Adam T5V Review (Studio Monitor)

[srkdummy3]

I got this today. I am using balanced XLR cables to TS 1/4 to my M-Audio AIR 192/6. My vol level is at +7-9 db

1. I heard a pop/sparkle sometimes. This is really distracting.
2. There is a definite skip in the song sometimes 4-5 times. This is really worrying. What am I doing wrong?

I had to definitely dial down both high shelf and low shelf to -2 as in my untreated room, the bass was overwhelming and the highs were harsh. I never had these issues with my Mackie CR-3 reference monitors. What am I doing wrong

Edit : I replaced USB cable and the popping/skipping went away.

 

[srkdummy3]

I am liking the speaker so far but these don't have the clarity and the sparkle of my Mackie CR3-X speakers.(Especially the human voices sound so brilliant in Mackies) Is it because they will take time to "break" or is it because my room is untreated. Also, even after reducing low shelf to -2, the bass is kinda overpowering and headache inducing. Not sure if it is because I am not used to such overpowering bass or if it is because it is too close to walls.

1. Get a new larger desk, so that I can place the speakers at appropriate distance.
2. Get Foam pads for the speakers.
3. Treat the room somewhat acoustically. Place thick bedsheets on opposite walls. Carpet the room. Get Acoustic panels at reflection points.
4. Learn to understand Software EQ i.e. sonarworks or other.

Also I had a question, since the volume dial has to be adjusted in both the speakers, how do you know it is at an exact point in both speakers? I mean apart from 0 Db and "LEVEL" and +18 Db, there are no exact points where I can point the dial to compare.

 

[flowolf]

Has anyone disassambled and assambled them? I could get a nearly unused pair for €200, but black speakers are a nogo in our home... so I am thinking about wrapping them with furniture foil (3M Di-Noc). But for this I think it is neccessary to remove the drivers...?

 

[ksach]

I have the t7v monitors and have found that the tweeter amps have a noticeable hiss, which is constant regardless of signal. Is it possible that the ~3dB bump you measured above 5k is in fact due to this random white noise?

 

[YSC]

I have the t7v monitors and have found that the tweeter amps have a noticeable hiss, which is constant regardless of signal. Is it possible that the ~3dB bump you measured above 5k is in fact due to this random white noise?

not likely as I remember sometime I've read that in Adam's own data the bump is also there, sounds more like a design choice, and since that hiss is the base noise, it will be drowned by the signal at the test level of 86db

 

[ksach]

not likely as I remember sometime I've read that in Adam's own data the bump is also there, sounds more like a design choice, and since that hiss is the base noise, it will be drowned by the signal at the test level of 86db

I am not sure why the noise would be drowned by the signal, it would still add. The noise is audible enough that it would still have a non zero impact on a loud signal.

I don't have any great measurement equipment but I set up a stellar x2 1 meter away from the tweeter. First I recorded the room without the speaker on, then with the speaker on and no signal, and then with a 440hz sine wave. Then I used the room recording to get a noise print to subtract from the other two recordings. The attached charts show the frequency spectrum of the speakers with no signal (and room noise removed) and with the 440Hz signal (with room noise removed). You can clearly see that the hiss is still there, and presumably would still be there if you played a signal at 5+kHz where you wouldn't be able to distinguish between response from the signal and response from the self noise of the speaker.

 

[Raitsa]

@ksach why are you talking T7V stuff in T5V thread?

 

[ksach]

@ksach why are you talking T7V stuff in T5V thread?

Because it is likely the same amp, and because I was proposing a possible reason for the measured bump in the high end in this review of the t5v.

 

[unpluggged]

You can clearly see that the hiss is still there

You seem to miss the point. It's that you don't hear the noise floor when you play music at program levels, not that it disappears.

 

[ksach]

You seem to miss the point. It's that you don't hear the noise floor when you play music at program levels, not that it disappears.

I understand that, but a few dB of noise at 5k+ is audible, even when combined with a loud signal. I can hear it when listening to these speakers, and was trying to provide evidence in the charts.

My original question is just whether or not the bump in high frequencies is in fact random noise rather than a response to the input signal. If so, then filtering the high frequencies would not be the best idea (from a mixing standpoint). If something in the testing approach accounted for self noise, it would be great to know that.

 

[thatmdee]

Any particular thoughts on running the T5Vs for mixed use on an office desk in a bedroom in a small apartment?

