Adam T8V Studio Monitor Review

[Pearljam5000]

How close are they to Genelec 8050 in SQ?

 

[Steve Dallas]

Replaced KEF R3 with the T8V a few months ago in my less than ideal setup. Very happy with the overall performance and the bass is simply nuts for a bookshelf speaker.
View attachment 90336

How are you handling cabinet resonance from those lower cabinets? I have a pair of Q100s--chosen for their front ports due to wall proximity--and I had to apply 2 layers of Dynamat to the underside of the cabinet tops and use PEQ to fix what remained.

Also, let me know if you want to sell your R3s. I might be in the market for a used pair.

 

[Juhazi]

Lil' bro seems to be smoother https://www.audioholics.com/bookshelf-speaker-reviews/adam-audio-t7v

 

[daftcombo]

Replaced KEF R3 with the T8V a few months ago in my less than ideal setup. Very happy with the overall performance and the bass is simply nuts for a bookshelf speaker.
View attachment 90336

They look close to the wall. No big mode around 45 Hz?

 

[sealykojac]

How are you handling cabinet resonance from those lower cabinets? I have a pair of Q100s--chosen for their front ports due to wall proximity--and I had to apply 2 layers of Dynamat to the underside of the cabinet tops and use PEQ to fix what remained.

Also, let me know if you want to sell your R3s. I might be in the market for a used pair.

The cabinets are solid wood and heavy, they do not vibrate at all. I even had a turntable and tube pre-amp up there for a short time while my basement was under construction and was still fine. I'm using Hudson Hi-fi rubber feet on them to keep them in place. Set the LF at -2db to compensate for the bass bloom for close to wall / corner placement. As noted not ideal but still very happy with the results. The kids have dance parties with these things cranking. They can easily cross 110db, confirmed on my meter, just open the windows and you've got music outside.

R3 were sold last month sadly, my family room is not setup for critical listening, the T8V are fun, I don't think they would be the ideal speaker to mix with.

 

[ROOSKIE]

Lil' bro seems to be smoother https://www.audioholics.com/bookshelf-speaker-reviews/adam-audio-t7v

This may be true however the Kipple has much higher resolution so these can not be directly compared as they are deff not apples to apples and are essentially smoothed when compared to Kipple.

The review does note they are subjectively and objectively excellent for the price and they received a "4" out of "5" star rating. For those who do not know that site it is generally very respected.

They recommend of axis listening for the smoothest response and turning the bass down a bit, the bass is noted as substantial but not the most detailed.

Listed summary quoted from the review
"Pros

• Surprising bass ability for the size
• Good directivity control
• Excellent imaging abilities
• Detailed sound without being fatiguing
• Slick appearance considering it is a studio monitor

Cons

• On-axis response is not as restricted as would be hoped for in a monitor
• Narrow vertical response requires tweeter level listening"

 

[ROOSKIE]

Thanks for advise, I likely will measure the response first and see if the 8030 dip switches can fix most of the problems before going into DSP, good performance DSP should not be too cheap and the cables are another expense so likely won't do so in the meantime

Yes experiment first, deff start with a measurement mic, for a relatively small price you can actually measure using REW software (free software)
FWIIW I doubt most room interactions can be fixed nearly as well with the switches vs PEQ which is truly magnitudes more precise and comprehensive.
It took me awhile to get used to how powerful such an inexpensive DSP such as the miniDSp HD2x4 is. Really if you think about it the DSP devices used inside active speakers that have them are likely even lower quality than the miniDSP - DSP need not be expensive.
In any case enjoy your speakers alone for now but when the time comes and you feel ready to play around try jumping to PEQ/FIR/DSP ect.
(oh and cables can be really inexpensive, zero need for high end cable fakery just use some very basic ones)
Enjoy!

 

[andreasmaaan]

Really if you think about it the DSP devices used inside active speakers that have them are likely even lower quality than the miniDSP - DSP need not be expensive.

I suspect the ADAU1701, which is the ADC/DSP/DAC IC used in the minidsp, is very popular among manufacturers of budget active DSP speakers, too.

