Adam T5V Review (Studio Monitor)

[julitoole]

Just bought them and gotta say for the price they are very very delightful speakers of course a little sub would do good at the very low but these are very very pleasing speakers:
only minus would be the hiss but if you keep your source at high levels and the level regulator at the back of them low its very negliglible.
Can only recommend these. Thanks again for a wonderfull sugesstion here on asr!

 

[Newman]

Just bought them and gotta say for the price they are very very delightful speakers of course a little sub would do good at the very low but these are very very pleasing speakers:
only minus would be the hiss but if you keep your source at high levels and the level regulator at the back of them low its very negliglible.
Can only recommend these. Thanks again for a wonderfull sugesstion here on asr!

How loud is the hiss with the inputs shorted and the pot cranked?

 

[julitoole]

I have a Mic to test it but I dont plan to test anything until I have the money to actually fix the room.
But what would mean inputs shorted? like just connect a rca or xlr from one to the other?
But if you turn up the poti all the way the hiss is very noticable but you are at very unsafe listening levels if your source signal is proper. I got it plugged via XLR into the back of my Topping DX5 which should be transparent at audible levels.
I had a -8,5 preamp gain on the output as I didnt want to run into accidentaly putting on my headphoens without the peace/EQAPO profile switched but i got a flirc ir receiver which with a hotkey in peace switches as soon as I use the ir remote for the dx5 to switch to HP so I will reduce this to like -4,5 or so which should give extra "headroom" so I can lower levels on the T5V so the hiss is even lower in level.
its on the same level as my pc fans but again depens on placement and quality of your pc and mine so cant give you a good reference for it.

edit: meaning changing spelling correction

 

[Wizard509]

How loud is the hiss with the inputs shorted and the pot cranked?

FWIW, I have a pair of T5Vs sitting within arm's reach and do not hear any hiss. Perhaps it is at a frequency that is beyond my hearing range.

My signal chain is: Windows PC > Topping D10 Balanced > Nobsound passive preamp > ADAM T10S > T5Vs

 

[julitoole]

I am always told to have a sensitive hearing, as I never got it tested I cant confirm or deny, best I come back to this thread once the measurements are done and I can tell you exaclty how loud the hiss is in my room.
But maybe I will do the measurement before the return date xD but they would be forced to fix the problem anyway under european consumer law.
Hmm I dont have a passive preamp (wouldnt know what a passive preamp does if I am honest for my understanding a Preamp elevates a Signal that maybe is from a (too) weak source (dac) to the proper signal strength an amp usually expects. pls correct me if I am mistaken.)
If I am not wrong the DX5 is not balanced but I dont know if thats only in regard for the HP amp as I only heard the term used in that area. Dont know if connections from dacs to amps even vary in balanced or unbalanced.
Can you tell me where roughly your T5V`s potis are at the back of the speakers? like over 0db? under ? or like on a "clock scale"?

But the Topping dx5 should work just fine as a source for speakers and amps, at least so I am told.
I have the T10S allready ordered will report if the hiss drops with the Sub in the chain.

 

[julitoole]

But I just tested the hiss is not changed when I unplug all inputs so just power.
So either mine are broken or you are not picking it up, or the T10S does some vodoo.

 

[Wizard509]

I am always told to have a sensitive hearing, as I never got it tested I cant confirm or deny, best I come back to this thread once the measurements are done and I can tell you exaclty how loud the hiss is in my room.
But maybe I will do the measurement before the return date xD but they would be forced to fix the problem anyway under european consumer law.
Hmm I dont have a passive preamp (wouldnt know what a passive preamp does if I am honest for my understanding a Preamp elevates a Signal that maybe is from a (too) weak source (dac) to the proper signal strength an amp usually expects. pls correct me if I am mistaken.)
If I am not wrong the DX5 is not balanced but I dont know if thats only in regard for the HP amp as I only heard the term used in that area. Dont know if connections from dacs to amps even vary in balanced or unbalanced.
Can you tell me where roughly your T5V`s potis are at the back of the speakers? like over 0db? under ? or like on a "clock scale"?

But the Topping dx5 should work just fine as a source for speakers and amps, at least so I am told.
I have the T10S allready ordered will report if the hiss drops with the Sub in the chain.

The pots are at 3 o'clock.

I also have a very similar (JDS Atom DAC+ instead of the Topping) and newly acquired system that includes a T10S and a pair of T7Vs. I've not yet spent a significant amount of time listening to that combination and have not noticed any hiss, but I've not made any effort to specifically listen for that.

 

[julitoole]

Hmm then maybe mine are really broken but both have the exact same level (as far as I can determine by hearing) of hiss and mine are rather below the 0db (around 12 o`clock) mark on the back. at 3 o`clock the hiss is very noticable for me when no sound is played especially if turn my head to look directly at one speaker the hiss of the other becomes very noticeable but I can touch the front of the speaker with my hand without changing my posture so its very very near. but again maybe it is just me being sensitive.

