Question - Adam Audio T5V or T7V? (2024)

Hi all,

I am looking to get my first set of speakers, trying to keep it under 400 euro. After some research, I have mostly decided on one of the 2 speakers in the title. I'm looking for some advice on which may suit me more. Listening info would be as follows:

They are going in a rectangular room that is probably 4.5m wide and 11/12m long, against one of the long walls. Crude drawing below:
________________________________________
|--kit----|------------|___speakers____|---------|
|--chen-|-----------------------------------------|
| _______|-----------------sofa------------------|
|_______________________________________|

Listening position would be mostly sofa, but could be anywhere in the room really. I know this setup isn't ideal to project into the room, but there is nowhere else I can really put them for now.

Usage would be mostly listening to electronic music(house/techno/ambient), with some hip-hip and rock, but also possibly some vinyl mixing as well. They will be fed by a bluetooth receiver initially, with a turntable or 2 added to the mix eventually.

I've read that the T5V are not a whole lot worse than the T7V, and that adding a sub to the T5V would yield better results than buying the T7V. I'm not in a position to buy a sub at the moment, but I would probably be willing to take the smaller set for a while and do that, if the gain would be noticeably better. If the T7V are going to be able to do everything for me though(enough bass, fill the room etc.), then obviously that would be preferable, as I can get them for around 60 euro more than the T5V.

Any opinions, info and recommendations welcome! I'm not 100% tied to these speakers, so if you think there is a better pair for my needs, I'm all ears, they just need to be active speakers.

Cheers!

The Adams will be an excellent choice, for any style of music.

What preamp will you be using?

Paul7777x said:

The Adams will be an excellent choice, for any style of music.

What preamp will you be using?

Click to expand...

The plan for now would be to connect them directly to an Ifi Zen Blue, and in the next month or 2 add in a turntable with a built-in pre-amp(I would use a Schiit sys or similar passive pre-amp switchbox to allow for both inputs).

conorw89 said:

The plan for now would be to connect them directly to an Ifi Zen Blue, and in the next month or 2 add in a turntable with a built-in pre-amp(I would use a Schiit sys or similar passive pre-amp switchbox to allow for both inputs).

Click to expand...

In that case I’d suggest the Adams to be a superb choice.

My current hifi uses some biggish Adams and I’ve had five different versions of them. All exceptional value for hard cash and all sound top class.

As for a sub, that is entirely a personal choice.

For House Ambient and Techno I’d get the 5s and the matching sub (a little later).

If your budget would not stretch to a good quality sub, then I’d buy the 7s, and not compromise the eventual sound with a flabby sub.

A cheap sub will always kill the sound quality of any set up.

Paul7777x said:

In that case I’d suggest the Adams to be a superb choice.

My current hifi uses some biggish Adams and I’ve had five different versions of them. All exceptional value for hard cash and all sound top class.

See Also

ADAM Audio T5V Monitors Review - The Perfect Budget Solution?Adam Audio T5V Monitors reviewADAM Audio T5V Review [2024] - Superb Performance And QualityThe Definitive Adam Audio T5V review | 2024 Edition

As for a sub, that is entirely a personal choice.

For House Ambient and Techno I’d get the 5s and the matching sub (a little later).

If your budget would not stretch to a good quality sub, then I’d buy the 7s, and not compromise the eventual sound with a flabby sub.

A cheap sub will always kill the sound quality of any set up.

Click to expand...

Ah, this is good info, I was naively thinking that a cheap sub would be ok, as it doesn't handle as much as the speakers(shows my knowledge of audio ).So, would I need to be spending another 300+ quid to get a sub worth listening to, or what would be the low end(no pun intended) of the good entry level sub price range? Cheers!

The least expensive quality sub I know of is the BK Gemini.

super cheap, but remarkably effective. I’ve owned two.

The only issue with his and almost all other subs is that they don’t have a pass through for the Adams and so would need a separate sub output from whatever you end up using as a preamp.

Whereas with most studio subs, such as the matching Adam 10s, you only need to feed the sub the left and right preamp signals which the sub then passes through to the speakers usually using a cut off at around 80Hz

Paul7777x said:

The least expensive quality sub I know of is the BK Gemini.

Bk Electronics Gemini II Subwoofer in Satin Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Bk Electronics Gemini II Subwoofer in Satin Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

super cheap, but remarkably effective. I’ve owned two.

The only issue with his and almost all other subs is that they don’t have a pass through for the Adams and so would need a separate sub output from whatever you end up using as a preamp.

Whereas with most studio subs, such as the matching Adam 10s, you only need to feed the sub the left and right preamp signals which the sub then passes through to the speakers usually using a cut off at around 80Hz

ADAM Audio T10S Active Subwoofer

The Adam Audio T10S is a sleek, powerful 10" active studio subwoofer, designed to enhance and improve any studio monitoring setup. If you need emergency low-frequency reinforcement, look no further th...

www.pmtonline.co.uk

Click to expand...

