Adam Audio A4V Powered 2-Way Studio Monitor

Product Information

ADAM guarantees gorgeous clarity and low distortion owing to new woofers and midrange drivers. There’s additionally the A Control software program that permits you to push advanced filters directly to an embedded platform onboard the monitors to compensate for room deficiencies. It was about time somebody gave monitor DSPs an honest go at operating user-customizable software programs. So here’s where it gets interesting. Adam Audio has an app called A Control, which lets you control the speakers “remotely”. It is for Mac and Windows, and you need to connect both your computer and your speakers to an Ethernet network to use it. Once you have, the speakers appear in the A Control app, and you can control everything we just described remotely, ie from the laptop. A Control lets users adjust their speakers in real-time and remotely, for efficient fine tuning.

Adam Audio use HPS (High-Frequency Propagation System) waveguide technology which means the tweeters can disperse sound with controlled consistency. The rotatable aspect has been added to the A Series, where tweeters can be shifted in 90-degree steps. This means that whichever way the speaker is placed (horizontally or vertically), the HPS waveguide technology will be in full operation. However, both sets of monitors are well worth the money. You can’t go wrong with either of them. Adam A4V vs. Focal Alpha 50 Evo In addition, A Control lets you upload and store your Sonarworks SoundID calibration profiles directly to the DSP. This saves you from having to run the separate SoundID reference app or additional DAW plugin. Not only does this make things more convenient, but it also lightens the CPU load and reduces latency. Once your SoundID Reference calibration has been transferred to the monitor, you’re all set! No software or network cables are needed. Tweeters and midrange drivers are powered by Class AB amplifiers which offer a smooth, natural reproduction of high frequencies. Each amplifier is optimized for its working range, resulting in a fine-tuned, properly aligned speaker. To reach this point, ADAM Audio carried out extensive measurements and listening sessions, trialling countless amplifiers and amplifier components The new, revamped A series took what was so popular about these distinctive boxes and brought them bang up to date. Available in a range of sizes from the compact three way A8H, the original new low-profile A44H and the replacement for the super-popular two way A7X, the A7V, down to the diminutive A4V. It was this smallest of the range I chose to audition for this first look at the range because while it isn’t the most impressive and probably won’t be the most popular, I suspect it might be the most important.Likewise, if you like the customisation idea but not the complexity of the A Series approach, you may want to consider the IK Multimedia iLoud MTM speakers, which come with a microphone you can use to auto calibrate to your listening position in your studio, with no need for Ethernet, extra apps, or third-party software. (We’ve yet to review them at the time of writing, though – watch this space.)

The Adam A4V are best suited for professional engineers with slightly smaller studios who are looking for high-quality monitors. The two-way monitor makes use of ADAM Audio’s famed X-ART tweeter in addition to a 4-inch woofer, which – as with all A-Series models – is fabricated from an extremely lightweight but extraordinarily sturdy mineral fiber materials (MLM). Along with DSP expertise to calibrate, update, and modify the monitors, the A4V delivers excellent sound in a variety of working environments. Due to the ADAM Audio HPS Waveguide, you get exactly directed sound with huge dispersion within the horizontal and tight focus in the vertical. Made from novel high-density fiberglass polymer materials, undesirable resonances are minimized, leading to a clearer sound. This embedded platform supports filters from industry leading third-party Sonarworks. Using Sonarworks SoundID Reference and a measurement mic, you can calibrate your speakers for a new room or shifting taste. Upgradable firmware allows these monitors to evolve, so customers can continue to capitalize on future innovations from ADAM Audio. An extended five-year warranty offer plus post-warranty support ensure these monitors will continue to perform at their best for many years to come.” Before we even look at these, an important point to make is that positioning is everything with speakers. You want the tweeters at ear level (or at least pointing at your ears), and of course you want the speakers equidistant from your listening position. Just by experimenting with positioning, you can radically alter the sound of any speakers. In our studio, we have our monitors on speaker mounts and angled slightly up, so they’re “aimed” at our ears when DJing. It makes a world of difference.As I said at the beginning. The A4V isn’t likely to be the most popular model of the range, I suspect that will be the A7V, which would be a natural choice for someone working in stereo who wants the sweet spot between performance and value. However the reason I said I suspected the A4V would be the most important of this new range is that having a compact, DSP-controlled monitor which, courtesy of the A Control software can be easily incorporated into, and tuned as part of an immersive monitoring system, which has the performance to match such a demanding application is key to ADAM’s A series being a natural choice for people moving into Atmos. The Adam Audio A4V are well built, reassuringly sombre and weighty, and have thoughtful touches – we particularly liked the option for screw-mounting them, and the ability to rotate the tweeter so the dispersion cone makes sense when the speakers are horizontal. But you do need to have their app running on your laptop and your audio routed through it for it to apply the “filter set”– which takes resources, adds complication, and is hard if not impossible to set up when using external audio gear like DJ kit.