Recording - September 2014 - 49

These new band settings are much more
"grabby" than the A5's, and it was easy to
overdo boosts or cuts. I did back off the
tweeter gain by two clicks (about 1 dB) for
listening sessions at very close range, to offset the dauntingly efficient X-ART tweeter, but
in more conventional arms'-length positioning I left it flat as well.
Compared to the A5, the A5X is just
more speaker, there's really no other word
for it. The X-ART tweeter speaks so clearly
it's almost startling, and the new angledface cabinet and tweeter enclosure provide
a very wide and comfortable sweet spot;
you can move around quite a bit but maintain clear stereo imaging and consistent frequency response. If anything, behavior in
the crossover region (2500 Hz) is even
smoother than on the A5, which could
sometimes be a little scooped.
The slightly larger woofer does in fact
give slightly more bass, and it's still tight and
well-defined with upper harmonics helping
fill in what fundamentals will be lacking at
the very low end. The A5X would be a very
good candidate for pairing with a subwoofer like ADAM's Sub8, but it did perfectly well on its own, with mixes translating
well to larger monitors.
I found the A5X somewhat less forgiving
of clutter in the mids than its predecessor;
while relatively sparse acoustic Americana,
jazz, and classical music sounded brilliantly detailed with each source standing out in
sharp relief, sloppily mixed rock tracks
tended to sound congested and thick, even
to the point of unpleasantness. If you worry
that you have a tendency to add "just a bit
more" of this, then that, then the other thing,
until your mixes get away from you, the
A5X won't let you do that unscathed.
And last but not least, the A5X's
increased amplifier power is significant. It
gets good and loud (up to 110 dB SPL at
one meter) with less strain on the amplifiers,
leaving plenty of headroom for sharp, clear
transients when needed.
More is more
I've said it before and it bears saying once
more in conclusion; the A5X simply takes the
great sonic performance of the original A5
and gives you more of everything-more treble extension, more bass power, more headroom without distortion, more clarity. The AX
Range has not been rendered irrelevant at
the lower price points by the introduction of
ADAM's very affordable F Range; like the
A3X, the A5X is an uncompromising small
monitor that discerning small-studio owners
will find a true and loyal ally in their tracking
and mixing work. As much as I love the A5,
it's going to be difficult to go back now that
I've heard what the A5X can do.
Price: $549 each
More from: ADAM Audio,
www.adam-audio.com
RECORDING September 2014

49



http://www.pearlmicrophones.com http://www.pearlmicrophones.com http://www.recordingmag.com http://www.adam-audio.com

Recording - September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - September 2014

Contents
Recording - September 2014 - Cover1
Recording - September 2014 - Cover2
Recording - September 2014 - 1
Recording - September 2014 - 2
Recording - September 2014 - 3
Recording - September 2014 - 4
Recording - September 2014 - 5
Recording - September 2014 - Contents
Recording - September 2014 - 7
Recording - September 2014 - 8
Recording - September 2014 - 9
Recording - September 2014 - 10
Recording - September 2014 - 11
Recording - September 2014 - 12
Recording - September 2014 - 13
Recording - September 2014 - 14
Recording - September 2014 - 15
Recording - September 2014 - 16
Recording - September 2014 - 17
Recording - September 2014 - 18
Recording - September 2014 - 19
Recording - September 2014 - 20
Recording - September 2014 - 21
Recording - September 2014 - 22
Recording - September 2014 - 23
Recording - September 2014 - 24
Recording - September 2014 - 25
Recording - September 2014 - 26
Recording - September 2014 - 27
Recording - September 2014 - 28
Recording - September 2014 - 29
Recording - September 2014 - 30
Recording - September 2014 - 31
Recording - September 2014 - 32
Recording - September 2014 - 33
Recording - September 2014 - 34
Recording - September 2014 - 35
Recording - September 2014 - 36
Recording - September 2014 - 37
Recording - September 2014 - 38
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Recording - September 2014 - 40
Recording - September 2014 - 41
Recording - September 2014 - 42
Recording - September 2014 - 43
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Recording - September 2014 - 45
Recording - September 2014 - 46
Recording - September 2014 - 47
Recording - September 2014 - 48
Recording - September 2014 - 49
Recording - September 2014 - 50
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Recording - September 2014 - Cover3
Recording - September 2014 - Cover4
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