It's crazy to me that so many people will spend so much money on outboard gear and are completely unwilling to invest in a good set of monitors. Studio monitors are easily the most important thing you will ever buy as a maker of music. It's how you hear everything you're doing and how your hear all your other gear.
I listened to mine for the first time yesterday, and ... I cried a little. We should mention that these give you an unbelievable music experience, even if you'll never touch a fader in your life. I couldn't believe the 3-dimensionality. I was like, wait, is there a third speaker in the middle somehow? The position where the singer was in the mix literally "stood" right in front of me, as if the person was in the room.
I recently switched to Adam A7Vs for my living room hifi setup and they blow any of the passive hifi speakers I've tried at a similar price point out of the water. I'm tempted to start saving for a set of the A8H as I'm sure they'll be even better.
Huge congrats! I Love the Adam’s but I love the Barefoot’s more. BTW, I don’t own either but have the luxury to mix on them. Keep up the great work, guys!
Congrats! Look awesome. I would suggest a pair of acoustic decouplers such as isoacoustics. Made a huge difference in the low end clarity for me. Well worth a try.
These Adams you have are well worth it, three way as well. The only other three way option at 8" under 1k is Kali in8 or KRKs (they maybe 10" actually). Three way speakers at 8" for the price these Adams go for is decent, they are awesome. With the gear you have and studio you have...these are a great choice.
the germans have a long tradition of makin really good loudspeakers, tech devices and machines in general. they're a nation of researchers. their natural resources have always been their know-how. oh yes, and they also have lots of really tasty potatoes. ADAM speakers are just incredible. i love them. just their brand name rocks. my next speakers gotta be ADAM.
I live in Germany and slowly discorver making music myself. Everytime I really like a brand, it turns out that they are located in Germany. Really makes me happy to spend money towards them instead of greedy big companies across the globe
@@maelvomen so much good music is made since the beginning of music production, so it's really not necessary anymore to produce music on your own. just enjoy listening to it from time to time.
Thanks for the review. I did get a pair of A8H and I am very happy. I think they are the best speakers I ever had and I want to develop the habit of listening to any and everything to get to know them . I have not try the calibration yet, it will be next !
Is there a reason why the dog was staring into the abyss back there? I couldn't stop staring at him the entire time at the beginning of the video lol. Anyways.. you convinced me to get these monitors :)
Ha ha! Loved David's cameo at the end! Also, I think I still have every box for every piece of gear I've ever bought over the last 30 years!!! Never know when ya might need 'em!! :)
I had my OG HS80s for years as well as a pair of HS5 monitors and once I switched I never looked back. I'm sitting in from of the A8Hs now prepping a mix and I am still stoked with them!
Dude! I just knew it! I AM jealous! Great speakers! I'm curious, have you tried setting them up with the tweeters to the outside? Basically giving a bit more spread in the highs/mids? So, what you're saying is, Barry cost you a bunch of $$$$?!?! Haha!
The Yammies are an amazing set of entry level monitors however they're brutally fatiguing in the high end as you stated in the video, plus, their low end will rumble back and forth into an unintelligible ball of frequencies if you have a small room because of their rear ports.
I agree with you about them being great entry level monitors. They served me well for a looooong time. That's a good point about the low end issue. I tried fixing that for a while by adding a sub and low cutting the satellite speakers but was never happy with the results. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi Charlie- I remember you used to have a pair of the Trident HG3s, How do the A8H compared to the HG3? I had a pair of tridents as well and absolutely loved the low end and mid rage on those woofers but felt I wouldn't get enough high end detail and then the speakers stopped functioning properly. Was really curious on your thoughts about each as you are probably one of the only people in the world who has heard and owned both of these speakers. Thanks for all you do, I've been following you since full on drums and still go back to those videos for tuning from time to time.
So I had a pair of these. I ended up going to Focal Trio's, which I'm in love with. Nothing against Adam Audio though. Rooms and monitors have their own equilibrium and ecosystem, and in my case these didn't work. In other rooms they're magnificent. Edit: I've got Focal Alpha Evo Twin's in my home room, and I love those too.