 

[snoopy30]

I've had both the T5V and T8V and neither have any hiss or at least it's been so low as to not been noticeable. I've built my own DAC which feeds balanced audio into them and would suggest to anyone having hiss issues to look at that aspect.

In terms of sound the T5V has the T8V beat in punchy mid-range which of course is expected from the 5" driver. There's no substitute for 3 way speakers, and naturally the T8V wipes the floor in the bass department. It's so good that despite Adam Audio trying to hide it by using different db/A measurements the low response is equal to the S3H. Only the S5* goes lower. I tried the T5V with the T10S subwoofer they offer and it doesn't work there's the usual missing and/or phase mismatch at the lower end. The T7V + sub may be the sweet-spot but I haven't tried it. With T8V the sub becomes mostly pointless.

One thing I would like to mention is the claimed wattage which is a lie. If you open them up you'll find a Texas Instruments ADC feeding into a combined PCM + Amp, the chip also being from TI. This on the T8V is 50W rated. Adam cheaped out a little on both components, Texas do better versions with higher SNR instead of the 108db/A they went for and they only cost a tiny amount more. Because of this for most higher end DAC's the speakers becoming the weak link in the chain. They do sound great though.

Also most manufacturers are saving AES/SPDIF for their premium priced speakers. For literally $1, Adam Audio could have bought TI's SPDIF chip and fed PCM directly into the AMP chip thus bypassing the ADC.

 

[julitoole]

I've had both the T5V and T8V and neither have any hiss or at least it's been so low as to not been noticeable. I've built my own DAC which feeds balanced audio into them and would suggest to anyone having hiss issues to look at that aspect.

In terms of sound the T5V has the T8V beat in punchy mid-range which of course is expected from the 5" driver. There's no substitute for 3 way speakers, and naturally the T8V wipes the floor in the bass department. It's so good that despite Adam Audio trying to hide it by using different db/A measurements the low response is equal to the S3H. Only the S5* goes lower. I tried the T5V with the T10S subwoofer they offer and it doesn't work there's the usual missing and/or phase mismatch at the lower end. The T7V + sub may be the sweet-spot but I haven't tried it. With T8V the sub becomes mostly pointless.

One thing I would like to mention is the claimed wattage which is a lie. If you open them up you'll find a Texas Instruments ADC feeding into a combined PCM + Amp, the chip also being from TI. This on the T8V is 50W rated. Adam cheaped out a little on both components, Texas do better versions with higher SNR instead of the 108db/A they went for and they only cost a tiny amount more. Because of this for most higher end DAC's the speakers becoming the weak link in the chain. They do sound great though.

Also most manufacturers are saving AES/SPDIF for their premium priced speakers. For literally $1, Adam Audio could have bought TI's SPDIF chip and fed PCM directly into the AMP chip thus bypassing the ADC.

I can not imagine that the source is an issue as they hiss with both inputs being free the same way they do when a cable is plugged in.
I didnt try to flick the switch for xlr or rca as i feed them with XLR this might be an issue, will try later.

It seems unlikely that both have the same issue but I will try to get my hands on a t5v not from the dealer I bought them to confirm that they hiss in the way mine do.

But like I said at listening level its only noticeable if you have no sound played (or not plugged in) and either listen really hard or turn your head so that an ear faces one speaker.
I assume from your post that you do not own the t5v anymore.
But if you do could you confirm if the hiss will increase with no cable plugged as if that is the case then of course the hiss of no cable could be replaced by the potential hiss of the dac and therefore no difference is heard.

If your adam t5v does not hiss noticeably and mine do then at least we know there is a certain margin of error with the t5v.

Again delightful speakers and I gotta say for me even the t5v bass response is really good didn't expect it. Tried a weak sub with them I had lying around and it didnt feel like a huge improvement. As I said a t10s is ordered maybe they will sound better but I will maybe return the sub if I dont deem it necessary.

 

[snoopy30]

I don't own them anymore but the electronics internally are basically the same. I've no hiss at all from the T8V and I'd have noticed if the T5V had any as they're real close. They are both silent!

Margin of error seems unlikely. Other than the power supply it's only two Texas Instruments chips. This is the worlds leading tier 1 manufacturer and they are pretty good on the quality assurance side of things!

Of course it doesn't mean the implementation wasn't revised which is usually the thing. Thing is mine are probably two years old so for your PCB to be a previous revision they'd either have to be stored for a long time or older stock.

The T5V bass is fine for the size but you'll miss stuff at the bottom end, the point where the sub can't make up for it, and after a while it becomes annoying. The midrange is taut and very nice though.

 

[julitoole]

You seem pretty sure of it. But I am exiting this discussion now with me saying mine defintely hiss as described before.
Doesnt matter who made the chips or whatever mine 100% hiss noticeably at armlength distance and poti cranked to 0db marker, and without input.
The only option, assuming you are 100% correct, would be both being broken due to shipping or other reasons or being somehow from another revision.
Of course both of mine could be broken in an identical way but I dont think so. I will try to listen to another t5v to confirm if thats true but dunno when I will find one.