 

[ROOSKIE]

I am really interested in how these Adams compare both objectively and subjectively with the JBL Series 3 8"'s.
I had those speakers and I used them as party/dance time speakers. They absolutely jammed for that and were fairly lightweight for the output so I could bring them to friends houses as well. (for parties)
Critically they sounded good but never excellent to me. Certainly a buyer on a budget would be getting a great speaker for the costs (especially as I paid $300 for a brand new pair at the holidays in the USA).
The fact for me was the speaker did not have very detailed bass (though very substantial) and the highs while very smooth for the price never really provided that extra something that makes a speakers really excellent. They sounded flat (and I don't mean frequency wise I mean engagement wise)
They also had a bad hiss.
Summary = Very decent speakers that sounded like almost hifi with huge bass. I think many folks would end up wanting to upgrade after awhile.

 

[Steve Dallas]

The cabinets are solid wood and heavy, they do not vibrate at all. I even had a turntable and tube pre-amp up there for a short time while my basement was under construction and was still fine. I'm using Hudson Hi-fi rubber feet on them to keep them in place. Set the LF at -2db to compensate for the bass bloom for close to wall / corner placement. As noted not ideal but still very happy with the results. The kids have dance parties with these things cranking. They can easily cross 110db, confirmed on my meter, just open the windows and you've got music outside.

R3 were sold last month sadly, my family room is not setup for critical listening, the T8V are fun, I don't think they would be the ideal speaker to mix with.

Mine are also solid wood and heavy, but they excited all kinds of resonances. I tried several feet, including Sorbothane, Harry's Fat Dots, etc. and nothing much helped shorty of Dynamat and PEQ. Even with that, you can lay your hand on the cabinet top and feel it vibrating.

 

[weasels]

I am really interested in how these Adams compare both objectively and subjectively with the JBL Series 3 8"'s.
I had those speakers and I used them as party/dance time speakers. They absolutely jammed for that and were fairly lightweight for the output so I could bring them to friends houses as well. (for parties)
Critically they sounded good but never excellent to me. Certainly a buyer on a budget would be getting a great speaker for the costs (especially as I paid $300 for a brand new pair at the holidays in the USA).
The fact for me was the speaker did not have very detailed bass (though very substantial) and the highs while very smooth for the price never really provided that extra something that makes a speakers really excellent. They sounded flat (and I don't mean frequency wise I mean engagement wise)
They also had a bad hiss.
Summary = Very decent speakers that sounded like almost hifi with huge bass. I think many folks would end up wanting to upgrade after awhile.

I have recently listened to the 308s vs the Mackie MR824 and unequivocally preferred the Mackies.

 

[DanTheMan]

The ADAM ARTist 5 I measured are the cream of the crop as far as all the speakers I've measured--out to 90 degrees in 11.25 degree intervals.

Mackie and Behringer also performed well:
http://dtmblabber.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-of-polar-graphs.html

My rig cannot get the resolution that the Klippel can, but it does supply some degree of confidence.

I have been listening to these everyday for hours without an issue, hiss, or audible vibration for nearly a decade.

 

[Xyrium]

Replaced KEF R3 with the T8V a few months ago in my less than ideal setup. Very happy with the overall performance and the bass is simply nuts for a bookshelf speaker.
View attachment 90336

If you could turn the middle drawers of each credenza into a speaker shelf, I bet they'd sound even better due to better placement away from the corners and rear walls. Of course, that's only if you're not married.

Cool setup though!

The ADAM ARTist 5 I measured are the cream of the crop as far as all the speakers I've measured--out to 90 degrees in 11.25 degree intervals.

Mackie and Behringer also performed well:
http://dtmblabber.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-of-polar-graphs.html

My rig cannot get the resolution that the Klippel can, but it does supply some degree of confidence.

I have been listening to these everyday for hours without an issue, hiss, or audible vibration for nearly a decade.

Hey Dan, thanks for posting. I like your collection of measurements, great effort there. Can you provide details about what you use to formulate them?

Also, it seems that most of the Adams have a rising response, vs the downward sloping response preferred by many. Did you find them fatiguing over long listening sessions at 86dB, say, for 15-20 mins.?