Right, so if I wanted to stick with the setup I've mentioned, the Adams sub(or one like it) would be my only choice, as I could just go bluetooth receiver -> sub -> speakers? Maybe i'll just settle for the T5V and start putting money away for a sub. Thanks again for all the info.

Paul7777x said:

The least expensive quality sub I know of is the BK Gemini.

Bk Electronics Gemini II Subwoofer in Satin Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Bk Electronics Gemini II Subwoofer in Satin Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

super cheap, but remarkably effective. I’ve owned two.

The only issue with his and almost all other subs is that they don’t have a pass through for the Adams and so would need a separate sub output from whatever you end up using as a preamp.

Whereas with most studio subs, such as the matching Adam 10s, you only need to feed the sub the left and right preamp signals which the sub then passes through to the speakers usually using a cut off at around 80Hz

See Also

Adam Audio T5V studio monitors review - Higher Hz

ADAM Audio T10S Active Subwoofer

The Adam Audio T10S is a sleek, powerful 10" active studio subwoofer, designed to enhance and improve any studio monitoring setup. If you need emergency low-frequency reinforcement, look no further th...

www.pmtonline.co.uk

Click to expand...

If I could bother you with one more question(so I don't have to start a new thread), am I ok just buying L/R RCA male to male connectors and using those from the bluetooth receiver to the T5V? I see that they have balanced input, and the bluetooth receiver has balanced output, but I can't find a 4.4mm to dual male XLR cable for a reasonable price anywhere. What's your opinion on balanced vs unbalanced? Is buying cheap(10 quid) RCA cables going to negatively impact the sound?

conorw89 said:

Right, so if I wanted to stick with the setup I've mentioned, the Adams sub(or one like it) would be my only choice, as I could just go bluetooth receiver -> sub -> speakers? Maybe i'll just settle for the T5V and start putting money away for a sub. Thanks again for all the info.

Click to expand...

That would be my choice. Job done then for a decade.

conorw89 said:

If I could bother you with one more question(so I don't have to start a new thread), am I ok just buying L/R RCA male to male connectors and using those from the bluetooth receiver to the T5V? I see that they have balanced input, and the bluetooth receiver has balanced output, but I can't find a 4.4mm to dual male XLR cable for a reasonable price anywhere. What's your opinion on balanced vs unbalanced? Is buying cheap(10 quid) RCA cables going to negatively impact the sound?

Click to expand...

It won’t impact the sound at all. Balanced input/output is used in studios and wherever else because it is slightly less electrically noisy. But only over long distances, or when cables are coiled up on site and what not.

For domestic use there is no real benefit.

And I know what you mean about the ridiculous balanced connector on the ifi. They should not have bothered or have supplied an adaptor in the box.

And the cheapest decently made RCA cables are more than enough.

These are good stuff.

Paul7777x said:

It won’t impact the sound at all. Balanced input/output is used in studios and wherever else because it is slightly less electrically noisy. But only over long distances, or when cables are coiled up on site and what not.

For domestic use there is no real benefit.

And I know what you mean about the ridiculous balanced connector on the ifi. They should not have bothered or have supplied an adaptor in the box.

And the cheapest decently made RCA cables are more than enough.

These are good stuff.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-2-Male-RCA-Audio-Cable-Black/dp/B01D5H8PQ0/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1XYN0SFY4X42V&dchild=1&keywords=rca+basics&qid=1589368051&sprefix=Rca+basic%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-5

Click to expand...

Nice one, I'll grab those! Thanks again for all the help.

conorw89 said:

Nice one, I'll grab those! Thanks again for all the help.

Click to expand...

You’re very welcome.

I hope you enjoy them

Let us know what you think if you would please.

Paul7777x said:

You’re very welcome.

I hope you enjoy them

Let us know what you think if you would please.

Click to expand...

Will do

For what it's worth, I was more impressed with the T5V than the 7's.

Weirdly they seemed to have more low end.

Hi Conor.

Always good to hear from a happy buyer.

Well made active speakers are revelation imo. And I’m particularly fond of Adams.

Paul7777x said:

The least expensive quality sub I know of is the BK Gemini.

Bk Electronics Gemini II Subwoofer in Satin Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Bk Electronics Gemini II Subwoofer in Satin Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

super cheap, but remarkably effective. I’ve owned two.

The only issue with his and almost all other subs is that they don’t have a pass through for the Adams and so would need a separate sub output from whatever you end up using as a preamp.

Whereas with most studio subs, such as the matching Adam 10s, you only need to feed the sub the left and right preamp signals which the sub then passes through to the speakers usually using a cut off at around 80Hz

ADAM Audio T10S Active Subwoofer

The Adam Audio T10S is a sleek, powerful 10" active studio subwoofer, designed to enhance and improve any studio monitoring setup. If you need emergency low-frequency reinforcement, look no further th...

www.pmtonline.co.uk

Click to expand...

I second @Paul7777x recommendation of the BK Gemini. Mine was purchased as a 'second' but there's nothing remotely second about it. Great value.