I picked up a pair of the Adam Audio T5V at Guitar Center on the way home from work tonight.
My first impressions are very positive. Clarity and detail are excellent. The timbre of instruments is spot on and they present the acoustic space around instruments and voices very nicely. I’m surprised by how much I can hear how echo and reverb are applied to individual instruments and voices. I love how I can hear how echoes bounce and decay from the center to the sides or from one side to the other.
The imaging is engaging and dramatic. While the soundstage isn’t deep, the way instruments pop into space across the soundstage in superb. Instruments are so well defined and separated in a way you can effortlessly pick each one out. Harmonizing voices sound distinct and separate.
I think I understand better the purpose of the studio monitor. It deconstructs how everything was put together. I can seen how they could be unforgiving with bad production but they provide a fascinating insight into the music. Even quality cans like my TR-X00 PH don’t reveal the production details quite like these do.
Does all this detail detract from enjoying the music as a cohesive whole? I don’t know, yet. Maybe I’m so fascinated with the details right now that I’m not paying attention to the bigger picture. I have a feeling that it won’t be an issue as I get accustomed to them but time will tell.
As far as bass goes, well… I’ve been totally spoiled by my TR-X00 PH and Dekoni Blue. These speakers do not reach deep. What bass they do deliver is tuneful, tasteful and completely respectable. If I can find any criticism of these speakers so far, it’s that I wish they had more body and more punch. Maybe they’ll loosen up as they break in. I’ve also left the LF and HF adjustments at default for now so I may play around with those once they’ve broken in.
If I really need more bass to be happy, I’ll just add the matching T10s.
Overall, I’m really pleased so far. Thanks for the recommendations!
Pro tip (not really, I’m a total amateur): Don’t calibrate a subwoofer using an SPL app on your phone. I ran through the calibration procedure several times using different apps and the bass was overwhelming.
I dug out an old Radio Shack SPL meter and ran through the procedure again. Now it sounds spot on.
I’ve also determined that comfortable listening levels for me are between 65 and 75 dB. That’s good. Hopefully I’ll preserve my hearing the rest of my life.
I don’t think it’s the apps as much as the cheap microphones on phones. It works fine if you’re trying to level match your left/right channels. Level matching your mains with a subwoofer, though…
That’s would be really nice, actually. You can read that halfway across the room when you’re crawling around, adjusting the gain on your sub.
lol. This is more in the general knowledge.
SPL meters are much better for like the old Radio Shack SPL you dug out, phone mics are trash.
Calibrated mics and hardware + measurement software comes next.
OCD tip, use 2 different calibrated mics, hardware and software to be really really really sure and ears and twisted mind.
The JBL 3 series are on sale so I picked up a pair of JBL 305P (only $109 each) and the matching JBL LSR310S (only $299). I set the monitors on the Soundrise stands on my desk and tucked the subwoofer under the desk. I’m feeding them a balanced signal coming from my Topping DX7s.
My first impression is that the 305P doesn’t come close to the T5V. Maybe these need to be broken in more, but I think the T5V is far more open, clear and and detailed. The 305P manage to be both harsher and more veiled at the same time. Maybe it would be a better choice for mixing because you’ll work harder to make it sound good, but for listening, I’m giving it to the T5V, hands down.
The LSR310S vs the T10S is another story altogether. They are both 10" downward firing subs but the LSR310S is front ported and the T10S is rear ported. I’m sure this is very situational because my sub is sitting under my desk, less than a foot from the wall but I’m pretty limited in my 9 x 10 office. The T10S was difficult to calibrate and I could tell the response was very uneven as I walked around the room. While listening, the bass felt very directional, even using an 80Hz crossover.
The LSR310S was a breeze to calibrate. The bass sounds even as I walk around the room. No directionality. It blends seamlessly with the monitors. It’s the hands-down winner.
I’ll give the 305P more time to see if I warm up to them but they have a long way to climb. Maybe it’s a bit of an unfair comparison as the T5V normally retail at $199 and the 305P retail at $149, but it’s not even close. The only point I would give to the 305P is that the gain knob has detents across the range which made it way easier to calibrate. That’s it and that’s a one-time chore.
I can see this, the t5v is imo better for listening for fun than the jbl is, the t5v is a bit smoother and less harsh, and a bit less what you see is what you get than the 305p. Would I personally take a t5v over a 305p? Yes, but at the same time I would acknowledge the 305 and might actually go with it depending on the type of work. Also is it the mk2 305p?
Yes, it it the 305P MKII. I should have specified. I agree with you that for certain types of work, they could even be a better option. They do sound a bit more like a “tool” and I have to acknowledge that they offer exceptional value in that regard. If you’re on a really tight budget and need a good tool to make your mixes, I wouldn’t knock them at all.
For a little more money, I think the T5V offers a real best of both worlds monitor that is just as revealing but is also a real pleasure for casual, or even critical “audiophile” listening. I’m not regretting the purchase at all. Just finding a sub that works in my room was worth the investment.
Up next, I will be trying both of these monitors in my dining area to see how they perform in more of a midfield situation.
Maybe I should rename this thread “adventures in studio monitors”, lol.
Those look interesting but I really don’t want to go higher than a 5" monitor on my desk. It’s already pretty imposing and I do have a sub to fill in the low end. Do you like the Gold 5? The front port might work out better in my room and I have never tried concentric speakers.
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