Adam A5X Active Amplified Professional Studio Monitor Speaker

Product Information

esq, @darenager, you are probably right, maybe 7" is too much… Let me measure the room tomorrow and I’ll post the dimensions. I was particularly surprised to find out just how deep the compact A5X model can go. And it doesn’t just go low. It goes low and stays clean – Much cleaner than many ported studio monitors on the market. resonant_space, I sit pretty close to my monitors at about 90cm, which makes me wonder if getting a set of smaller 5-inchers would help with getting a better blend from both speakers. The Genelec 8030C’s and the ADAM Audio A5X’s are very compact and I would be able to push them to the very edge of my desk and get an extra 10cm of distance between the drivers and my ears. Also, Genelec’s placement guides suggest that listening to 8030C’s at <1m distance is within the ok range. So yeah, I keep jumping between 5" and 7". I don’t really know how much the size really matters in the end considering my room, etc. I mean, is the bass extension of the 5" driver of the 8030C or the 5.5" driver of the A5X going to be that much different from the 7" driver of the (larger, more expensive, and less easily-available) A7X? The A5X sits in the middle of the range with a 5" woofer driver which is great for most home and small studio environments. Here's what Adam say about the A5X Nearfield Monitors

A very handy and exclusive feature found in the two smaller AX monitors is the Stereolink. This is accomplished by a pair of additional RCA connections that allow for a bypass of the second stereo channel to the other speaker. The room response must be averaged to recognize trends in the summation of direct and reflected signals at the microphone. The resulting curves must not be taken as a 1:1 representation of what is heard as loudness at different frequencies. The room response gives a picture of the steady state SPL, where sound generation and sound dissipation in the room have reached their equilibrium." -Linkwitz In my own studio, which measures 16 by 11 feet, the A7s are probably a better choice than the A5s and obviously have a touch more bass extension, but I'd certainly be able to work on the A5s without any problem. Where the A5s score higher, of course — other than being lower in price — is that they can sit on a desktop and won't provoke too many low-frequency problems in smaller rooms. Mighty Minis? Overall, it's a heady mix and IDEALLY suited to a DAC output like the Chord series which are so highly resolving-yet-musical that they deserve nothing less. Last year, Adam set about updating their A‑range studio monitors to create the AX range. They've redesigned the drivers, used new electronics and, in the case of some of their larger monitors, they've added a mid‑range driver. Adam's A7 two‑way active monitor has proven to be a firm favourite with project studio owners, so I was particularly keen to see how the new A7X could improve on the original. The Science Of ARTEven after sitting with them for a couple of weeks, I’m still impressed these little speakers go that low at all, not to mention that well. If 5" is too small then that would eliminate the Genelecs. I don’t have the budget for the larger models. Also, if they hiss, they would have to be out too… Although critics of the brand have claimed that ADAM’s original designs offered less bass, less sparkle, and a less flattering midrange than even some lower-priced studio monitors, I say remarks like these miss the point entirely. It’s precisely these qualities that made the best ADAM monitors such indispensable studio tools. Thanks for all the comments so far, everyone! It’s really fun to discuss this and hear your opinions. The A5X can be custom-tuned to work in harmony with even the most acoustically difficult listening environments, the ability to adjust tweeter gain and the inclusion of low and high shelf filters means easy output optimisation for varying room sizes, materials or simply individual preferences.

ssante, @Munro, haha I hear you guys! So far I see only positive things being said about both Genelec and Neumann. They are premium brands and are expensive, though. So going for either of these would keep me in the 5" territory, which I am afraid would be not ideal for techno… Which models do you guys have? The new AX Series of monitors from Adam improve on the highly-acclaimed A Series with a complete overhaul. Better speakers, amplifiers and cabinets mean the AX series speakers are better for your mixes than ever before.

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The only trouble is I really wanted the ones in the raw finish 'cos I love that industrial look. Like an idiot I’m now toying with buying some and selling these on Lastly, eliminating the Alpha 65 Evo’s because of their large footprint compared to the other remaining options and the space on my desk is limited. My only concern is that the A5X (and to a greater extent the new A8X), are slightly more scooped and forgiving in the midrange than earlier ADAMs. Finally tried the A7X, just a bit more bass presence than the A5Xs but no noticeable improvement in mid nor treble. As for the 4-inchers, yep most online comments, and now yours on top, conclude that the 4" will be too small for electronic music so I am eliminating all of them from my list as well. Besides, they are all very expensive!

I like the A5Xs. They’re slightly mid-forward and extremely detailed, just like a set of ADAM speakers should be. But they’re also more impressive and more fun-sounding than their prior incarnation. I’d love to get the A7V’s because I am sure they are a clear step up from the A7X’s a decade later, but they are, unfortunately, way outside of my budget. Why didn’t they make an A5V?! Those would have been perfect! resonant_space, I agree with you about the hiss. Hearing it every day will surely amount to frustration and ear fatigue. Hence I am eliminating and will be returning the BM5 mkIII’s. The above-mentioned review of the A5X says that they are very quiet. So why live with the hiss, right? up, the A5Xs; a much more balanced sound. And oddly much less apparent bass than the A3X (clearly the designers had hyped up the bass output of the little 3s) Ciaba, yeah the A5X’s are getting old now… Maybe I should go for A4V’s and use headphones, but I feel like I will really miss the low end. Getting a sub sounds like trouble for my room, but I’ve never used one before so have no experience whatsoever. Maybe at low volume it’s ok?Getting to experience the sound in person will clear up a lot of the questions you have about them. Once you have some ideas about which monitors are out there, see if you can hear the pair you’re considering at your local pro audio dealer. The Adam AX5 is a powerful active studio monitor sporting a 5.5" woofer, 1.5" voice coil, 50 Watt PWN amplifier and Adam’s class-leading X-ART tweeter. Designed to provide ultra-clear audio reproduction, the A5X is hailed by many as a fantastic speaker for use in mixing, mastering, sound design and more. The A5X is popular amongst professionals working in television studios and remote broadcast vans, as well as mixing engineers and home-studio producers and songwriters.