@@calvinmvrk I mix most genres of music. I do a lot of pop, rock, metal, country, but I also do orchestral and jazz. The Evo Twins and the A8H are simply different, with both pairs being quite good. The Adams are extremely detailed in the top end exposing every little nuance, and they're fantastic at exposing distortion on the high end. Ribbon tweeters are famous for the high frequency detail. They're a quality monitor for sure. I personally have a slight issue with the tweeter's being so different from the woofer typology that the crossover points between the two speaker elements makes it hard for me to have an honest depiction of what the audio is doing. Many people don't have an issue with that, and they do great work with these monitors. The Adams have a weaker low end than Focal in my opinion. Maybe weak isn't the right word, but it's different than what works well for me. I think these deserve an extremely well treated room and a matched subwoofer that can nail the crossover frequency to really shine as a monitoring solution. If the room isn't in top shape bass frequencies will get phase canceled with these monitors. Focals are detailed on the top end, but in a different and smoother way than the Adams are. I think they're less sensitive to distortion on the extreme top end, but they are more natural to what most speakers are going to present to the audience, again in my opinion. The Focals really shine on the low end and in the midrange, which is where I think the music really happens. Low end takes up 80% of the space on the master bus and in the audio spectrum in general, so I want a speaker that allows for me to take control of that space in the mix. Almost all of the wattage on any speaker is dedicated to the woofer, the bass, and the sub frequencies. I want a monitor that excels in the bass department with accuracy and headroom while also giving me the midrange detail that the music will ultimately be sculpted around. I think the Focals are more forgiving on the room treatment side, although any mix room should be as treated as much as the owner's wallet can handle. Edit: I also want to add, The Adam's need physical space to really do their job.
How big is your room?I m ready to pull the trigger for a77h but I don t trust that middle driver on that model it's not the best Adam makes..The round semisphere 4" inch one is better but I don t know how much better is than this on the a8h - a77h
That is a good question. I have not had the chance to listen to the A77H yet. I will see if I can get an interview with someone from Adam Audio as I am a huge fan of their speakers.
I has HS8s for years and years. Going to the AH8 was a HUGE improvement. The mid detail alone was worth the cost. While I liked the brutal honesty of the high end of the Yamahas they were also very fatiguing. I find the A8H to be must easier to listen to for long periods and very detailed in the high end. You'll notice instantly that it's different but once you do some good listening tests and learn how the high end reacts it's great. Also moving the the 3-ways and having two subs really evened out the low end in the room. I had a single sub with my Yamahas and a single sub with my A7X that I had before the A8H and never found the best spot for it to be. I have also found the DSP integration with Sonarworks to be quite good. Sonorworks was never on my list because I did not want to have to run plugin and deal with latency. With the A series Adams monitors you can load the profile directly onto the speakers and it works great. I did a followup video to this one as well.
QUESTION.. Why is the setup with the tweeter and mid on the inside? I've always positioned studio monitor setups with the bass in the middle. This setup place the bass at the outside/widest area. Seems like it will not represent what most people will be using for playback. Can you explain why?
Well they actually come from the factory setup this way though they can be changed. Adam isn't the only company that does it this way either. Personally I prefer the mid/tweeter to be on the inside. At least for my setup here. And I honestly don't know why it would matter for how other people listen I work at other studios that have different setups and as long as the room sounds good it wold not matter how the speakers are orientated. Unless they are oriented in a way that the speaker is not designed to be placed.
@@Ultimatestudiosinc It's the stereo spread and end-user that make a case for lows to be inside and highs to be outside. For stereo imaging and song sound stage, we often set the highs out to the sides and the lows towards the center. Especially in rock and rap, the vocals sit towards the center, subs are centered, most instruments are at in the mid-sides, and the highs towards the outside.. this gives the separation and clarity in frequencies while enlarging the sound stage without losing the vocal strength and directness. Cars and home setups have the subs in the center with tweeters and mids out to the sides. Maybe they are meant to use a centered sub, so Adam Audio figured they can increase soundstage by having the mids pushed out to the sides? I can see that. But still not very true to what the end-user will have going on. I wonder how that translates. To me it seems like it would sound awesome and huge in the studio, but different to end-users.
