ADAM New SX Series

[Madkour]

[jamwerks]

Looks like they've revamped their S series !

[elmolemon]

That's not what i call a "beauty"...


But hey, if you like the Adam-Sound, these could be great!!!

[laboso]

i'll check'em out next week on the frankfurt music messe

[laboso]

te S4X-H look interesting though..

[recall]

looks like very different woofer construction to me.

[eddierodriguez]

short translated:

improved speakers.

woofer and middle-speaker powered by a 250W ICE Module, mounted in new HexaCone chassis with bigger moving coils and stronger magnets.

tweeter powered by the new ADAM A/B output stage with lower distortion and internal capability of up to 300khz

[dbjp]

I'm excited!
If the price hasn't changed, I'm pretty sure I'll be looking into getting the S2X’s.

EDIT

Interesting, they now seem to have 2 versions of the S3A's. One for upright position (V) and the other for on its side (H). Got to be a difference in price. I wonder what it'll be (V having one less woofer)?

[Madkour]

Gut this mall form the distributor here.

"ADAM Audio presents new SX-Series

The German specialist for professional monitors will showcase completely new top series: world premiere at Prolight & Sound

Berlin/Frankfurt, April 2009

Just in time for their 10th anniversary, ADAM Professional Audio announces a new top-line of studio monitors. The new SX-Series is based on the highly acclaimed S-Series. However, it is not a simple revision of existing models but a fundamental transformation with no details having been overlooked and every sound crucial aspect has been evaluated. All transducers, drivers and electronics have been redesigned. The result is much more than an improvement; it is a quantum leap in professional monitoring.

All 6 models (S1X, S2X, S3X-H, S3X-V, S4X-H, S4X-V) feature the new X-ART (eXtended frequency response) tweeter. It’s fundamental principle of accelerating air is the very same as the proprietary Accelerating Ribbon Technology but with a 4dB higher efficiency, a 3dB higher maximum sound pressure level, and an increase in frequency response up to 50 kHz.

Also, ADAM designed a completely new broadband amplifier to perfectly match the X-ART tweeter. The A/B amp shows ultra low distortion figures together with an excellent damping factor. An internal bandwidth of more than 1 MHz is externally limited so that the unit delivers an ultra wide response up to 300 kHz. With nothing limiting the talents of the X-ART tweeter, the monitor has unsurpassed clarity and openness, which will please, amaze and thrill even the most experienced professional ear.

The HexaCone™-woofer used exclusively is ADAM monitors have also been redesigned with larger and longer voice coils that deliver more linear excursion for higher SPL max. values. A stronger magnetic structure is added as well for an optimum in efficiency and accuracy.

Last but not least, ADAM has developed a new, innovative front panel with sophisticated controls. These controls allow the user to adapt the speakers to the sound room with high precision. The panel can be found on the models S2X, S3X-H and S3X-V as well as S4X-H and S4X-V.

The models of the brand new SX-Series will be showcased at Prolight & Sound 2009 for the first time."

[cooker]

Seems smaller models get better bass, bigger models get better highs hard to say anything before listening, but the sx3 does look interesting. No x-art midrange?

[jamwerks]

Originally Posted by cooker

No x-art midrange?

I was wondering the same thing......

[F5D]

Originally Posted by elmolemon

That's not what i call a "beauty"...


But hey, if you like the Adam-Sound, these could be great!!!

Yeah, definitely not the best looking speakers I've seen.

[sysexguy]

No x-art midrange

??? Please explain the logic of this statement. The new x-art tweeter has an extended range up to 50kHz. All Adam models that feature an ART midrange unit also have one or more tweeters which take over for the high frequencies and thusly there is no need to extend the range of the midrange driver.

Andy

[Barbary Ape]

Maybe the tweeters are now rotatable since they have circular enclosures?? or maybe not.

[cooker]

Originally Posted by sysexguy

??? Please explain the logic of this statement. The new x-art tweeter has an extended range up to 50kHz. All Adam models that feature an ART midrange unit also have one or more tweeters which take over for the high frequencies and thusly there is no need to extend the range of the midrange driver.

Andy

? I'm probably misunderstanding but, whats the art mid range got to do with the tweeter or extending the range? I must listen for sure but the new x-art as I understand isn't just about getting to higher ranges (also who needs a tweeter that can do 50 khz is another question to ask).

Seems now adam choose to place a woofer (probably because its cheaper?). It would be cool if an sx-3 had an x-art midrange.

[sysexguy]

I'm probably misunderstanding but, whats the art mid range got to do with the tweeter or extending the range

exactly

The only model that no longer has an ART midrange is what is now the S4x-H ie the S4A. AFAIK this change is not as much a cost issue but improves the listening experience at medium to close range ie. typical installation just behind a meter bridge. This was already a feature in the S4A-V and sounds great.

Andy

[cooker]

Originally Posted by sysexguy

exactly

The only model that no longer has an ART midrange is what is now the S4x-H ie the S4A. AFAIK this change is not as much a cost issue but improves the listening experience at medium to close range ie. typical installation just behind a meter bridge. This was already a feature in the S4A-V and sounds great.

