Adam T8V Studio Monitor Review

[JakeK]

I'm interested in these as they have been recommended to me for using on wall brackets in my home gym which is 3mtrs (10ft) x 5mtrs (16.4ft). With the amount of bass extension they produce would it be wise to use some eq to deal with room modes? Or would the smaller T7V be better suited?

On that subject what would be a good DAC with parametric EQ to use with these?

I'm hoping to go and demo some studio monitors in store tomorrow so any tips would be appreciated.

 

[staticV3]

With the amount of bass extension they produce would it be wise to use some eq to deal with room modes?

Yes.
Though keep in mind that as you move around in your gym, the room modes will change.

Reducing room mode peaks works best with a fixed listening position.

Or would the smaller T7V be better suited?

The T7V still plays down to ~50Hz, so will excite room modes much the same.

On that subject what would be a good DAC with parametric EQ to use with these?

ADI-2 DAC
WiiM Pro (Plus)
miniDSP 2x4HD/miniDSP Flex

 

[Robbo99999]

I'm interested in these as they have been recommended to me for using on wall brackets in my home gym which is 3mtrs (10ft) x 5mtrs (16.4ft). With the amount of bass extension they produce would it be wise to use some eq to deal with room modes? Or would the smaller T7V be better suited?

On that subject what would be a good DAC with parametric EQ to use with these?

I'm hoping to go and demo some studio monitors in store tomorrow so any tips would be appreciated.

In the past I've used my JBL 308p Mkii speakers without Room EQ and instead just an Anechoic EQ, which was using Amir's anechoic measurements of the speaker, to make the speakers perfectly flat anechoically - and then I just had them placed in the room. I really think they sounded good throughout the room, and I'd be inclined in your situation if you're using it as a home gym and literally moving about the whole room both in height and position, that I don't think RoomEQ can do anything significant. I'd say you just need to make sure you buy some speakers with excellent directivity and for them to be anechoic flat (& maybe use some EQ to make them perfectly anechoic flat if Amir or someone else has measured them anechoically). The problem with RoomEQ is that they will sound great at one position but will sound worse at the other positions, especially if the other positions are located in various different areas a large distance away. In your situation I'd be tempted to let Anechoic Flat speakers with good directivity just run free in your room.

 

[JakeK]

Yes.
Though keep in mind that as you move around in your gym, the room modes will change. Reducing room mode peaks works best with a fixed listening position.

That's a good point so I could only use DSP to correct any overall tonality and bumps in response identified by Amir. I expect to need to correct wall reinforcement as I will be mounting them on some kind of wall brackets.

The T7V still plays down to ~50Hz, so will excite room modes much the same.


ADI-2 DAC
WiiM Pro (Plus)
miniDSP 2x4HD/miniDSP Flex

Thanks for the advice. The miniDSP Flex does look like a great option as a combined DAC, preamp and DSP and maybe I can justify it for this project!

In the past I've used my JBL 308p Mkii speakers without Room EQ and instead just an Anechoic EQ, which was using Amir's anechoic measurements of the speaker, to make the speakers perfectly flat anechoically - and then I just had them placed in the room. I really think they sounded good throughout the room, and I'd be inclined in your situation if you're using it as a home gym and literally moving about the whole room both in height and position, that I don't think RoomEQ can do anything significant. I'd say you just need to make sure you buy some speakers with excellent directivity and for them to be anechoic flat (& maybe use some EQ to make them perfectly anechoic flat if Amir or someone else has measured them anechoically). The problem with RoomEQ is that they will sound great at one position but will sound worse at the other positions, especially if the other positions are located in various different areas a large distance away. In your situation I'd be tempted to let Anechoic Flat speakers with good directivity just run free in your room.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks!

 

[staticV3]

so I could only use DSP to correct any overall tonality and bumps in response identified by Amir.

You can still correct your own room modes, just not as efectively.

 

[JakeK]

I went and listened to T8Vs and I really liked them and we came home with a pair. I listened to the T7V and T5V and they sound pretty similar but lack that amazing bass extension. I preferred the sound of the A7V but those are more than 2x the price and I would probably want a sub with a pair of those. I also listened to some Focal monitors that were more expensive and they were good but I couldn't say they were better than the cheaper T8Vs.