Can you make a comparison video been these? - ADAM AH8 - YAMAHA HS8 - CERWIN VEGA 10SB Nobody has reviewed the cerwin vega 10sb thoroughly or compared these 3 monitors with any competence.
Not really. While I do have an affiliate relationship with zZounds I requested the monitors. I already used Adam monitors and the A8H were on the top of my list for an upgrade. So I reached out to zZounds to make it happen. I have no affiliation with Adam other than I love their speakers.
It's crazy to me that so many people will spend so much money on outboard gear and are completely unwilling to invest in a good set of monitors. Studio monitors are easily the most important thing you will ever buy as a maker of music. It's how you hear everything you're doing and how your hear all your other gear.
That and a great acoustic treated room paired with amazing monitors are the two most important things IMO
@@alejandromagana1554let’s not forget the digital to analog converters 😉
right? this guy has 50 grand in outboard gear and was running 500 dollar monitors lol
that's exactly what i thought looking at this guy gear
Actually it's room acoustics that are the most important. If u have a crappy room a million dollar speaker pair won't help you.
I listened to mine for the first time yesterday, and ... I cried a little. We should mention that these give you an unbelievable music experience, even if you'll never touch a fader in your life. I couldn't believe the 3-dimensionality. I was like, wait, is there a third speaker in the middle somehow? The position where the singer was in the mix literally "stood" right in front of me, as if the person was in the room.
I recently switched to Adam A7Vs for my living room hifi setup and they blow any of the passive hifi speakers I've tried at a similar price point out of the water. I'm tempted to start saving for a set of the A8H as I'm sure they'll be even better.
Huge congrats! I Love the Adam’s but I love the Barefoot’s more. BTW, I don’t own either but have the luxury to mix on them. Keep up the great work, guys!
Congrats! Look awesome. I would suggest a pair of acoustic decouplers such as isoacoustics. Made a huge difference in the low end clarity for me. Well worth a try.
These Adams you have are well worth it, three way as well. The only other three way option at 8" under 1k is Kali in8 or KRKs (they maybe 10" actually). Three way speakers at 8" for the price these Adams go for is decent, they are awesome. With the gear you have and studio you have...these are a great choice.
They certainly sound so good coming from a guy who used hs8’s for years. These are the step up
Any thing is a step up from Yamaha
@@BR_READDY225why do you say that? ive heard the yamaha hs8’s are great studio monitors for music production
the germans have a long tradition of makin really good loudspeakers, tech devices and machines in general. they're a nation of researchers. their natural resources have always been their know-how. oh yes, and they also have lots of really tasty potatoes. ADAM speakers are just incredible. i love them. just their brand name
rocks. my next speakers gotta be ADAM.
So much great audio gear has come out of Germany. I have absolutely loved these speakers. Which ADAM speakers are you considering?
I live in Germany and slowly discorver making music myself. Everytime I really like a brand, it turns out that they are located in Germany. Really makes me happy to spend money towards them instead of greedy big companies across the globe
@@maelvomen so much good music is made since the beginning of music production,
so it's really not necessary anymore to produce music on your own. just enjoy listening to it from time to time.
Thanks for the review. I did get a pair of A8H and I am very happy. I think they are the best speakers I ever had and I want to develop the habit of listening to any and everything to get to know them . I have not try the calibration yet, it will be next !
Great video, I am looking forward to the Sonar works video
Is there a reason why the dog was staring into the abyss back there? I couldn't stop staring at him the entire time at the beginning of the video lol. Anyways.. you convinced me to get these monitors :)
Ha ha! Loved David's cameo at the end! Also, I think I still have every box for every piece of gear I've ever bought over the last 30 years!!! Never know when ya might need 'em!! :)
Great review! last time heard adams was the a77x's and they sounded amazing. I am in the market for some new ones so Ill have a look at these
Nice one, I’ve just picked up the A77H’s. Can’t wait for them to arrive tomorrow!
