Review: ADAM Audio T8V

Powerful near-field monitor

The T8V is an active near-field monitor and designed as a vertically oriented 2-way system. It has a 8“ woofer with a bass response of up to 33 Hz, which means it goes down to 6 and 12 Hz respectively, lower than the two smaller models in the series. As with the T7V/ T5V, the diaphragm of the U-ART tweeter reproduces a high frequency range of up to 25 kHz. The crossover frequency is identical to the T7V (2.6 kHz).

The U-ART tweeter has an accordion-like diaphragm with aluminium conductor tracks. This allows the air to be driven faster to achieve better impulse response and higher efficiency. It is built into a wave guide known from ADAM‘s S-Series, which is supposed to have the same radiation pattern. The U-ART tweeter is powered by a 20W amplifier, while a 70W amplifier drives the woofer (20W more than T5V/T7V).

Rear bass reflex port

The cabinet with the bevelled edges has the typical ADAM look and therefore looks professional, the speakers turned out less compact than the T5V and T7V, as expected. The metal rear panel houses the bass reflex port. Also, the T8V doesn‘t offer any special adjustment option for placement near a wall or in corners, which would have been desirable due to the large bass drivers.

With two switches at least high or low frequencies can be raised or lowered by 2 dB each. Below this, you can find the volume control with an unusually wide control range of -60dB to +18dB. Since the control has no grid, even at 0 dB, correct tuning of both speakers can be a nerve-racking precision job. At 0 dB the T8V seem to be quieter than comparable speakers, but you can easily compensate for this with the level control.

A symmetrically designed XLR jack and a RCA jack are available to connect the audio source, and the power supply is provided by a power plug. A green LED on the rear panel indicates that the unit is ready for use.

Precise, unstrained bass

After switching on, a slight background noise is noticeable, which is tolerable regarding the favorable price. A positive aspect is the low sensitivity to interference noise such as crosstalk from mobile phones.

The T8V delivers a very balanced and relaxed sound image. Typical for ADAM, the high frequencies are reproduced very well. The fast response of the U-ART diaphragm enables an excellent transient reproduction. The even reproduction of high frequencies by the wave guide ensures a wide sweet spot, so that you can easily change your sitting position while listening. The detail reproduction is also convincing, the speakers only sound a bit less three-dimensional than more expensive speakers like the Focal BE.

Compared to the T7V, the mid range image is a bit more accentuated, especially the lower mid range. This makes vocals, guitars and other acoustic instruments sound more present, which we personally liked. The bass range is reproduced precisely and with a good impulse response. This is also where the larger bass driver with its more powerful amplifier shows its strengths. Compared to the T7V, the deep bass sounds more precise and less strained than the only 6 additional Hertz in the lower frequency range would suggest. You can definitely do without a subwoofer in the T8V, at least if you don‘t produce extremely sub bass-heavy music.