Adam A7X vs S2X vs Focal Twin vs Focal Solo

[Mike Brown]

Originally Posted by DeyBwah

Anyone who has used any of these models, I'd like to hear your take on them.

A few topics of debate.

Focal vs Adam

a7x vs s2x - What purpose/environment do each model excel at?

Twin vs Solo - What purpose/environment do each model excel at?

Love both brands.

I own a pair of A7's I take around with me/work from home with. They are really great.... highly recommend!

I haven't used the s2's, but have used the S2.5's and they are truly wonderful speakers... very accurate and very pleasant to track/mix on. The translation/imaging is really exceptional.

The A7's are great for smaller studios/project rooms where some great nearfields are needed. I keep the trims turned down on mine and they still get pretty freaking loud for being just a couple feet away.

The 2.5's are great for larger control rooms.

I would use both speakers to mix ANY type of media WITHOUT a sub.

The 2.5's reach down a bit lower to my ears, but the A7's are good down to 45-50 hz which is PLENTY low for all types of music.

I have used the Twins, and they are really exceptional speakers as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either brand.

I think because I have used the ADAM line a lot more I am biased because I understand the top end instinctively, but I have no doubt that it would be a fairly easy adjustment to the Focals line. I have often thought of buying a pair of the Solo's for home as well.

Just some thoughts.... sorry for the ramble!

[EvilSoup]

I've had a pair of Adam A7s and I returned them to try out focal cms 50s.

Totally different sound, the focals did not get the bright 3D sound the Adams got and it was a much more middy sound with the drums pushed to the front of the mix.

I returned the Focals and I'm getting the Adam A7Xs once they come out in June. From what I've heard they improved the sound with tighter bass and even more open wide 3D sound.

[gransonik]

Besides many others i've owned the A7, A5 and CMS50 and the CMS50 is clearly superior in imaging to the A7. Not sure if thats what you mean by 3d though

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by chris_m

Besides many others i've owned the A7, A5 and CMS50 and the CMS50 is clearly superior in imaging to the A7. Not sure if thats what you mean by 3d though

The Inverted Dome Tweet is FAR more omni directional to the LASER beam directional character of the ART folded ribbon. These speakers instantly widen your sweet spot with regard to HF info. Think of the Inverted dome's HF response, compared to dropping a pebble in the lake, and seeing the even dissipation continue outward in a omni present direction.

[DeyBwah]

Thanks for chiming in guys,

Basically, my budget is around $1500-1800.

My control/tracking room(1 room) is 21' by 17'.

I'm doing research and asking input from others to whittle down my choices for the above mentioned parameters.

And if there are other brands/models that any wants to recommend to the list, I'm all ears. I was even considering the Dynaudio BM5As too.

Btw, so do you think the CMS50's stereo image puts it above the Adams?

[EvilSoup]

Originally Posted by chris_m

Besides many others i've owned the A7, A5 and CMS50 and the CMS50 is clearly superior in imaging to the A7. Not sure if thats what you mean by 3d though

Eh, honestly I hated the Focals.

I was surprised at how much I disliked them when everyone else says they are amazing monitors.

I followed the directions and everything, took the grilles off first to listen to them. Got them from Zenpro already burned in 100 hours too.

The only thing I can think of is that my room is 20x20' and the focals could of been too small for that room.

With Adams I feel like I can reach out and grab the guitar track and touch the highhats. The focals weren't like that at all.

Also one of the monitors had a buzz I couldn't get rid of, I tried it from a bunch of different outlets but it just kept buzzing. I sent it back to Zenpro and Warren says there wasn't any buzzing.

Maybe I need a power conditioner, but I never had that problem with the Adams.

[mdjice]

The Twins are out of your budget but they are absolutly amazing!, never tried the A7 but I mixed many times on Adams S3s in a very well treated control room and they are pretty much the worst and harshest speakers I had to work with...I even prefered the NS 10s to the S3s, the solo are good too but lack a bit in the low end department compaired to the twins IMO

[Dean Landon]

I've owned the Adam S2.5A, S3A and A7. Sold them for for the Focal Solo and Twins. I've also tested the Focal CMS line and they sounded more Hi-Fi, but the SM6 line is outstanding. Just the right amount of Lo's-Mid's and Hi's.

