Adam Tensor
- Thread starter MattSPL
- Start date
mondie
pfm Member
Russell, that is a loaded question in a world flooded with subjective opinions and biases, but i know you know that and asked it for exactly that reason
But I will have a go in an attempt to quantify how stunning the Symphony prototypes are when rated as a system in conjunction with a treated room. If the ADAM's when you heard them were a 5, the proto Symphony's are a 9 and with the better drivers and other prototype optimisation work presently being undertaken, my pair of Reference Symphony's may very well be a 9.5 or 10, time will tell.I can unequivocally say though that comparisons with Alpha's are redundant.
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Hi Matt,
In 2016 I too was interested in the Adam Tensors and was dissapointed to learn that they'd stopped making them.
At that time I had a pair of Harbeth M40.1 speakers which after a while seemed to me anyway that they were lacking a little in clarity no matter what I changed in my system. Then Alan Shaw came along and announced that he'd improved the crossover and thus clarity of the speaker and he released the new M40.2 speakers but he would not provide an upgrade path to M40.1 owners which really pissed me off...
So anyway Mark from Item Audio arranged a demo for me of some ADAM S5X-V speakers as by that time I was certain that I wanted to give active speakers a try and they they simply blew me away.
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/sx-series/s5x-v/
I listen to them on a daily basis and truelly enjoy the clarity and scale of the speaker. I don't find them fatiguing or bright and yet the detail is all there. Of course they can be made to be bright sounding / or excessively bassy via the trim controls to suit
In my opinion they are very true to the source and work very well with a natural sounding DAC such as a Hugo / DAVE from Chord. I have heard them with the Invicta Mirus @ Item's place but it was a little too analytical sounding for my taste so if you demo them it's worth bringing your own DAC along.
All in all it's been my best decision yet in the hobby (I've stopped spending on new gear). The real kicker is that for the money I'd spent on Harbeth's and a Krell Duo 300 I could have had a pair of ADAM S5X-H sighs
In 2016 I too was interested in the Adam Tensors and was dissapointed to learn that they'd stopped making them.
At that time I had a pair of Harbeth M40.1 speakers which after a while seemed to me anyway that they were lacking a little in clarity no matter what I changed in my system. Then Alan Shaw came along and announced that he'd improved the crossover and thus clarity of the speaker and he released the new M40.2 speakers but he would not provide an upgrade path to M40.1 owners which really pissed me off...
So anyway Mark from Item Audio arranged a demo for me of some ADAM S5X-V speakers as by that time I was certain that I wanted to give active speakers a try and they they simply blew me away.
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/sx-series/s5x-v/
I listen to them on a daily basis and truelly enjoy the clarity and scale of the speaker. I don't find them fatiguing or bright and yet the detail is all there. Of course they can be made to be bright sounding / or excessively bassy via the trim controls to suit
In my opinion they are very true to the source and work very well with a natural sounding DAC such as a Hugo / DAVE from Chord. I have heard them with the Invicta Mirus @ Item's place but it was a little too analytical sounding for my taste so if you demo them it's worth bringing your own DAC along.
All in all it's been my best decision yet in the hobby (I've stopped spending on new gear). The real kicker is that for the money I'd spent on Harbeth's and a Krell Duo 300 I could have had a pair of ADAM S5X-H sighs
mondie
pfm Member
[QUOTE="frylock, post: 3352164, member: 19088"
So anyway Mark from Item Audio arranged a demo for me of some ADAM S5X-V speakers as by that time I was certain that I wanted to give active speakers a try and they they simply blew me away.
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/sx-series/s5x-v/
I listen to them on a daily basis and truelly enjoy the clarity and scale of the speaker. I don't find them fatiguing or bright and yet the detail is all there. Of course they can be made to be bright sounding / or excessively bassy via the trim controls to suit
[/QUOTE]
Great choice, I bet they sound fantastic. I was surprised to see that your model has been superceded by a three way which lacks the magic of the XART midrange. Seems like an odd decision, I wonder if ADAM are continuning to pull back after their close run with bankruptcy.
Any photos for us to drool over?
Cheers
So anyway Mark from Item Audio arranged a demo for me of some ADAM S5X-V speakers as by that time I was certain that I wanted to give active speakers a try and they they simply blew me away.
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/sx-series/s5x-v/
I listen to them on a daily basis and truelly enjoy the clarity and scale of the speaker. I don't find them fatiguing or bright and yet the detail is all there. Of course they can be made to be bright sounding / or excessively bassy via the trim controls to suit
[/QUOTE]
Great choice, I bet they sound fantastic. I was surprised to see that your model has been superceded by a three way which lacks the magic of the XART midrange. Seems like an odd decision, I wonder if ADAM are continuning to pull back after their close run with bankruptcy.
Any photos for us to drool over?
Cheers
Hi Matt,
In 2016 I too was interested in the Adam Tensors and was dissapointed to learn that they'd stopped making them.
At that time I had a pair of Harbeth M40.1 speakers which after a while seemed to me anyway that they were lacking a little in clarity no matter what I changed in my system. Then Alan Shaw came along and announced that he'd improved the crossover and thus clarity of the speaker and he released the new M40.2 speakers but he would not provide an upgrade path to M40.1 owners which really pissed me off...
So anyway Mark from Item Audio arranged a demo for me of some ADAM S5X-V speakers as by that time I was certain that I wanted to give active speakers a try and they they simply blew me away.
https://www.adam-audio.com/en/sx-series/s5x-v/
I listen to them on a daily basis and truelly enjoy the clarity and scale of the speaker. I don't find them fatiguing or bright and yet the detail is all there. Of course they can be made to be bright sounding / or excessively bassy via the trim controls to suit
In my opinion they are very true to the source and work very well with a natural sounding DAC such as a Hugo / DAVE from Chord. I have heard them with the Invicta Mirus @ Item's place but it was a little too analytical sounding for my taste so if you demo them it's worth bringing your own DAC along.
All in all it's been my best decision yet in the hobby (I've stopped spending on new gear). The real kicker is that for the money I'd spent on Harbeth's and a Krell Duo 300 I could have had a pair of ADAM S5X-H sighs
They look like serious speakers
I too went from passive to active, about 9 years ago and wouldn’t go passive again unless it was something like a Tannoy Kindom Royal or vivid audio G1 spirit, neither of which I can afford.
Those S5X-H would be difficult to get past my wife. I would use my usual tactic of them being in position, playing music before she knew, then just suffer being in the bad books
Edit: These look interesting http://www.musictech.net/2015/03/unity-audio-the-boulder-mk-ii-review/
Colin L
High-tech low-life
Russell, that is a loaded question in a world flooded with subjective opinions and biases, but i know you know that and asked it for exactly that reason
I can unequivocally say though that comparisons with Alpha's are redundant.
So, I shall look forward to hearing the new-builds when they arrive. If they stomp all over the Adams they will be very fine indeed.