ADAM A7 opinions?

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mikesong
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ADAM A7 opinions?

Post by mikesong » Sun Nov 26, 2006 4:04 pm

Anyone have any experience with the newish ADAM A7 monitors? I know Larry and others here regard ADAMs highly but I haven't seen anyone here yet comment on their new cheapest entry the A7's. From what I read on Gearslutz people are going bonkers over them especially for $1000. People say they basically have the ADAM sound, that they're hyper-real and not overly nice-sounding. Cons which are expected given their size and price is that the bass doesn't go super-low which is probably good for me because my room has minimal treatment and more bass might just cause problems. Anyway my music is rock and doesn't have a ton of bass - mostly a lot of midrange gunk that hopefully these could help me sort out.

My main criteria is something that won't take too long to learn to get mixes that translate well, because my experience is somewhat limited as is my access to different playback environments. I've mixed on speakers like the Genelec 1031's and the Mackie 824's and they sounded nice but kinda like playback speakers which had issues that might make them hard to get mixes to easily translate. Just wondering if any Tape Oppers can offer an opinion as to whether the ADAM A7's would fit the bill in the $1000-ish price range?

Thanks, Mike

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Post by tasker » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:47 pm

I have a pair and love them. Probably not the best person to comment as I don't have a ton of experience with recording on different monitors. A good deal of experience recording in studios with different monitors (being recorded, not recording), so I have a good list of what I don't like... I upgraded from a pair of M-Audio BX5s and it's not even comparable. But I suppose that's apples to oranges... The other's in that price range that I like a whole lot are the B+W 705/805. Then you need an amp... But they're great as well. Just my 2 cents... I'm not really into the KRK stuff and jeez I feel weird having anything Mackie (I know it's unfounded maybe, but still...). The others in that range that I had a hard time deciding between were the Dynaudio, which also received excellent reviews. I'm happy I went with the A7s. Also works well for me that they're ported in the front, which may or may not be of relevance to you.

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Ken
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Post by Ken » Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:31 pm

I don't own them (I own ADAM P11As) but was knocked out by how good they sounded when I heard them in someone's studio. Not that I've heard every monitor, but they're the best ones I've heard for that price range by far, especially the midrange and high end, which is detailed. Excellent imaging.

mikesong
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Post by mikesong » Sun Dec 24, 2006 5:45 pm

Just wanted to say I went to the store and demo'd the A7's against all the competition, and as Ken says, "they're the best ones I've heard for that price range by far." It's undeniable, all the other customers that wandered by agreed. The Dynaudio's were the only ones that were close, they definitely have a nice sound to listen to, but the Adam's are a lot more detailed for mixing. I took them home and after a month I can say I am making much better mix decisions. Nice to know that among the many difficult and subjective gear decisions to make, one is easy.

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Post by dirk_v » Mon Dec 25, 2006 12:20 am

*groan*.... *phones for credit limit increase*....
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Huntlabs
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Post by Huntlabs » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:53 am

I want some Adams too. I've been looking at the S3A's. Right now I'm using Mackie 824's and I'd like to improve that although they aren't all that bad.

I wonder what some A7's with a sub would sound like... it would be cheaper too.
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BusyBoxSt7
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Post by BusyBoxSt7 » Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:39 pm

used Alesis m1s (sucked in every way), NS10 (great for mids, sucks for highs and lows, it's a good crap stereo reference but realize it's a CRAP stereo reference, not a typical car stereo), the A7s and that was a big improvement for the highs and lows even, the P22As...

what I noticed on the ADAMs is that with the extreme highs, I found myself spending time working on frequencies that aren't even heard on most systems (A7s that was mostly highs, P22s it was the extended lows far below what most stereos could produce, kicks and basses tuned in too low)..

THEN I tried some old Tannoy PBM 8 IIs. Picture an NS10 that has at least a little high and lows. I started mixing WAY faster.

Then got in B&W Matrix 805s, more fidelity than the PBMs but the high/low extremities aren't distracting like ADAMs (where i got lost in unimportant details), bass guitars / kicks are very articulate/musical, and imaging is great w/o being bright or spitty... We'll find out soon how they mix... So far, sound pretty similar to ProAcs that I've heard in other studios.
...

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Post by Producer/Engineer » Fri Apr 23, 2010 7:32 pm

I used to mix with KRK Rocket 8's in an untreated room but had to keep remixing and got sick of it. So, I treated my room with these:
http://www.atsacoustics.com/cat--ATS-Ac ... --100.html
and set up Adam A7's. wow
I have not had to do a remix since. The Adam A7's are awesome and I get it right on the first mix.
Worth every penny.

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suppositron
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Post by suppositron » Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:11 am

I've got the A7's. I like them a lot. I demo'd about a dozen monitors around that price range and they beat 'em all. Mid range and high end is very clear.

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Post by rty5150 » Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:50 pm

Producer/Engineer wrote:I used to mix with KRK Rocket 8's in an untreated room but had to keep remixing and got sick of it. So, I treated my room with these:
http://www.atsacoustics.com/cat--ATS-Ac ... --100.html
and set up Adam A7's. wow
I have not had to do a remix since. The Adam A7's are awesome and I get it right on the first mix.
Worth every penny.
moved from the RP-8's, too. love my A7's. the imaging is way better and i don't have to crank it to make decisions like i was having to do with the KRK's.
my room is well treated, too.
the RP-8's are on tracking duty now.

rich

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Post by JES » Wed May 05, 2010 9:44 am

Switched to A7s from Mackie HR824s three years ago and they just make the midrange a lot easier to mix, and they translate better. I work in a home studio with a bunch of realtraps. So the room is treated but not professionally set up.

I do miss some of the deep lows but the Mackies weren't reliable in what they told me anyway. Now I just head out to a proper studio to give mixes that little finish.

--JES

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clayworx
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Post by clayworx » Wed May 05, 2010 11:38 am

Producer/Engineer wrote:I used to mix with KRK Rocket 8's in an untreated room but had to keep remixing and got sick of it. So, I treated my room with these:
.
I am so living this nightmare right now.
"If the rest of the band is cool with the set, I'll make sure I know the changes and breaks and maybe even learn a few of them..."

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