New* from Adam Audio is the A Series of active monitors that comprises five new models: the A4V Nearfield, the A7V Nearfield, the A8H Midfield, the A44H Nearfield and the A77H Midfield. V = vertical, H = horizontal. We’ll hone in on the potential sweet spot of the range, the 2-way A7V, in order to take a closer look at the tech found inside all A Series loudspeakers.
The A7V is a 2-way monitor whose newly-developed ‘Multi-Layer Mineral’ (MLM) 7″ mid-bass driver and accompanying 110 Watts of Class D amplification and front-firing dual-exhaust flared bass reflex port together promise bass handling down to 41Hz. That mid-bass driver is crossed over at 2.8kHz to an X-ART tweeter – an Air Motion Transformer hand-made at Adam Audio’s Berlin HQ – and is powered by a 20 Watt Class A/B amplifier.
The X-ART tweeter is fitted inside a glass-fibre polymer HPS Waveguide to that aims to minimise ceiling and desk/floor bounce and maximise horizontal dispersion for a broader sweet spot. The whole assembly can be physically rotated by 90 degrees should users wish to lay the A7V on its side.
Moving the A7V from active loudspeaker to smart active loudspeaker is a DSP engine that gives users simple room EQ adjustments from four rear-panel click buttons: bass output, desk (bounce), presence region and treble.
A further two voicing settings switch the A7V’s sound profile from Adam Audio’s ‘Uniform Natural Response’ – “a dynamic, natural-sounding response curve of ADAM Audio’s own design, which stems from a variety of iconic ADAM Audio legacy products, including the preceding AX Series” – to ‘Pure’, for those who demand a flatter, more accurate take on musical events.
The audible customisation doesn’t end there. A neighbouring Ethernet port makes the A7V field upgradable over-the-air (and over time) and, once switched over to the (third) ‘Ext’ voicing allows the loudspeaker to communicate with Adam Audio’s A Control App (MacOS, Windows) for full remote control of more granular EQ and delay settings.
It goes further still. Sonarworks SoundID Reference (€299) users can have A Control upload the room correction profile to A7V’s DSP core, thus removing Sonarwork’s desktop app from the playback chain, and opening the door to room-corrected vinyl playback and/or tube-loaded pre-amplification via the speaker’s rear-panel XLR or RCA socketry.
Adam Audio might be predominantly aiming its new A Series loudspeakers at studio bods and music professionals but with a DSP engine that integrates Sonarworks correction filters, the complaint that a studio speaker sounds ‘too neutral’ evaporates. Where else can you find a complete audio system with room compensation possibilities for €1400/pair? I’ll wait…
* This isn’t new news. Adam Audio’s A Series was first announced in April 2022.
John currently lives in Berlin where he creates videos and podcasts and pens written pieces for Darko.Audio. He has previously contributed to 6moons, TONEAudio, AudioStream and Stereophile.
Darko.Audio is a member of EISA.
Follow John on YouTube or Instagram
2010 - 2022 · Darko.Audio Studio.Raydianze.com Web-Design