The Solo's might be out of your budget, but I suggest you save up a little more for these. They're really worth it.

[bobx]

so basically... I think you'll either love Adam and hate Focal. or love Focal and hate Adam.

I'm a Focal lover. Went from the A7's to the Solo 6. Never looked back.

I guess you just need to try them out.

[DeyBwah]

Originally Posted by bobx

so basically... I think you'll either love Adam and hate Focal. or love Focal and hate Adam.

I'm a Focal lover. Went from the A7's to the Solo 6. Never looked back.

I guess you just need to try them out.

I think you're right, I should get in a room and have a listen for myself. Some people say toe-may-toe, some people say toe-mah-toe, right.

[rkopald]

I've got the A7's. (and I've basically stopped listening to my stereo as a result.)

What a horrible world we live in! A choice between the Focals or the Adams!
The Focals look sweet to me, no pun intended.
The only nearfields I heard that were close to my A7s when I bought them a while back was a pair of JBLs that were over twice as expensive as what I paid for the ADAMs. I spent hours listening to a whole bunch of nearfields and I was pretty dismayed at some of the more popular brands. Some of them sounded like boombox speakers! But then again, if you can mix on a crap speaker, you're a very good engineer. I need all the detail I can get to see if my mixes transport. I'd love to just be able to use a beat up grotbox.
Or better yet, a tv speaker, because that's what a lot of people hear their music through.
Back on topic, I love my A7's. They can be a little light with the low frequencies, but I've learned (more or less)
to deal with it. The new X models look sweet. If they've tightened up the bottom end like they claim I bet they sound fan-damn-tastic.

[jcc449]

I am more interested the comparison between A7 vs S2a (a7x vs s2x)
instead of Adam Or Focal
Why ?
Because s2x --4000 us a pair
A7x------ 1500 us a pair!

Every brand carry a higher level and lower
Speakers. So I am only wondering what caused that 2500+ bucks gap Between sx and ax

[Gaston69]

Originally Posted by jcc449

I am more interested the comparison between A7 vs S2a (a7x vs s2x)
instead of Adam Or Focal
Why ?
Because s2x --4000 us a pair
A7x------ 1500 us a pair!

Every brand carry a higher level and lower
Speakers. So I am only wondering what caused that 2500+ bucks gap Between sx and ax

me too!

[djsaintlouis]

Originally Posted by Gaston69

me too!

me too...

[jsmooth226]

have had all of the above Focal's sound really nice but as far as picking out details that need to be corrected in the mix or listening to music as you are producing and translation in the final mix IMHO the ADAM's win ... with regard to A7x and S2a's i'd get the A7x's as the translate extreemly well to all real world environments and for the price difference between the two you are splitting hairs on delivery.

[KT1]

Originally Posted by jsmooth226

have had all of the above Focal's sound really nice but as far as picking out details that need to be corrected in the mix or listening to music as you are producing and translation in the final mix IMHO the ADAM's win ... with regard to A7x and S2a's i'd get the A7x's as the translate extreemly well to all real world environments and for the price difference between the two you are splitting hairs on delivery.

Have just purchased the twins and came across this old thread. This is some of the most ridiculous stuff I have read in a while. I understand people want opinions to select a number of monitors and that a monitor should be listened to and not judged on opinions. That being said this is outrageous.

The Adams AX range are not in the same class as the Focals. Don't beleive me? Borrow an AX8 (not 7) and a Focal Solo (not twin) and let me know your thoughts.

I own Ax8's and A/B them with the Focal Solo/Twin for approx week before purchase. I think the Focal Solo was better in almost every aspect including the common Low end and accuracy (general translation). The question here should be SOLO vs Twin. I understand that some of you have also discussed the C range of Focal monitors. Once again I don't think they are in the same league.

What is intresting is that I have selected the Twins over solo's. Why? Simply because I think the monitor has a better seperation in my trouble areas Mids. Aside from this I found it hard to seperate them. The solo's are great little monitors. If you have the money definately listen to the twins. I'm very happy with my mixes on the Twins. I do think there is some running in left and i some times have a little bit of hype in the hi mid's. This is more likely my own ability over the monitor. The lows are great. I dont use a Sub and make bass heavy music. Although some of the sub end is a little bit of educated guess work - I think they give more than enough clarity to know what is going on down there. That being said I will ocassionally reference if the song is to be played in the club or in the car. (I'm a hobbyist). These will do me great up until my next upgrade which will be Barefoot. After listening to them i almost pissed my pants a little in excitement.

