The Best Affordable Pro Monitors for Your Studio? (...New ADAM A Series Overview) 

I've just bought a pair of A8H's to replace my Kali IN-5's. They sound wonderful! 😎

I am going to convert one of my bedrooms into a studio of sorts. Dimensions are 4.2 x 3 meters. Are the A8H's too big for this?

@@bappandi007 I'd say so. I'd go with 2-way nearfields having a 7 inch driver or smaller.

@fartpooboxohyeah8611 Thanks bro. Your comment already sounds like music to my ears. This has been eating me from inside for quite sometime now.

@@bappandi007room size does play a damn role if you’re room treatment is sub par. Man do some real research and get the whole truth smh

I'm looking at buying a pair of A8h (and a Sub10 mkii if necessary) for my living room. They would serve as monitors for my piano/microphone setup 40% of the time and as hi-fi speakers (mostly Pop & Rock, some Classical & Jazz) 60% of the time. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the A8h for music listening. I've had some studio monitors that make music sound lifeless/boring and I'm really hoping that's not the case with these. Thanks

I am going for the Adam a77V so get additional bass so I will not need sub. So happy to hear you are digging the new speaker. I could do what you did and the cost is probably the same price. Thing is I live in an apt so woofer may be too much for neighbors. Enjoy your new gift

@@director2bob That A77V is a beast! I considered it, but just didn't have enough room on my workstation. I don't think you can go wrong with these new Adam speakers. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine!

I have been trying to decide between high-end hi-fi speakers, small PA speakers and studio monitors for my living room. They would sit on each side of my digital piano/microphone setup (5' apart) and each will be about 3' from my ears when I'm singing & playing the piano and they should be fine for that BUT most of the time, they will be used for playing pre-recorded music (mostly Rock, Pop, some Classical & Jazz). Do you think the Adam As (with or without a sub) are a good choice for music listening? Thanks.

@@hienvu1714 I love the A7V for music, but do not recommend the Sub8. I sold it and bought an SVS SB-3000 which does a great job complimenting the A7V. If you get an Adams set, try the UNR setting. It's designed specifically for listening rather than mixing.

​@@director2bobI'm using a pair of Adam A8h, which put out more and lower bass than the A77h, and I'm still adding a sub.

What is the room size?

I only heard the guys from PresentDayProduction say they liked the a77h the most from what they heard in a demo. I am in the market for a 3 way monitor and have been listening to a couple of pairs. A77h haven't been on demo tho. I gave it a shot tho. They should come in today.

@@Lollokowns how are they?

@@timcoleman3784 Well, revealing when coming from Yamaha hs8s. REW is saying I'm having some phase issues I did not have with my HS8s (same spot). I did not try kh310s in my room but i feel like the a77hs got me towards the depth of the kh310. Well, I like them. I kept them but I'm not sure if it's the best choice I could have made. I've been learning a lot from them tho and my mixes have improved. Also i have some more money to spend on software that drastically improves my workflow :D

@@timcoleman3784 one thing I should add: they are so fkin loud. It's literally stupid. I'm sitting only ~1,3m away from them. They should have considerably less distrotion compared to my hs8s. I can listen to the a77h way louder and way longer without noticing the volume. I have to remind myself to turn them down quite often

@@Lollokowns brilliant, thank you.

When you try them out come back here and let us know what you thought! The A8Hs are cool because they can kind of better serve that purpose of nearfield and midfield potentially. Very interesting! Thanks, Justin

I have a pair of the A77H and I can tell you these are the best monitors I have ever mixed on I was the owner of a pair of Genelecs and this Adam by far beats the crap out of them

@@elmerpinto7904 Would you recommend them honestly? How long have you been mixing? I plan on getting them

Updates?

​​@@SonicScoopI have a pair in my smallish mixing room strapped to a Kali WS-6.2 sub and they sound gorgeous. I have them horizontal through necessity and that's another big advantage of these monitors. Love them! 😎

Hm, I’d never considered that complaint as the past several pairs of high end studio monitors I’ve had have had XLR only. It’s not uncommon at all. But fortunately, XLR -> 1/4’ cables and adapters are not expensive at all. I think one of the issues with 1/4” TRA on the backs of monitors is that there is often nothing there to support the weight of the cable, leading to potential bending and snapping of jacks and plugs over time, which is much less likely with XLR. With a desk mounted interface, some of the cable weight may be supported by the desk, and with a rack, cables may be supported by posts or clips on the sides of the interior of the rack. But with monitors, you could have several feet of cable weight perpetually hanging down on a single long plug, the leverage of which can cause 1/4” jacks to fail over time. (Even if you attach the cable to the side of the speaker stand, all the weight is still downward.) The design of XLRs make them likes prone to the problem. This is my guess for why this kind of design is so commonly seen in monitors. Hope that helps make sense of it! Justin

