Review: ADAM A5X Nearfield Studio Monitors

I’ve been a fan of ADAM speakers for years. Every company that makes studio monitors has its own idea about what’s most important in speaker design, and for my tastes, the designers at ADAM have always had their priorities in the right place.

Where some studio monitors aimed to impress and win quick sip-tests with hyped highs, and big, sloppy lows, ADAM focused on what mattered most to real mixers. Their lows were always tight, controlled and un-hyped. Their high end was smooth, extended and accurate, and their midrange was brutally honest – never scooped or gussied-up.

When the company sent me a pair of the new A5Xs to review, I was already prepared to like them. But I wasn’t prepared to be quite this impressed.

What’s New

ADAM AX-Series

Along with my high hopes for the new AX series came a healthy dose of skepticism. As an evangelical fan of the original S3A and A7, I didn’t really think the ADAM line needed to change much, and was worried that the company would lose sight of what made their products great as they tried to open up to an even wider market.

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.

With the release of the AX and SX series of speakers, ADAM has responded to the market, and the look and sound of their ADAM has become glossier. Their new speakers go significantly deeper, higher, and louder. I was afraid these changes might dilute the mid-forward magic of ADAM’s original designs, but so far, they appear to have pulled it off.

Down Low

ADAM’s newest models reproduce lower frequencies than before thanks to a pair of redesigned and enlarged front-mounted ports. This redesign has also addressed an earlier issue with port noise at high volume levels.

Although I don’t think the line needed any additional low-end, many of their prospective customers asked for it, and they’ll be happy to hear just how deep and satisfying the bass on the AX series is.

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.

To my ears, these speakers sound remarkably free of strange and misleading resonances down to 80hz or even lower. Down around 50hz or so, I finally start to feel the slightly sluggish response inherent in all ported designs, although it occurs at levels much less significant than in many monitors in the same price range.

Even 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.

More Everything

The A5Xs have a small footprint, but they sound like giants. Or at least, much larger speakers.

In the studio, I tend to prefer working on speakers that are transient-accurate and mid-forward. Give me a good pair of Auratones, NS-10s, ADAM S3As, or maybe some Dynaudios, and I know I’ll be able to craft a mix that works.

ADAM A5X

When I’m away from work however, I often rock out to speakers that sound a little more “fun”. For casual listening in my home office, I have a pair of Event ASP-8s. They’re a pair of review speakers that I kept, not because they’re my ideal studio tool, but because they were affordable, and so much damn fun to listen to records on.

They’re also enormous.

As I write this review, the A5Xs are sitting in their place. They take up less than half the space of the giant Events, but they sound just as big, if not bigger.

Cranked up, the 5Xs scream like only an opera singer can scream. Compared to the ASP8s, their low end is tighter and more solid, the high end cleaner and less pointy, the midrange more complex and detailed, and the stereo imaging more concrete and precise.  With two 50-watt amplifiers and the ability to cruise at about 102 dB, they also have plenty of power and headroom. (And if you ever mix that loud for long, please trust me when I say you’re doing it wrong.) This added headroom and stellar performance at high levels is a genuine improvement of the original ADAM A-series.

Although the ASP8s are fun listening in their own way (and may have a greater appeal to some listeners) if I had to mix on just one set of monitors, I’d trust the smaller A5Xs more.

Concerns

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.

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.

I’d still trust the midrange and overall balance of these models more than many comparably priced studio monitors, but for mixers who (like me) prefer the results that come from using a slightly drier, boxier, or fuller-range speaker, another ADAM model like the flatter A7X may be a better choice.

Still, the A5X is a fantastic speaker, and not just for those with limited space. With a street price of roughly $1,000, it would beat out many comparably priced speakers, regardless of their size.

Click for more details on the ADAM A5Xs.

Justin Colletti is a Brooklyn recording engineer and studio journalist. He is a regular contributor to SonicScoop and edits the music blog Trust Me, I’m A Scientist.

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