ADAM Audio S5H Premium Horizontal Mid-Field Monitor, 3-Way Dual 10″ Woofers

The ADAM S5H is a horizontal monitor designed for medium-sized and larger studio control rooms. It features four separate output transducers in three formats starting with dual 10″ bass drivers that are driven by a dedicated 700W Class-D amplifier. Bass frequencies are the most power-hungry parts of your mix, so with only 250Hz and below to reckon with, the S5H’s bass power module easily handles even bass-heavy mixes and ensures distortion-free low end. Its specification of a 20Hz low-end frequency response is an astonishing accomplishment.

The S5H is equipped with the newly designed DCH midrange speaker. It is a 4″ part cone and part dome hybrid driver whose duty in the S5H is processing midrange that resides between 250Hz and 3kHz. It is at the heart of instrument character, vocal warmth and clarity, and any mix’s sense of space. The DCH is known for the high-excursion characteristics it manages to apply to its clean decay and linear frequency response. It is clear where it needs to be, providing distortion-free, mid-range transparency at high output levels. It derives its power from a dedicated 300W Class-D amplifier.

Frequencies above 3 kHz are passed to the S-ART folded-ribbon tweeter, handmade in Berlin to the tightest possible tolerances, for breathtaking highs and ensures the soundfield is presented in delicate detail. A 100W Class D power amplifier drives the S-ART treble driver. It is probably the most recognizable ADAM Audio design, and one of many that distinguish ADAM Audio studio monitors from others in its category.

But of course, there is more to a monitor than power amps and speakers. There is the speaker box itself, whose off-axis responses of the treble and mid drivers are extremely accurate thanks in part to its high- and mid-frequency waveguides. The waveguides are milled from solid aluminum and crafted with state-of-the-science know-how by the acoustic engineering team at ADAM Audio. These two propagation systems (MPS and HPS) result in a dispersion that enables more than one person to work in the its sweet spot, as is often necessary in larger control rooms.

The S5H’s DSP component provides equalization and in-room tuning/voicing functions. It also handles limiter-based high-frequency driver protection, processes signals from the AES3 digital inputs, and will facilitate expansion options. Software updates can be carried out via the associated USB port, which also allows users to connect computers and control the speakers’ DSP functions via software.