Easy listening + DJs… Many Adams in the past served elevtronic music creators and DJs very well. I think someone with a DJ setup will appreciat an RCA in, and UNR voicing, yet accurate big sound. And don’t forget, if these speakers sound really good indeed, some low budget audiophil guys will appreciate them more. Personally I cannot see any problem having only one XLR input for studio use. Much bigger problem that I still can’t see any measurement data on Adam Audio’s site, nor there are pro reviews for A77H and A8H, which are they flagship 3-way monitors in the A-series…. why? :(

What a complete non-issue to throw a hissy fit over.

Absolutely, if you are looking for a midfield monitor. If you need more of a nearfield personal monitor in a smaller space, the a7 and the a8 could potentially be better bets. But if your room is the appropriate size for it, and especially you are looking for speakers to serve more than one listener at once, they are a fantastic choice. Hope that helps! -Justin

@@SonicScoop At the moment i Have a room 4m x 3m, but will have one that will be approx. 35squaremeter(m2) soon. Ive been wanting some clean/transparent speakers for producing, mixing and potentially mastering, and just have a gut feeling and love for The A77H. Is the price gap worth it to get the A77H vs the A7V?

@fartpooboxohyeah8611 my room is 2.5 mts x 3 mts, but is treated, like my room, and my mixing monitor, but I would like the A8H for mastering. You think the room size does not matter, so this can work for me, will only be for mastering

I've just switched from my Kali IN-5's to the A8H's. I loved the Kali's but my move to a bigger room in made me look at options. I was able to A-B the two makes and the Adam's are a step up. What you miss on the Kali's is that breathy top, the warm lower mids and the very bottom end. The Adams just sound fuller and smoother. 😎

Yes for producing and mixing, absolutely. Mastering… maybe? …with a sub? But honestly, the room is even more important than the speakers on mastering. You’d want to spend (or DIY) substantially more than those speakers cost in room treatment for true mastering applications. That is true of any speakers though. Hope that helps! -Justin

@@SonicScoop Hey Justin Thank you ! am thinking in a pair of focal alpha 50 evo ,,,I got the treatment room ...what do you thinh about them? TY

They are pretty powerful for the size. But Audio Science tested the frequency response and there is a massive dip at 1Khz caused by the front port. The larger size A7V is not suppose to have this problem per Adam. Personally I won’t purchase a rear ported speaker because of my room size and placement restrictions. The 5 year warranty is a plus.

The giveaway has been extended to October 31. Good luck!! -Justin

Thank you Justin, I shall try my luck then.. Regards Antony Warrington Cheshire...

Older Adam models had a mid scoop. The newer high end models are very flat in frequency response

@@brycemalone1002 Ofcourse: the more expensive you go, the better they sound. Focal has better bang for the buck if you ask me.

This new A Series is different.

@@kadiummusic Ofcourse they're different. Whether they're better: doesn't really matter to me anymore. I had the A7X speakers: supposed to be their workhorse for smaller studios, but like I said I found them tiring and midscooped, which meant diminished clarity in crucial frequency ranges. Perfectly happy with my Focal speakers now, don't feel the need to ever switch back.

It’s true in general that the more you get into spending, the smaller the increments of improvement become. But at the same time, the more you become able to justify spending due to the quality and level of your work, the more inclined you might become to value going above and beyond to get those increasingly small benefits. That said, I agree, the T series are an incredible value! I just also feel that way about the A series as well 🙂 Hope that makes sense! Justin

I guess the Adam Audio "S" series monitors are totally not in the running for you then, John?

I agree. If you can't tell the difference, why spend the extra money? The same goes for TVs, amplifiers, cars, diamonds, clothes, windows, kitchen appliances... Damned are those who can tell the difference and those that think they can tell the difference! ::)

They start at $500 each or $1000 for the pair. On the pro side things, that’s definitely on the affordable side. On the more prosumer and hobbyist end of things there are even less expensive options that are good and that you can do solid work on. Hope that makes sense, Justin