Adam Audio T5V Monitors

T
he last Adam
monitor I tried was
the S2V – seriously
customisable,
awesome-sounding
and, for many,
prohibitively
expensive. So to achieve some
balance it’s only proper that the T5V
sat in front of me is one of the most
affordable Adam monitors to date.
Built around a 5” woofer and
Adam’s U-ART (Unique Accelerated
Ribbon Tweeter) tweeter, the Class-D
powered two-way design with
rear-fi ring bass refl ex is the smaller
of the new T Series designs.
Despite the keen pricing, the T5V
inherits much of Adam’s
recognisable design elements, albeit
in slightly modifi ed form. The U-ART
tweeter, for example, is specifi c to
this series but closely based on the
S-ART and X-ART versions in their
upmarket monitors, and the bevelled
cabinet design, although not
identical to the AX Series, is close.
However, what sets the T5V apart
from the pricier models is the
rear-fi ring refl ex port. This could be
On the downside, the green
power LED is on the back, which
seems a bit pointless. Also, the low
mid range frequencies could be
more prominent – apparent when,
maybe unfairly, A/Bing the T5V
against more expensive monitors. It’s
certainly not a deal-breaker, and by
setting the LF EQ to -2dB I achieved
a much better result.
Adam’s desire is to make the T5V
your fi rst Adam monitor: judging by
what I’ve heard here, it could easily
make you a fan for life.
frustrating if you need to position the
monitors right against a wall. That
said, at about 25cm from the wall, it
wasn’t a problem. If it is an issue,
the rear mounted LF EQ (-2dB, 0,
+2dB) provides some fl exibility. On
the subject of EQ, there’s also an HF
option (+2dB, 0, -2dB). I thought
this sounded very gentle, and I
reckon I could get used to the T5V in
any of the three HF settings,
indicating that, to my ears, the
overall top end is very well tuned. As
noted in the S2V review, the HPS
waveguide delivers a broad horizontal
sweet spot but is more restricted
vertically. This is the same for the
T5V and contributes greatly to the
overall imaging and separation,
which is excellent. Just be aware
that the sweet spot is a bit more
restricted in the vertical direction.
Another good thing is the size:
quite narrow, considering it’s got a
5” woofer, and although the cabinet
is quite deep, front to back, the units
feel compact. Finally, you get both
balanced (XLR) and unbalanced
(phono) inputs with a selector switch
– wise, given the target market.
THE PROS & CONS
+
Very good
stereo imaging
Clear precise top end
with EQ adjustment
if required
Sensible choice of
inputs for either
balanced or
unbalanced
connection
Compact footprint
for 5” monitor
Excellent price for
Adam monitors
-
Rear mounted power
LED a bit pointless
FM VERDICT
9.2
The T5V delivers plenty
of clarity, decent imaging
and volume from a pretty
compact footprint. A tidy
package, at a good price
Adam Audio T5V | Reviews
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FMU335.rev_adam.indd 93 8/7/18 3:44 PM