ADAM AUDIO T5V: GREAT QUALITY AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE (ENG REVIEW)
Elegant and well-designed, the small nearfield of the German house returns surprising performances despite its compact size, making it one of the most interesting solutions currently on the market for the low-budget home/project studio.
In the mare magnum of audio monitor manufacturers, German Adam Audio occupies a first-rate place. Renowned and appreciated by professionals from all over the world, the Teutonic company always more often faces the prosumer sector with products that boast a quality/price ratio that does not go unnoticed. This is the case, for example, of the T5V, the smallest of the homonymous series, a nearfield monitor designed for setting up advanced and low-budget music production stations. The T5V is the result of know-how accumulated in over two decades of frenetic production and research, aimed at improving fidelity and listening quality more and more.
DESIGN & MATERIALS
As in the best Adam Audio tradition, even with the T5V nothing is left to chance. The cabinet is in MDF, well finished, and with large and abundant bevels suitably shaped and sized to minimize the diffraction phenomenon. Despite the compact size, the weight, while pleasant, is there and you can feel it. The company logo stands on the front at the bottom; just above the woofer is visible, with symmetrical excursion and built with a 5-inch polypropylene cone.
Above, however, is the renowned 1.9-inch U-ART ribbon tweeter (the acronym stands for Unique Accelerated Ribbon Tweeter), with HPS WaveGuide, a technology solution successfully implemented in the professional S series.
Last but not least is the Bass Reflex, with a rear escapement system. The control electronics boasts a double class D amplifier for Woofer (50W RMS) and Tweeter (20W RMS), and a DSP for controlling the cut-off frequency, which in the technical data sheet we read to be 3kHz. Adam Audio T5V boasts some very interesting numbers. The manufacturer declares a frequency response between 45Hz and 25kHz and a sound pressure per pair/meter higher than 106dB.
CONNECTIONS
The rear panel of the T5V houses two connection terminations, one balanced at +4dBu on XLR socket and one unbalanced at -10dBV on RCA socket. A small switch (Input Switch) allows you to switch the input source, allowing, in fact, the possibility of connecting multiple sources to the monitor.
A little further up, however, a potentiometer for adjusting the level, with an excursion between -60dB and +18dB, and 2 three-position switches (-2dB/0dB/+2dB) for adjusting the high frequencies (HF) above 5kHz and low frequencies (LF) below 300Hz, through high/low shelf equalization profiles, very useful for solving macro monitoring problems related to positioning and the installation environment.
TEST & CONCLUSIONS
Despite the woofer of only 5 inches, T5V returns a decidedly above-average listening quality compared to its direct competitors in the same price range. The transduction is balanced along the entire audio spectrum: present and defined basses counterbalance an airy and precise high range. The mid-range also did well. Compared to the past generation X-ART tweeter, the new U-ART seems to return a more homogeneous, less tiring, and above all softer transduction. Especially in the higher part of the spectrum, it is possible to hear details and particulars in a clear and intelligible way, but never too harshly. The presence of EQ-Shelf controls for high and low frequencies is an added value that facilitates positioning and installation in problematic environments.
For the most demanding, the Adam Audio catalog offers, from the same series, the T7V and T8V models, respectively with 7 and 8-inch woofers. The T10S subwoofer is also in the catalog. Adam Audio T5V has an average cost of around 145 euros (single unit). Adam Audio T Series monitors are covered by a 5-year warranty.
PROS
- Materials
- Frequency Response
- Shelf HF/LF Eq
- 5-year warranty
CONS
- Balanced input only on XLR socket
- Power led on the rear panel
FEATURES
Cabinet: MDF
Woofer: 5-inch polypropylene
Tweeter: U-ART 1.9″ with HPS waveguide
Bass Reflex: rear
Connectivity: balanced input on XLR, unbalanced input on RCA
Input sensitivity: -10dBV to + 4dBu
Amplification: two class-D amps for Woofer (50W RMS) and Tweeter (20W RMS)
Frequency Response: 45Hz-25kHz (-6dB); EQ Shelf switch (LF and HF)
Max SPL pair/1 meter: > 106dB
Dimensions: 298mm x 179mm x 297mm
Weight: 5.7kg
Info: ADAM AUDIO – For Italian Customers: MIDIMUSIC