I picked up a Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 cheap, and after speakers for mixing mostly techno. Also likely to get a DAC and run my Macbook through them for general computer usage, music etc and so I'm running balanced -- the FLX4 is unbalanced.

Briefly tested the T5Vs, Rokit 5 G4 and Eris Studio 5 locally. Rokit 5s seem popular for EDM and definitely felt bassier, but upper mids and particularly highs lacked clarity and brightness at least to my novice ears... they sounded.. muted? The T5Vs didn't seem quite as bassy - but it felt more controlled and less sloppy, and i enjoyed the high end clarity.

I'm hoping the T5Vs will be okay for mixing techno and other general use, and I can look at adding the sub later for extra bass if required.. but I'm in an apartment and wary of noise complaints.

My bedroom is only 3x4m. They would be positioned on stands either side of my monitor and close to the rear wall, so I can imagine using the -2dB LF switch to minimise boomy bass from the rear port.

Only real downside is no standby but I can look at smart plugs for that. Price is only about $40 AUD above the Rokits, and around $30 less than the Studio 5s.

 

[Lasker]

Any particular thoughts on running the T5Vs for mixed use on an office desk in a bedroom in a small apartment?

I picked up a Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 cheap, and after speakers for mixing mostly techno. Also likely to get a DAC and run my Macbook through them for general computer usage, music etc and so I'm running balanced -- the FLX4 is unbalanced.

Briefly tested the T5Vs, Rokit 5 G4 and Eris Studio 5 locally. Rokit 5s seem popular for EDM and definitely felt bassier, but upper mids and particularly highs lacked clarity and brightness at least to my novice ears... they sounded.. muted? The T5Vs didn't seem quite as bassy - but it felt more controlled and less sloppy, and i enjoyed the high end clarity.

I'm hoping the T5Vs will be okay for mixing techno and other general use, and I can look at adding the sub later for extra bass if required.. but I'm in an apartment and wary of noise complaints.

My bedroom is only 3x4m. They would be positioned on stands either side of my monitor and close to the rear wall, so I can imagine using the -2dB LF switch to minimise boomy bass from the rear port.

Only real downside is no standby but I can look at smart plugs for that. Price is only about $40 AUD above the Rokits, and around $30 less than the Studio 5s.

View attachment 340922

Every room is different, personally use my t5v in a badroom 4m x 4m and these sound very good, 2.10 m from my head, 1.35 m from wall and about 90 cm right, 115 cm left from wall.

 

[nat1]

The T5V's are listed as having a depth of 297mm, is this just the speaker box itself or does that include the volume knob that protrudes from plate amp at the back?

Can someone measure the box from the front to the back for me?

 

[flowolf]

The T5V's are listed as having a depth of 297mm, is this just the speaker box itself or does that include the volume knob that protrudes from plate amp at the back?

Can someone measure the box from the front to the back for me?

I had them on the desk yesterday, but unfortunately I did not read your request. However, in any case you have to add 4-5cm at least for the Plugs!

Because of the negative WAF values, I laminated them with white foil yesterday, which turned out quite nice.
Too bad that Adam no longer offers speakers in white, like Neumann or Genelec.

They are sitting on a shelf maybe 1,9m above the floor.

 

[donahana]

Ello, new here and I'm considering getting those speakers as an upgrade (mostly for the mids) to my current Edifier S350DB, will only be using them on my PC and I do have a Topping DX1 DAC/Amp that I use to currently power my SHP2700 (>10 years and still plenty happy with it), just wondering if connecting the speakers RCA to the DX1 RCA is the way to go here? And any recommendations for additional hardware/cables I should look into if I wanna plug it into my TV (43QN90B) as well? TV has optical out (or HDMI eArc in case that's usable as well)

 

[staticV3]

Hi @donahana! Welcome to ASR.

Yes, you can totally connect the T5V to your DX1 via RCA, though you should note that the DX1's volume knob does not affect the RCA Line out on the back.

To control volume, you'd have to use either a volume slider on your PC, or the volume knob on the back of the T5V.

For a convenient way to connect the T5V to both your TV and PC, switch between them, and control volume, take a look at the Topping E30II Lite or the SMSL C100.

 

[donahana]

Hi @donahana! Welcome to ASR.

Yes, you can totally connect the T5V to your DX1 via RCA, though you should note that the DX1's volume knob does not affect the RCA Line out on the back.