What did you think of the A77h:s?
@@markusandergard6925^
i plan on geting a pair of these i am sick of my hs7 monitors
I had my OG HS80s for years as well as a pair of HS5 monitors and once I switched I never looked back. I'm sitting in from of the A8Hs now prepping a mix and I am still stoked with them!
Like for the Reboxing
Yes!!! I'm going to turn that into a real thing. Lol! Thanks for watching!
I think they'll work perfect with Sub 8. I have the F7 with Sub 7, super #bass. ADAM rocks for their price!
You definitely do not need a sub with these
You're great at what you do
Dude! I just knew it! I AM jealous! Great speakers! I'm curious, have you tried setting them up with the tweeters to the outside? Basically giving a bit more spread in the highs/mids? So, what you're saying is, Barry cost you a bunch of $$$$?!?! Haha!
Danny Trejo aka Machete reviewing A8Hs
Hi, you use a subwoofer with the speaker to extend the low end or use headphones
The Yammies are an amazing set of entry level monitors however they're brutally fatiguing in the high end as you stated in the video, plus, their low end will rumble back and forth into an unintelligible ball of frequencies if you have a small room because of their rear ports.
I agree with you about them being great entry level monitors. They served me well for a looooong time. That's a good point about the low end issue. I tried fixing that for a while by adding a sub and low cutting the satellite speakers but was never happy with the results.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Is it somehow possible to connect (from Mac) with an USB-C to Ethernet cable?
Hi Charlie- I remember you used to have a pair of the Trident HG3s, How do the A8H compared to the HG3?
I had a pair of tridents as well and absolutely loved the low end and mid rage on those woofers but felt I wouldn't get enough high end detail and then the speakers stopped functioning properly.
Was really curious on your thoughts about each as you are probably one of the only people in the world who has heard and owned both of these speakers.
Thanks for all you do, I've been following you since full on drums and still go back to those videos for tuning from time to time.
How come you have so much expensive gear and only a $800 budget for monitors?
800$? 🤔
More like almost 3000$ budget
Over 3k
So I had a pair of these. I ended up going to Focal Trio's, which I'm in love with. Nothing against Adam Audio though. Rooms and monitors have their own equilibrium and ecosystem, and in my case these didn't work. In other rooms they're magnificent.
Edit: I've got Focal Alpha Evo Twin's in my home room, and I love those too.
How would you compare the evo twin to the a8h? Which do you prefer? I’m kind of torn.
Also what kind of music are you mixing?
@@calvinmvrk I mix most genres of music. I do a lot of pop, rock, metal, country, but I also do orchestral and jazz.
The Evo Twins and the A8H are simply different, with both pairs being quite good. The Adams are extremely detailed in the top end exposing every little nuance, and they're fantastic at exposing distortion on the high end. Ribbon tweeters are famous for the high frequency detail. They're a quality monitor for sure. I personally have a slight issue with the tweeter's being so different from the woofer typology that the crossover points between the two speaker elements makes it hard for me to have an honest depiction of what the audio is doing. Many people don't have an issue with that, and they do great work with these monitors. The Adams have a weaker low end than Focal in my opinion. Maybe weak isn't the right word, but it's different than what works well for me. I think these deserve an extremely well treated room and a matched subwoofer that can nail the crossover frequency to really shine as a monitoring solution. If the room isn't in top shape bass frequencies will get phase canceled with these monitors.
Focals are detailed on the top end, but in a different and smoother way than the Adams are. I think they're less sensitive to distortion on the extreme top end, but they are more natural to what most speakers are going to present to the audience, again in my opinion.
The Focals really shine on the low end and in the midrange, which is where I think the music really happens. Low end takes up 80% of the space on the master bus and in the audio spectrum in general, so I want a speaker that allows for me to take control of that space in the mix. Almost all of the wattage on any speaker is dedicated to the woofer, the bass, and the sub frequencies. I want a monitor that excels in the bass department with accuracy and headroom while also giving me the midrange detail that the music will ultimately be sculpted around. I think the Focals are more forgiving on the room treatment side, although any mix room should be as treated as much as the owner's wallet can handle.