Andy

ok now I understand complete

[recall]

The woofer "dome" looks very ATC SCM20 to me....could be interesting.

[euphonic]

The woofers are from the same company than the ones in the "normal" S-range. They are from the "Symphony Line" of german manufacturer ETON: ETON Car-HiFi Home-HiFi loudspeaker Lautsprecher Boxen Audio HiFi ETON LPG etongmbh Subwoofer tweeter bass radio

Nevertheless, the SX range looks really good, and due to some design-changes will be very different to the S-Range, expecially S3X-H to S3A.

[The Beatsmith]

Damn. I'll be honest - I enjoyed having the latest and greatest for a couple of years there (S3A's). I think these new ones look 'beautifully ugly'. but I can't see myself upgrading to these any time soon, just because of the extra outlay.

I hope they aren't TOO much better than mine

[dbjp]

Anyone have any more info on them?

[adl]

Bought my A7 like 3 month ago

Really like em, but would have been nice to have heard these in comparison.

[cooker]

They're on their web page now and seem pretty good, look at s3x-h:

The S3A is one of ADAM’s most famous models and is found in many of the most prestigious recording studios all over the world. The successor of this world famous model is the S3X-H, a monitor second to none within its size and price point.
Unlike the S3A, the new X-model incorporates a 4” HexaCone™-midrange as part of the redesigned construction to further improve the musically most important midrange. This new design provides more detail with improved radiation characteristics while presenting a musically coherent sound.

To produce deep, tight bass both woofers now work within the same frequency range and radiate symmetrically. This allows for a problem free installation in any multi-channel application.
Optional digital input
All SX-models (except the S1X) can be optionally retrofitted with a 24 bit/192 kHz D/A Converter featuring an AES/EBU (XLR) and a SPDIF (RCA) inputs as well as a R/L/Mono switch.
The front panel
Six controls can be found on the new front panel. Input sensitivity is handled by two controls. One control allows for coarse settings (-20dB to +8dB), while the second is used for fine tuning in 0.5dB steps, ranging from -1.5dB to 2dB.
There are two controls for the lower frequencies. One is an equalizer at 80 Hz that boosts bass response sometimes desirable in popular music. The second is a shelf filter that allows the engineer to alter the frequencies below 150 Hz.
High frequencies can also be adjusted by two different controls. The first alters the high frequency volume (-2dB to +2dB), while the second is a shelf filter for frequencies above 6 kHz. Both the high and low shelf filters can raise or lower ±4 dB progressively within their frequency band.

[The Beatsmith]

can't believe there isn't more interest in this stuff!

[cooker]

Originally Posted by The Beatsmith

can't believe there isn't more interest in this stuff!

My guess is current adam owners are a bit down right now about this

I find it actually wierd as for marketing, I mean people were already pretty happy with the s-series and as far as I can tell they still sell. Improving is always good but I would have guessed they'd go for the p-series before the s range.

Good thing is maybe those who couldn't afford the previous s-series could get good deals on used monitors

[solidstate]

Indeed.. This is a very stupid move from adams IMO..tutt
It's not professional to completely revamp their high end series, especially this quick.

About a year ago i bought a pair of S3as. I'm very happy with it.. But this "quantum leap" bullshhh is annoying. It's like they're saying to us:"hey we couldn't get it right before. but now we can" Newer>Greater The original s3a are great speakers and i don't feel the need to spend my $$ again just to be up to date

[edham]

Originally Posted by solidstate

It's not professional to completely revamp their high end series, especially this quick.

I'm trying to remember way back when I bought my first set of S3a's.
Let's see .... my son was a high school underclassmen at the time and he's now getting his masters.....
And I'm old now and don't think I was back then.

S3a's have been around for a good while. I can't imagine a new version being much better at being a mid microscope (which is why I love them) but I'm interested in hearing them.
Maybe the new version will be with me until I head to a retirement community.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by solidstate

Indeed.. This is a very stupid move from adams IMO..tutt
It's not professional to completely revamp their high end series, especially this quick.

You have a point, but some would say that it would not be professional to ignore a design improvement if they happen to stumble upon one. Seems that they have, and that they've gone forward with it. They are in business to make money after all, and a lot of studios already have Adams, so they're trying to regenerate interest. On the bright side, this could mean that a whole slew of used Adam monitors will soon be available to those who couldn't afford them otherwise.

Also, just because it's "new" doesn't guarantee that it will truly be better, or even more popular. I don't know of anyone who's yet even compared these to the prior model.

[cooker]

I would like to read some comments a lot about these monitors. At least from what I read, they're going to sound very different from the previous models.

[A101]

Originally Posted by cooker

...from what I read, they're going to sound very different from the previous models.

Sounding different would be a bad thing......

I love my S3As mainly because they are rather transparent
I have even started doing a lot of mastering work with them