To control volume, you'd have to use either a volume slider on your PC, or the volume knob on the back of the T5V.

For a convenient way to connect the T5V to both your TV and PC, switch between them, and control volume, take a look at the Topping E30II Lite or the SMSL C100.

Appreciate it! Yeah, sadly no volume knob for the speakers (sometimes I plug my S350DB on them as well) but it's all good, and thank you for the recommendations! Was trying to decide between the T5V and the Kali LP6 (20%~ cheaper) but decided to go for the T5V simply cause Adam offers a 5 year warranty while the retailer for the Kali LP6's only offered me a 3-month legal warranty, even though failure rate might be low I rather not risk it.

Hope the T5V's do well in my current space and I don't find the bass lacking too much, if it ends up happening then I might consider the T7V as well!

 

[madwolf]

Hi!
I got Adam T5V and also A4V to compare.
I've read lots of praise about T5V (even from this review/forum thread) but I really don't hear it and I'm thinking if I have something wrong in my setup or what...
Compared to A4Vs, which I think sound fantastic in my room, the T5Vs sound really dull. The room is pretty small, about 8-9m2, with some acoustic treatment, but not much.
I have the speakers connected to Rode Rodecaster 2 Pro monitor outputs. I first tried A4Vs on the UNR setting and they sounded pretty bright, but nice and detailed.
I then connected the T5Vs. On the same volume setting on the mixer and level on the speakers set at 0dB they were MUCH quieter than A4Vs. Not sure why? They also sounded much less bright and generally like if the speakers would be covered with something - compared to A4Vs. People here say that they have to set HF to -2dB but I actually set that to +2dB to have a nicer sound. With that and level at about +8dB they sound better but still I feel much worse than A4V.
By "worse" I don't mean measurement-wise, I didn't measure anything. Just pure enjoyment of listening to favourite music on both.

I know the A4V are over twice as expensive as T5V, so maybe not really a fair competition. I thought that I'm not going to use them in a production studio, just for listening to pre-recorded music, so probably I won't hear much difference between T5V and A4V and I won't miss the A4V's room correction dsp and so on. But I do hear a lot of difference and A4V sound much better to me. My question is... do you think perhaps I'm doing something wrong? Do the T5V need some special setup that the A4V don't?
I WANT to like the T5V, I would prefer not to pay so much money for A4V
Or do the A4V really sound so much better? for everyone?
I've also tested the Presonus Eris Studio 5 and would place them somewhere in between the T5V and A4V...

 

[DanTheMan]

I don’t know, but I had the same experience with their previous generation, but I have no measurements to back up that subjective impression. So it could be a price bias thing….

 

[Hayabusa]

Hi!
I got Adam T5V and also A4V to compare.
I've read lots of praise about T5V (even from this review/forum thread) but I really don't hear it and I'm thinking if I have something wrong in my setup or what...
Compared to A4Vs, which I think sound fantastic in my room, the T5Vs sound really dull. The room is pretty small, about 8-9m2, with some acoustic treatment, but not much.
I have the speakers connected to Rode Rodecaster 2 Pro monitor outputs. I first tried A4Vs on the UNR setting and they sounded pretty bright, but nice and detailed.
I then connected the T5Vs. On the same volume setting on the mixer and level on the speakers set at 0dB they were MUCH quieter than A4Vs. Not sure why? They also sounded much less bright and generally like if the speakers would be covered with something - compared to A4Vs. People here say that they have to set HF to -2dB but I actually set that to +2dB to have a nicer sound. With that and level at about +8dB they sound better but still I feel much worse than A4V.
By "worse" I don't mean measurement-wise, I didn't measure anything. Just pure enjoyment of listening to favourite music on both.

I know the A4V are over twice as expensive as T5V, so maybe not really a fair competition. I thought that I'm not going to use them in a production studio, just for listening to pre-recorded music, so probably I won't hear much difference between T5V and A4V and I won't miss the A4V's room correction dsp and so on. But I do hear a lot of difference and A4V sound much better to me. My question is... do you think perhaps I'm doing something wrong? Do the T5V need some special setup that the A4V don't?
I WANT to like the T5V, I would prefer not to pay so much money for A4V
Or do the A4V really sound so much better? for everyone?
I've also tested the Presonus Eris Studio 5 and would place them somewhere in between the T5V and A4V...

I would first do proper level Matching, clearly the gain is different