 

[DanTheMan]

Thanks Xyrium! I have a 4' by 4' piece of plywood that has a huge circle on it. That circle has a line that bisects it every 11.25 degrees. I connected a 'lazy Susan' bearing to it with another piece of plywood on top and then a speaker stand with 2 line bisecting it at 90 degrees like an "X" overtop of the plywood so that one line integrates with the "0" and "180" degree mark and the other line integrates with the "90" and "270" degree mark. Line up the mic with the "0" to "180" degree line, set your level to a sensible range, and take an impulse or FR measurement using whatever method you have available. I use my MacBook, a calibrated USB Audio Interface, and a calibrated mic with Room EQ Wizard(A free program available at the Pro Audio Shack known as REW). After taking that "0" degree measurement, turn the speaker/stand to the next mark over and continue the process stepwise until you reach 90 degrees. Then you truncate the impulse to filter out the first reflections. This will give you a better understanding of how to gate the impulse: https://dtmblabber.blogspot.com/2010/12/little-more-into-boundary-conditions.html

To be 100% honest, none of the ADAMs I've heard have been fatiguing to me. Looking at their responses, I don't see them as rising either. In fact they all look a little 'wavy', but you have to consider that the ARTist 5 only deviates around 1.75db total. That's more than any source should deviate, but for a speaker that's very good--much better than say the Behringer 1030A which is nearly 5db (which isn't exactly bad). When you look at the graphs, you may think the Pioneer would sound bright, but it actually sound dull to my ear.

 

[DanTheMan]

Scratch that last link: I found this old post which is better--simpler and more to the point. https://dtmblabber.blogspot.com/2010/09/gating-loudspeaker-measurements.html

 

[madDog]

Great result for a product.

almost perfection in $300 except for the tweeter, but ultimately distortion doesn’t raise its ugly head.

the sweet spot is the T7V, but for two-ways, you (and hundreds of other manufacturers already know that...)

I had the t7v some time ago, but i wouldn't recommend them for nearfield listening, you can clearly hear the hiss from about 1.5m away. So more for midfield use i would say.

 

[Xyrium]

Thanks Xyrium! I have a 4' by 4' piece of plywood that has a huge circle on it. That circle has a line that bisects it every 11.25 degrees. I connected a 'lazy Susan' bearing to it with another piece of plywood on top and then a speaker stand with 2 line bisecting it at 90 degrees like an "X" overtop of the plywood so that one line integrates with the "0" and "180" degree mark and the other line integrates with the "90" and "270" degree mark. Line up the mic with the "0" to "180" degree line, set your level to a sensible range, and take an impulse or FR measurement using whatever method you have available. I use my MacBook, a calibrated USB Audio Interface, and a calibrated mic with Room EQ Wizard(A free program available at the Pro Audio Shack known as REW). After taking that "0" degree measurement, turn the speaker/stand to the next mark over and continue the process stepwise until you reach 90 degrees. Then you truncate the impulse to filter out the first reflections. This will give you a better understanding of how to gate the impulse: https://dtmblabber.blogspot.com/2010/12/little-more-into-boundary-conditions.html

To be 100% honest, none of the ADAMs I've heard have been fatiguing to me. Looking at their responses, I don't see them as rising either. In fact they all look a little 'wavy', but you have to consider that the ARTist 5 only deviates around 1.75db total. That's more than any source should deviate, but for a speaker that's very good--much better than say the Behringer 1030A which is nearly 5db (which isn't exactly bad). When you look at the graphs, you may think the Pioneer would sound bright, but it actually sound dull to my ear.

Very cool stuff, thanks Dan. I figured it may have been REW. Keep up the great work and thanks for your contributions to this hobby!

 

[DanTheMan]

Thanks Xyrium. I will do my best. I haven't measured a speaker since finding these ADAMs ARTist 5. Don't get me wrong, some of the Genelec and Neumann are also tempting, but I've just been content with these. I have a set of speakers half built that I haven't touched for 2 years just because I want passive speakers that perform similar to studio monitors. They should be in this same league, but Life has gotten in the way and just hasn't seem let up. Hopefully that changes soon after I move and get a new mancave. Since finding this site, my love for the hobby end of things has been renewed. I bought the JDS Labs Atom (one of my favorite audio purchases), the Hidisz S8, and a used Fiio A5. My headphone rigs are above and beyond what they've ever been and I couldn't be happier that this place exists.

 

[infinitesymphony]

I had the t7v some time ago, but i wouldn't recommend them for nearfield listening, you can clearly hear the hiss from about 1.5m away. So more for midfield use i would say.

That's interesting. Wonder why that would be the case for the T7V but not T8V.

 

[Harmonie]

I had the t7v some time ago, but i wouldn't recommend them for nearfield listening, you can clearly hear the hiss from about 1.5m away. So more for midfield use i would say.

Is such hiss usual in active loudspeakers ?
Ther is nothing that bugs me more