 

[JakeK]

I unboxed the T8Vs and just set them up on the floor to check they work and already they sound better at home than they did in the demo room. The room was heavily treated with sound absorption to be like a mixing studio where monitors would be used. Those room treatments will have been absorbing a lot of the higher frequencies causing the volume to be turned up to compensate and this made the speakers sound too boomy, so I felt like some eq would be needed to reduce the upper bass. This was not the case at home where they sounded more balanced and the bass even more extended, playing the lowest sounds I have to throw at them. Very enjoyable to listen to and I wanted to test 'just one more track.'. They did still seem a bit louder around the 100hz area which could well be from being on the floor in the corners. I played some test tones and they even made some audible sound with a 10hz test tone. I don't believe it was an accurate 10hz sound but it played some sound and I don't think I've heard a full range speaker play that low before.

My next job is to find some suitable heavy wall brackets for them and get them on the wall. Has anyone here wall mounted a pair of these? I've read all 17 pages of this thread and I think mine is the first post about wall mounting.

 

[Kyle_PL]

I don't believe it was an accurate 10hz sound

Sooner harmonic distortion from 10Hz tone, at 40Hz, 80Hz (no subsonic filtering below 20Hz in monitors? ... weird, very weird)

 

[JakeK]

Sooner harmonic distortion from 10Hz tone, at 40Hz, 80Hz (no subsonic filtering below 20Hz in monitors? ... weird, very weird)

Not sure what would be going on. I guess it would be best to add a high pass filter around 30hz if you're using EQ with these? My impression is that while these do sound like a big speaker with good bass extension the bass isn't as tight or accurate as a good budget floorstander such as my Tannoy Revolution R2s. In that respect they are more like a party or PA speaker than a hi-fi speaker. This may be due to how they are positioned in the room though.


On that subject I've got mine up on the wall brackets now. I got these B-Tech BT77: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/r.html?C=139N1T2SKF371&K=2PSPL6SBL825N&M=urn:rtn:msg:20241114073650cd44d4313a1b47189e0c696a5e90p0eu&R=2FRO428CA6K7&T=C&U=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004DCAOHK/ref=pe_27063361_485629781_TE_item&H=8VNCMNVQ9Z8NQAFQTY16JFBCDJUA&ref_=pe_27063361_485629781_TE_itemfrom

Not many others are able to take the width or depth of these which are pretty huge for a stand mount or bookshelf. The only 'pro' studio monitor mounts big enough I could find were 3x the price and I had some doubt that those were really big enough. On the ones I got the speaker is not supposed to overhang but even with the cables touching the wall the front is already overhanging.

They also seem a bit wobbly due to the thinness of the base plate so I've ordered some giant cable ties to secure them. I'm not sure exactly how far to try to get them away from the wall. My feeling is as far as possible otherwise the space between wall and speaker is effectively working as part of the rear port.

 

[Raven08]

Hi! Are these monitors or the M-Audio BX8 D3, or perhaps the M-Audio Forty Eighty, a better choice? The prices are almost the same, so the decision is quite difficult.

 

[JakeK]

Hi! Are these monitors or the M-Audio BX8 D3, or perhaps the M-Audio Forty Eighty, a better choice? The prices are almost the same, so the decision is quite difficult.

I couldn't really say on that not having heard the M-Audio speakers. Having read the tests for both the two seem comparable. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/m-audio-bx8-d3-monitor-review.43832/

In fact it looks like M-Audio reduced the price of theirs to be similar to the Adam Audio T8V as it was $500 ish when Amir reviewed it and now it's roughly the same price. Ideally have a listen to both as an A/B comparison.

If anyone is planning on using their T8Vs with wall brackets like me you will likely need giant cable ties or to screw the bracket to the speaker to stop the wobbling and keep it secure. Either way will slightly damage the speaker. I scuffed the corners of mine slightly when tightening the cable ties.

 

[Deleted member 81112]

I bought a set of T8Vs to take advantage of a sale price and to use up a Guitar Center gift card. First experiences have been very positive, with my wife noting they sound really good. They're dead quiet to my ears, which is one of my key criteria.

They're replacing a pair of Shit Rekkrs used as monoblocks into a pair of Elac DBR 62s. That is a combo that shouldn't work since the Elacs are current hogs, but I also used a Presonus Eris 8 with a HPF, so the Elacs were only working above 80Hz in a small room. That setup worked very well and sounded better than the other amps I tried with the Elacs, but it was clumsy to use. I had a Schiit sys into the input of the Eris, with the sys acting as a master volume, then the Eris outs went into a magni head amp which controlled the signal to the Elacs. I had to wire the sun to a walk switch, as it would pass sub-80 Hz signal when using the head amp if powered on. Just ended up being too fiddly for my wife, who only uses the system on occasion.

