around 1m from the listener

I would look at something with much larger drivers for a living room, maybe look at the T8V?
 

Dj7675

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Just got these and set up one to listen to. Listed to without EQ first and sounded pretty good but a bit bright. Added Amir’s EQ and they sound really good. On my desk I don’t listen too loudly so added 1 more eq setting:
Low Shelf / 175hz /1.5db/ Q .8. Bass is surprisingly good and clean. Very nice. And they can get surprisingly loud and not sound strained. Now I just need to clean my desk to have room to put a second one.
 

Iglo

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Got a pair of Adam t5v based on the review/topic. For now a little awkwardly placed on my desk. Closer than I like (dual 27" screens don't help), but the monitor stands should arrive tomorrow.

First impression is that they sound really good to my ears (with a little EQ to tame the highs, although for many genres I have no problem without EQ). And it's nice to no only having headphones available at my desk.

Not much to add to the topic just really happy with the information Amir and all of you shared!

Edit:
The monitor stands arrived today (Gravity sp 3202), so I have room on my desk and the placement is way better.
 
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captmorgan90

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Stopped by my local Guitar Center and they had the T7V's available to demo. Oh man, talk about lovely sound. The sound stage was what blew me away the most, with the right track they envelop you in a cocoon. They had a set of JBL 308p MkII to compare them to and the Adams made the JBLs sound like tin cans in terms of mids and bass. During my limited listening, the Adam's highs were not harsh at all.

The T7V's are too big for my desk and stands aren't really an option, so I ordered a set of the T5Vs which should just fit. I can't wait to get them setup. I prefer listening to speakers when working from home and was looking for an upgrade for my Klipsch Pro-Media 2.1's. I think the T5V's will to do very well. Next upgrade will most likely be a Schitt Modius to drive them in Balanced instead of RCA via my Topping DX3 Pro.
 

sonofabass

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Greeting all.

Recently got my T5Vs and they are awesome. Heard them in a store, listened to LP-6s as well and loved the sound i heard from the Adams. Plus they fit so well on the desk.

Lots of fiddling to do now however i need your guys' help.

Connected to my computer through a jack to rca splitter and rca inputs on the speakers, they produce some strange sounds by themselves, what i believe to be something like digital noise. For example i can hear the mouse move, i think the fans on the pc case, etc. Same thing happens when i connect the speakers to a dj controller, with it's own audio interface, on the rca outs.

Very certain that my mains are unearthed, and already tried different sockets for speakers and pc. There's no hum or such from just the speakers unconnected (unless you put your ear to the tweeter).

Any way i can stop that noise from happening? Dedicated interface? Optical to analog converter? Monitor controller with balanced outs? DI box?

Please help!
 

somebodyelse

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@sonofabass There's just been a near identical discussion in the Kali LP-6 thread. Start reading here - it carries on for a bit but should cover most of what you need to know.
 

khark

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I had a similar issue with Adam A5x speakers, rca input picked up a lot of interference noise while xlr was clean.

Also, is your GPU overclocked or undervolted? Sometimes this can amplify interference which can pass through an unbalanced connection to speakers (the famous mouse move noise).
 
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