Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Adam A7X monitors and piano VSTs. Anyone?

Hi all,

I am about to break the bank account (again ) and get a used like-new Adam A7X pair (price is 690€ both, shipped)

I wonder if someone else uses them with VSTs, which ones, and his/her opinion.

Thanks!

Jose

Nice price. That's about half the price of new.

Currently they are 519€ each at a very well known German seller... that makes 1038€ a pair. So offer is 66,5% of full price. Not bad for 6 month old, barely used and boxed units

I am very happy with the idea, let's hope all works out fine

I am surprised no one uses the A7X with VSTs. Perhaps the T7V are more common for that use?. I know they are on a different price leagues, but seem to have some similarities

It's $1000 CAD each here in Canada. $2000 for a pair. Not cheap and not many know about the benefits of owning active speakers and specifically the ADAM brand.

The mindset of an average folk revolves around hi-fi stuff, not studio monitors I believe. I had once discussed with a guy who was going to buy a home theatre surround system. I told him that the Bose hi-fi stuff he's going to buy is basically junk (of course didn't say it directly but the conclusion was that). He bought it and a few years later, he had to donate it.

Had he listened to me, he could sell his system (if he ever wanted to!) even after a decade.

I have the T7V monitors. They cost $400 for the pair in the US.
The A7X monitors cost fat more than I wanted to spend: $1500 for the pair.

Are the two models similar? Yes. They're both speakers.
But seriously, the latter are claimed to be much much better. I guess I'll never really know. But I must say that the T7V's sound superb.

I am not sure why you think using them with VSTs is particularly significant.

VSTs do not need special monitors any more than any other sound source ..... do they ?

It is not that I think using them with VSTs is different than other sound sources, but it is the main intended use for them in my case, so I was curious if anyone used them with the usual suspects (VSL, Garritan, Pianoteq, Synthogy, ...). They will be installed on my main VST setup (I have two setups, but on this one resides the VPC1)

My best monitors so far are the JBL LSR 305 and the Yamaha HS5. I guess (and hope!) I will find a big difference with the A7X. They will arrive over the week but, as when you buy anything else, like a new DP, I wonder about the results so I asked for other people experience.

Wow. Comparing these JBL or Yamaha monitor with the A7X is a very big jump!

I've been using A7X's in my studio for a number of years now. I use them with Vst's and all my synths, keyboards etc. I also have a pair of A3X's to match as rear speakers for my studio surround. I love them for every application I use them for. The ribbon tweeters may be a little harsh for some people, and the ribbons are quite touchy about the the directionality in the stereo field set up, but I can't imagine not having them.
Incredibly accurate and detailed sound, especially when you then listen to some more conventional monitors afterwards.
They have a slightly concave midrange, but not as pronounced as the A8X's. But then again it saves me equalising that in myself, as I mainly use them for performance rather than mastering anyway.

Like all monitors, it's down to personal taste and environmental/setup factors, having enjoyed them for so long now, I could read the most negative reviews about them, and still be very satisfied with my pair!

I had the Focal Alpha65 which are not quite as good, but still pretty good speakers. I always thought it is more comfortable to play
with headphones though. It's a lot personal preference and room situation too I guess, but I never could get into it quite.

Hi, I am new to this forum, which I followed for a long time.

I used a pair of Adam A5X, with my Kawai ca67 (line output: 2 x jack 6.3mm --> 2 x xlr cable). The sound improvement over the built-in speakers was significant. If I understand your setup correctly, then outputting the signal from your computer to an external DAC and then to a pair of Adam A7X's should give a spectacular effect.

Jan

1. Average studio monitors + good sounding room (proper dimensions, acoustic treatment etc.), monitors setup in proper place
2. High end studio monitors + typical bedroom/living room, with no treatment

1>>>>>>2
Always.

I've listened only to T7V, they are nice, so A7V are surely better. But I would personally invest in room treatment instead. When it comes to speakers, the sound you get is always sum of speakers and room, so the former is only part of equation. The smaller part.

It is interesting to read this... For me, until now (I hope this changes when I receive the A7X), the more realistic VST sound came from my headphones (Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 80 Ohm), but wearing headphones is, for me, less comfortable than playing for example my U3H. Of course, is more convenient to play at night. But if I could have the possibility to play without headphones but with a similar or better quality, it would be perfect for daily playing. I will also use them for mixing my beginner compositions, but now my main interest is the piano sound

@AlphaBravoCharlie Well, probably having better monitors will trigger my need to treat the room (even if now it would be tricky)

Thanks for sharing your experience, I will now in few days!

Great experience, thanks!. I am very curious of what I will find out when I install them

All the ADAM speakers are worth their respective prices. The cheaper ones are a better value, but not in this case. You got a deal! My ADAMs are over a decade old and still work like new. I know some of the older A_X series had power button failures, but they supposedly fixed that 7-8 years ago. Mine are in that group, but never had a problem for whatever reason. The replacement switched were like $80!

Thanks for your comments!. Read below for my first-test experience.

Well, I finally received them... Package was good, with original boxes inside a larger box. They were along their manuals but missing power cables (seller will send them later, he forgot). Not a big trouble, as the monitors they replace use same cables.

So... first tests have been a roundup on most of my piano VSTs.... Wow, now I know why some forum member called me a VST hoarder

I have just tested very superficially most of them, will check in detail later. But, so far, the level of detail these monitors provide is a big step above the JBL LSR 305. Of course, it should be that way, but as I had never used better monitors, the change is quite dramatic.

I am rediscovering some libraries, as The Grandeur by Native Instruments. It sounds very convincing on the A7X.

I have also done some tests on percussion libraries (80s drummer by NI) and the sound quality is astonishing!

So, lots of things to try, being the first one remove the smile which is now permanently showing on my face. I guess my wife will suspect something if I can't remove it

A speaker upgrade is a marvelous thing, eh?