I don't think I will ever be selling the twins. They are with me for a long time now. I mean what more do you want? If you want to check out the low end I suggest an old Timbo track mastered by J Douglas for reference (Album 100% song called Do you remember). I think it's a great reference. Firstly the Sub bass is gorgeous and tight. The vocal is clear and the break leading to the flash sample has a great little bit of panned shaker action which illistrates the image well. Good luck!

[ARIEL]

Anyone else try out the Adam S2X vs the a7x or A8x ? I heard the A7x's which sound amazing but curious as to the S2X thanks -

[btfnk]

I'm very curious if anyone can compare the a7x or a8x versus the old s2a.

I'm seeing many people ditching their old s2a at about the same price used as new a7x.

I know how the a7x sound but am not really that familiar with the s2a.

[jcc449]

Originally Posted by btfnk

I'm very curious if anyone can compare the a7x or a8x versus the old s2a.

I'm seeing many people ditching their old s2a at about the same price used as new a7x.

I know how the a7x sound but am not really that familiar with the s2a.

I would be shocked
if you see any of that used S2A with price of A7X, buy it, and u won't regret.

I finally get to A/B S2A , S2X and A7.(haven't get to hear A7X)
honestly, quite disappointed on S2X.
The S2A is very bright and NS10m like on the treble and the mid part.
Famous character on that 150 hz area, where you will hear a "CLICK" sound like bass kick instead of a "BOOM" sound kick. Kick seems to be more punichy with S2A and NS10M
The S2X seems to be a "Genelec like" S2A , with much bigger bottom, and smoother top. Things sound a bit more hi-fi friendly than S2A.
But i don't know how well it translate because i never get to work with S2X.
The A7 sounded less "fatigue" but also less clear/details like S2A; especially, the 100h-500hz area. Reverb on S2A is more well define than A7.
A7X ...don't know yet...

[Nsound]

I recently move from focal solo to adam s2x+sub..after getting both for a week in the studio. The adams win over the solos in detail, accuracity and depth. They translate very very well! Love to this speakers!

[EstockAudio]

I used to have some A7's, which are great in their own right, but I upgraded to Solos. I love them to death! Adam's just sound too sweet to my ear. Everything sounds sounds super smooth and overall very pleasant, but that isn't really what I prefer in a monitor. The Focals are super accurate and translate wonderfully.

[Nsound]

I liked the way that focal solo translate but they are too muddy and don't have depth..difenitely I falling tired of them... Adam S2X is a step up to my ears...but monitors is a personal preference...

[Graal]

I love my A7X, but don't know how they compare to those mentioned.
I know I like them much better than the Focal CMS65.

[FoxMulderFBI]

Tried both ADAMs A7X and Focals CMS 65, and I find ADAMs much better, but that's my personal opinion.

[jon022]

proud owner of a7x here, i don't wanna hear a word against them

[Neurodriver]

I just demo'ed some Focal Twins, Solos, Adam S2X and A7X in a store. Granted, it wasn't the best environment to critically evaluate monitors, but it was enough to be able to pick out the broad differences.

To begin with I started with some of my own productions which I obviously know very well. One of these in particular has a strong sub-bass kick line on a low D which is approximately 37Hz...and the Adam S2X's were the only speakers which produced a believable note at that pitch. Switching from these to the Focals, the difference was immediately apparent. Both sets of Focals seemed to be more forward in the midrange than the S2X's, whilst giving less overall low end weight...which was somewhat surprising when comparing the cabinet sizes of the Twins and the S2X. Unfortunately however it was very difficult to assess whether this translated into any more speed or punch at such frequencies, because the monitors were in a large untreated room.

At the top end, both the Focals and the Adams exhibited an impressive degree of clarity and speed, and were quite comparable in this respect to my ears. Both were light-years ahead of my current KRK VXT8s, which positively sound wooly by comparison.