I don't feel in missing anything with the 8TVs over the previous setup. I actually stopped using the sub with them, but YMMV. Subjectively, I really enjoy the ribbon tweeters. Sparkly but smooth with a wide soundstage. I'm surprised they don't test better, but subjectively I think they're wonderful.

 

[SMJH]

Bought a T8V set for desktop use. I must say, those are the most impressive nearfields I have ever heard, post room calibration.

The imaging and depth, the soft yet detailed highs, the
accurate bass down to 33-ish hertz, the transients, the
overall detail, especially at low volumes where most systems muddy up. I mean you can still discern instrument textures and what have you.
I cannot put into words how much I like those speakers.
Everything sounds 'correct'.

Only get a subwoofer with those if your room acoustics dictate so, or if you really dig sub-30Hz rumble for movies.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Aren't these a tad on the big side for a desktop setup? Or what kind of listening distance were you able to set them up at? I'd think about 0.8 m should be near the minimum for proper integration in an 8". 1.5 m would be considered normal.

Level handling seems roughly comparable to KH120 IIs (which shows you how much of a beating those can take at their size, or conversely how going along with physics gives you better performance for the price), so I would expect good transparency at normal levels. There are a few fairly high-Q midrange resonances e.g. at 500 Hz and 1 kHz (and low/mid-treble wiggles) whose EQ I'd want to double-check. They should show up fine when using MMM, reduce distance a bit if need be.

 

[SMJH]

Aren't these a tad on the big side for a desktop setup? Or what kind of listening distance were you able to set them up at? I'd think about 0.8 m should be near the minimum for proper integration in an 8". 1.5 m would be considered normal.

Level handling seems roughly comparable to KH120 IIs (which shows you how much of a beating those can take at their size, or conversely how going along with physics gives you better performance for the price), so I would expect good transparency at normal levels. There are a few fairly high-Q midrange resonances e.g. at 500 Hz and 1 kHz (and low/mid-treble wiggles) whose EQ I'd want to double-check. They should show up fine when using MMM, reduce distance a bit if need be.

I'm running a 'long wall' setup. 160cm desk and the monitors are on floor stands on either side. Distance from front wall is about 27cm, distance from side walls is > 1 meter. Listening distance 'sweet spot' to my ears is between 1.4 to 2 meters. That checks out.

 

[snoopy30]

Mine were ~80cm from my head and fine at that position. They have plenty of power at that position.

The general consensus is:

a) these speakers are excellent and unbeaten at the price point.
b) you most likely don't need a sub (at lower volume levels the T8V very slightly beats my S3V here, brilliant for an 8" driver).
c) the hit to mid-range over the T5V/T7V is worth it for the lower extending and more fulfilling sound.

 

[SMJH]

Mine were ~80cm from my head and fine at that position. They have plenty of power at that position.

The general consensus is:

a) these speakers are excellent and unbeaten at the price point.
b) you most likely don't need a sub (at lower volume levels the T8V very slightly beats my S3V here, brilliant for an 8" driver).
c) the hit to mid-range over the T5V/T7V is worth it for the lower extending and more fulfilling sound.

They're not even 7.1 inches according to my ruler, but who cares. It clearly did not matter here. Maybe smaller sizes were necessary for better mids. I wonder what the actual T7V size is?

 

[AnalogSteph]

I wonder what the actual T7V size is?

A bit of photo pixel peeping and math based on specified dimensions would suggest a surround OD of approximately 141 mm - that's a tad under 5.6". The same approach yields about 180 mm (a tad under 7.1") on the T8V.

Also,
d) T8V should have a fair amount less hiss than its smaller cousins, particularly when considering the larger typical listening distance as well... in that case the effective delta would sum to around 8 dB vs. the T5V, which is massive.

 

[SMJH]

d) T8V should have a fair amount less hiss than its smaller cousins, particularly when considering the larger typical listening distance as well... in that case the effective delta would sum to around 8 dB vs. the T5V, which is massive.

I have their gains at 3 o'clock. Virtually no hiss! That's with pEQ pre at -4dB, music replay-gained, and volume never having to exceed 82%.
That is to say, they pack a punch.

 

[AnalogSteph]

That is to say, they pack a punch.

In fact, I am increasingly convinced that these may have one of the best-quality woofers in a budget 8". Bass level handling is nothing special for the size (BR tuning may be relatively deep to facilitate a low f3), but a lot of budget drivers will fall apart in the midrange before even reaching their bass limits, and this one should be quite well-behaved in that regard. The tweeter is... good enough, I guess. Ribbons and AMTs tend not to look too hot compared to ordinary domes, but then again what sort of levels does a tweeter really have to handle.