Canadian Musician September / October 2019 | Page 23
ROAD
TEST
Adam Audio T7V Active
Nearfield Monitors
By Adam Gallant
A
dam Audio has been generating
a lot of positive attention sur-
rounding its latest studio monitor
designs. The T Series is the com-
pany’s range of professional-but-
affordable studio monitors released in the first
half of 2018 and, in the time since, has won
and been nominated for some of the industry’s
most prestigious product awards. Put simply,
the T Series boasts Adam’s most cost-effective
speaker designs to date while maintaining the
sought-after sonic performance for which the
company is well known.
Up for test in this issue is the 7-in. woofer
model, the T7V – a two-way powered studio
monitor with a newly-designed high-frequency
driver dubbed the Unique Accelerated Ribbon
Tweeter. The design features the recognizable
folded ribbon tweeter that provides the wide
sweet spot, low distortion, and remarkable
sound of other Adam offerings, including the
higher-end S Series.
Out of the Box
I was surprised at how light (7.1 kg per speaker)
and compact these speakers are for a 7-in. woof-
er design, making them perfect for a smaller or
less-sturdy desk. The all-black finish is modern
looking and very easy to maintain.
On the rear panel, we have a metal back
plate with a splayed bass port, IEC power input
with switch, a power LED, and balanced XLR
and un-balanced RCA inputs with a two-way
switch that alternates between the two. To
tune the speakers, we have a non-detented
volume pot with a wide dynamic range and
two EQ switches, one for highs and one for
lows. Both EQ switches offer +/-2dB, useful for
tuning speakers that may be close to walls or
when used in rooms that have ample high-end
absorption.
The T7Vs offer a total frequency response
of 39 Hz to 25 kHz while the T5V model (with a
5-in. woofer) has a response of 45 Hz to 25 kHz.
W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M
Both the T5V and T7V have a front beveled cabi-
net design, rear-firing bass port, built-in DSP-
controlled driver crossovers, and equalization
that all contribute to the clear and balanced
listening experience.
In Use
The most prevalent differences between the
Adam T Series and my usual Yamaha HS speak-
ers are the pronounced low end, wide sweet
spot, and forward-sounding highs emitted by
the T7Vs. The high end and high mids are not
harsh and are nicely consistent, not only left
to right but also up to down. A lot of speakers
we test seem to have a very audible peak right
where the tweeter and woofer transition, but
the T7Vs are designed to minimize artifacts in
this area, which makes for a more relaxed feeling
during playback. The T7Vs crossover in a very
transparent way at 2.6 kHz, without strange
phasing or ringing in that area.
In terms of power, these speakers can easily
fill a small room without working too hard and
the rear bass ports make for a more balanced
sound to my ears when compared to other
front-ported speakers in the same price range.
The T Series offerings have newly-designed
Class D amplifiers that provide a total of 70 W of
power – 20 to the tweeter and 50 to the woofer.
The 7-in. model has a max peak SPL of 110dB at
1 m while the T5Vs are rated at 106dB.
During our tests, I was involved in sessions
not only mixing music for a folk/roots album,
but also dialogue and sound effect editing for
two short films. The SFX edits came together
quickly thanks to the great transient response
and clear top end provided during playback.
These traits are also effective for dialogue ed-
iting. Mouth clicks that often need cleaning
were easy to track down, diagnose, and repair
without feeling like I was compromising intel-
ligibility.
Worth noting is the lack of fatigue I felt
while working on these speakers. In a normal
day, I am quickly and heavily bombarded with
dirty lapel microphones with lots of harsh esses
and unwanted noises; the T Series had me less
bothered by the common hurdles of dialogue
editing and vocal cleanup.
Summary
Overall, the T7Vs that we tested have a pleasing
sound that is clean, consistent, and effortless,
making them very comfortable and rewarding
to work with. The lows are confidently repre-
sented and the highs meet the high standard
that many have come to expect from Adam Au-
dio. At this price and with this performance, the
T7Vs offer a great opportunity to get your foot in
the door to the world of Adam studio monitors.
Adam Gallant has worked in all facets of digital
audio production, from music composition to
location and post audio for television and
film. He currently owns and operates The Hill
Sound Studio in Charlottetown, PE.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN
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