Listening to a range of other material, acoustic and electronic, both the S2Xs and both pairs of Focals impressed me in terms of detail and clarity. There really wasn't much in it, but I did feel that the Adams gave a slightly greater depth of field.

At the end of the test I switched to the A7X for comparison. Although it uses the same XART tweeter as the S2X, the difference in the woofer was immediately apparent. Bass frequencies seemed to have harmonics which just weren't there on either the Focals or the S2Xs, making the midrange sound muddy by comparison. Not surprising perhaps given the price difference, but I was surprised at just how much better the S2Xs sounded.

Overall, I liked the Adam S2Xs the best. I had expected to like the Focal Twins more than I did, but their understated low end and slightly more forward mid just don't suit the type of music I make. Of course it's hard to make judgements when listening on a shop floor and I definitely wouldn't dismiss any of the models, however I think I'm going for some S2Xs :-)

[garryrobson]

Originally Posted by Neurodriver

I just demo'ed some Focal Twins, Solos, Adam S2X and A7X in a store. Granted, it wasn't the best environment to critically evaluate monitors, but it was enough to be able to pick out the broad differences.

To begin with I started with some of my own productions which I obviously know very well. One of these in particular has a strong sub-bass kick line on a low D which is approximately 37Hz...and the Adam S2X's were the only speakers which produced a believable note at that pitch. Switching from these to the Focals, the difference was immediately apparent. Both sets of Focals seemed to be more forward in the midrange than the S2X's, whilst giving less overall low end weight...which was somewhat surprising when comparing the cabinet sizes of the Twins and the S2X. Unfortunately however it was very difficult to assess whether this translated into any more speed or punch at such frequencies, because the monitors were in a large untreated room.

At the top end, both the Focals and the Adams exhibited an impressive degree of clarity and speed, and were quite comparable in this respect to my ears. Both were light-years ahead of my current KRK VXT8s, which positively sound wooly by comparison.

Listening to a range of other material, acoustic and electronic, both the S2Xs and both pairs of Focals impressed me in terms of detail and clarity. There really wasn't much in it, but I did feel that the Adams gave a slightly greater depth of field.

At the end of the test I switched to the A7X for comparison. Although it uses the same XART tweeter as the S2X, the difference in the woofer was immediately apparent. Bass frequencies seemed to have harmonics which just weren't there on either the Focals or the S2Xs, making the midrange sound muddy by comparison. Not surprising perhaps given the price difference, but I was surprised at just how much better the S2Xs sounded.

Overall, I liked the Adam S2Xs the best. I had expected to like the Focal Twins more than I did, but their understated low end and slightly more forward mid just don't suit the type of music I make. Of course it's hard to make judgements when listening on a shop floor and I definitely wouldn't dismiss any of the models, however I think I'm going for some S2Xs :-)

It sounds like you didn't hear run-in Twins. You really should. They take 24 hours (+/-) to run-in. IM me if you want more assistance and let me know which dealer is helping you. I'd be happy to arrange a demo in your own studio on that dealer's behalf. Then you will hear you own music in your own room.

[Jomox]

Originally Posted by garryrobson

It sounds like you didn't hear run-in Twins. You really should. They take 24 hours (+/-) to run-in. IM me if you want more assistance and let me know which dealer is helping you. I'd be happy to arrange a demo in your own studio on that dealer's behalf. Then you will hear you own music in your own room.

You do realise the twins don't go as low as the S2X right? I've heard both and I much prefer the S2X, the low end is especially better on the S2X.

Also twins being burned in won't make them magically produce a better low end such as producing down to around the 35Hz region, as they don't go that low, monitors such as the S2X & Opal's really do go down to around 35Hz and produce a much better low end than the twins overall.

[garryrobson]

Originally Posted by Jomox

You do realise the twins don't go as low as the S2X right?.

Wrong. A spec of 35-50k is useless information without the tolerance. *You must know the tolerance of the freq response specs otherwise they are of little use. *For example, a freq response quoted with a tolerance of *+/- 5db or higher would be pretty useless information. *FYI, the tolerance of the Focal Twin's freq response of 40Hz-40kHz *is +/-3db. *

The way to audition monitors is with very familiar material in own room.