Nethertheless for anybody thinking of buying these they are superb for their price, but at really close listening situations or with a lot of headroom (poti cranked to the max) they hiss a little.

 

[Newman]

Nethertheless for anybody thinking of buying these they are superb for their price, but at really close listening situations or with a lot of headroom (poti cranked to the max) they hiss a little.

If you wanted to give a conclusion that fairly represents the dissonance between your experience of hiss and the lack of hiss reported by many others, it would be better to say something like, "it is possible that the odd sample might have noticeable hiss at the maximum position of the volume dial, so please check any T5V unit you buy in your intended application."

 

[julitoole]

not wanna start another discussion just cleared it up for my sake and want to pass the information for others who might wanna buy.
I had another T5V heared same thing, contacted ADAM customer support about it.
They are german so I contatced them in german explaining the situation.
"Bei dem von dir beschriebenen Rauschen handelt es sich mit sehr hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit um das normale Grundrauschen der Monitore. Da unsere Hochtöner sehr fein auflösen, wird das Rauschen manchmal etwas lauter als bei anderen Lautsprechern wahrgenommen. Dies hängt jedoch stark vom persönlichen Hörempfinden ab, wodurch auch die unterschiedlichen Rückmeldungen zustande kommen."

which Chatgpt translated to
"The noise you described is with a very high probability the normal background noise of the monitors. Since our tweeters have very fine resolution, the noise is sometimes perceived as louder than with other speakers. However, this largely depends on personal hearing perception, which is why there are varying feedbacks."

so draw your own conclusion but especially with the answer from Adam I would reject the correction Newman made to my statement and still state that they very well hiss if your hearing is good enough or maybe a little oversensitive.
And as I had a third T5V heard I would not consider it an odd sample neither would ADAM customer support
Again very good speakers but they just arent hiss free even at the 0db marker (which is not the maximum position of the volume dial its +18db shy of it)

The file is umik 1 about 5 cm away from the tweeter. After the first loud sound (which is me flipping the switch at the back of the T5V) then you hear the hiss which increases with me cranking the dial up and then down then flipping the switch again and hearing the Hiss drop off shortly after flipping it off.
Tried to make it visible in an meausrement for ADAM but as I until now didnt use REW I didnt achieve it. If somebody wants to they can tell me what to do but for me the discussion if it is there is done but if you wanna know how loud or what frequencies then you gotta help me out with measurement knowledge or instructions.

 

[snoopy30]

I think you kind of answered your own dilemma. If the gain changes the hiss then it's the input to the ADC since that control is wired to that IC. What input are you using, balanced or unbalanced? I've always used balanced. Assuming it's unbalanced, take a spare phono and short the wires together then see if the hiss goes. If so you know it's either your DAC or the length of wire from it picking up interference (which is what balanced fixes). Good luck.

 

[julitoole]

I think you kind of answered your own dilemma. If the gain changes the hiss then it's the input to the ADC since that control is wired to that IC. What input are you using, balanced or unbalanced? I've always used balanced. Assuming it's unbalanced, take a spare phono and short the wires together then see if the hiss goes. If so you know it's either your DAC or the length of wire from it picking up interference (which is what balanced fixes). Good luck.

As stated before it hisses with no input (like no cable inserted) and you not reading it and either not telling me why it doesnt matter that it hisses with no inputs or just reading over it I do not know but it feels like you will never accept that you might be wrong.
Again tell me what exactly you mean with "shorted" and I will gladly test it for you but like I said it feels like you discuss in bad faith (not considering the possibitly to be wrong)
And I think that cranking the poti and hearing increasing or decreasing hiss proves the exact opposite as it shows that just incressing power to the amp results in more hiss.

When they are connected to inputs they are connected over xlr from my topping dx5 so is it balanced? But again pls answer why it matters as they hiss with nothing besides power plugged in to them.

 

[snoopy30]

The ADC converts AC which can contain a hiss component and the pot amplifies it. When nothing is plugged in it's floating. Shorting it at the speaker end will always give the best determination where the noise is coming from. Process of elimination.

 

[julitoole]

Again tell me what shorting them exactly means and I will do it but you seem unwilling to. So you are saying it comes from unclean ac? like bad power outlet or something?
But as this answer proves to me you are not really interested in investigating it and maybe be proven wrong, so if anybody who really wants to discuss in good faith pls do so but this is going nowhere. Manfacaturer says hiss like mine is to expected. The hiss is clearly there and I heared 3 different samples 1 even at a different location which then would have to have the same bad AC there.

 

[snoopy30]

When you short it to ground there is no floating AC (aka RF) pickup so you are eliminating it being the input to the speaker, which you have not yet done. I'm not talking about mains AC.

 

[pavvy]

Thinking of getting these. I have the M-Audio BX5s at the moment which are great, but they omit a horrible low frequency hum and hiss. How are these for idle sound is there any noticeable hiss/hum?