Edit: I also want to add, The Adam's need physical space to really do their job.
How big is your room?I m ready to pull the trigger for a77h but I don t trust that middle driver on that model it's not the best Adam makes..The round semisphere 4" inch one is better but I don t know how much better is than this on the a8h - a77h
I have a 4.2x3 sq m room. Can I use these monitors?
What is the difference between these and the A77H? 1x8 inch woofer vs 2x7 inch. I’m not sure how that affects the sound
That is a good question. I have not had the chance to listen to the A77H yet. I will see if I can get an interview with someone from Adam Audio as I am a huge fan of their speakers.
i have hs8, i need to upgrade , im not finding the detail i need from them are these that much better? 4 times the cost better?
I has HS8s for years and years. Going to the AH8 was a HUGE improvement. The mid detail alone was worth the cost. While I liked the brutal honesty of the high end of the Yamahas they were also very fatiguing. I find the A8H to be must easier to listen to for long periods and very detailed in the high end. You'll notice instantly that it's different but once you do some good listening tests and learn how the high end reacts it's great.
Also moving the the 3-ways and having two subs really evened out the low end in the room. I had a single sub with my Yamahas and a single sub with my A7X that I had before the A8H and never found the best spot for it to be. I have also found the DSP integration with Sonarworks to be quite good. Sonorworks was never on my list because I did not want to have to run plugin and deal with latency. With the A series Adams monitors you can load the profile directly onto the speakers and it works great. I did a followup video to this one as well.
QUESTION.. Why is the setup with the tweeter and mid on the inside?
I've always positioned studio monitor setups with the bass in the middle. This setup place the bass at the outside/widest area. Seems like it will not represent what most people will be using for playback. Can you explain why?
Well they actually come from the factory setup this way though they can be changed. Adam isn't the only company that does it this way either. Personally I prefer the mid/tweeter to be on the inside. At least for my setup here. And I honestly don't know why it would matter for how other people listen I work at other studios that have different setups and as long as the room sounds good it wold not matter how the speakers are orientated. Unless they are oriented in a way that the speaker is not designed to be placed.
@@Ultimatestudiosinc It's the stereo spread and end-user that make a case for lows to be inside and highs to be outside.
For stereo imaging and song sound stage, we often set the highs out to the sides and the lows towards the center. Especially in rock and rap, the vocals sit towards the center, subs are centered, most instruments are at in the mid-sides, and the highs towards the outside.. this gives the separation and clarity in frequencies while enlarging the sound stage without losing the vocal strength and directness.
Cars and home setups have the subs in the center with tweeters and mids out to the sides.
Maybe they are meant to use a centered sub, so Adam Audio figured they can increase soundstage by having the mids pushed out to the sides? I can see that. But still not very true to what the end-user will have going on. I wonder how that translates. To me it seems like it would sound awesome and huge in the studio, but different to end-users.
That is what Adam recommends. They actually sell A8H-L and A8H-R.
3-Ways-Monitors ADAM against 2-Ways-Monitors Yamaha isn't a realistic comparison
Can you make a comparison video been these?
- ADAM AH8
- YAMAHA HS8
- CERWIN VEGA 10SB
Nobody has reviewed the cerwin vega 10sb thoroughly or compared these 3 monitors with any competence.
Came here for the unboxing video. Was left out in the cold. :(
Is your dog in time out?
Why do you think she's in time out?
@@Ultimatestudiosinc at :20 she looks like she's in timeout lol thought it was cute haha
Ha!!! Reboxing.
45kHz?...Delilah will let you know when you have issues with the top end...
Sponsored video?
Not really. While I do have an affiliate relationship with zZounds I requested the monitors. I already used Adam monitors and the A8H were on the top of my list for an upgrade. So I reached out to zZounds to make it happen. I have no affiliation with Adam other than I love their speakers.