The T10S is a professional active subwoofer, designed to complement the speakers of the T series and not only, in fact, as you can easily guess, it allows you to extend the low frequencies of any nearfield studio monitor, taking charge of it.
The T10S is equipped with a 10˝ woofer positioned towards the floor (down-firing) and suitably spaced from it by means of four rubber feet whose height is calculated in the design phase (affects the desired response).
To power the woofer, we find a 130 W class D amplifier
The frequency response, also considering the design choices, is dedicated to the correct reproduction of the first octaves of the spectrum.
The internal stereo crossover, is adjustable on two fixed cuts 80 e 120 Hz which together with the volume and phase adjustment, allow a good calibration of the bass signal.
The chosen configuration is that of Bass Reflex with a door that opens to the outside of the cabinet through a horizontal slot.
Particularly interesting and useful in the home studio (I'll talk about it later) is the jack input for inserting one bypass switch of the subwoofer.
There is no power on / off switch, connected to the mains the SUB will operate when the T10S input circuit detects a signal.
After listening, 15 minutes after stopping the music program, the diver will return to standby mode.
T10S Dimensions
The T10S presents dimensions sufficiently compact (parallelepiped Height 390 mm x Width 318 mm x Depth 413 mm) e weight content 12.2 kg, for a more agile arrangement.
Why use a subwoofer
The use of a subwoofer it does not only lie in the extension of the frequency response with the combination with small satellites but also, as I have been able to try in this case with the T8Vs equipped with more generously sized woofers, for other factors and not least the taste personal.
As I wrote last month, right on Age of Audio, relatively to the test of the T8V ..., I can hardly give up the reproduction of the last two octaves, those that with the woofer located as close as possible to the floor, propagate from the bass and envelop you, sometimes gently sometimes with energy, vibrations that strongly contribute to the involvement and warmth of listening. - In my audio reproduction systems, both at home and in my home studio, the presence of subwoofers is the rule.
Furthermore, relieving satellites from reproducing a demanding part of the audio spectrum, due to power required, formation of vibrations, resonances, standing waves, cone break-up, saturation of the amps ... can be quite advantageous for the overall performance of the system and of listening.
Furthermore, the choice of positioning a woofer as close as possible to the floor allows on the one hand the minimization of the destructive interactions between the direct emission of the woofer and that of its image reflected from the floor (which acts as a true acoustic mirror) and from the another, an increase in the level of the overall "energy" response (direct emission + floor reflection). Obviously, to do this, the cut-off frequency must be low enough not to affect the reproduction of the medium frequencies, starting from the medium-low ones and even more so if you choose a configuration down-firing.
Try it now
I made the test of the SUB combining it with ADAM T8V, ADAM A5X and historical ones NS10M
Someone may be wondering why for the T series I chose the T8V for the test and not the smaller monitors, which cause less financial effort and fewer placement problems…? It is useless to deny that the first reason was practical, the T8Vs were part of the previous test and still at my disposal. Furthermore, the size of the mid-woofer not only affects the reproduction of low frequencies but is also involved in the response of the medium / medium-low frequencies and this for several reasons ... wave guide, displaced air, movement speed and damping, power endured…, since they are active monitors, amplifiers and supporting electronics and a thousand other reasons.
The sub, for completeness, was also tested with the A5X and the historic Yamaha NS10M.
How does it sound?
I added the sub to the ADAM T8V, selected the filter on the 80Hz. I remember that during the previous test of the T8V I had already added my own Subwoofer, for taste and personal choice. This time I formed a all ADAM T series system. The first thing you notice is the neutrality of Crossovers that cuts what has to cut that is, the high frequencies for the audio part directed to the sub and the low frequencies for the one directed to the satellites, without adding anything to the original music signal. This for me is already a great merit.
The power of the sub is sufficient to reproduce even the most thunderous voyages, as well as the extension that allows you to listen to part of the spectrum that is difficult to reproduce by non-equipped satellites. The bass is present and well reproduced. At times they may seem a little "long" and you would like more damping but then the question arises: how much is this feeling related to the sub and how much is due to the interaction with the environment? I really think that the second part of the question plays a fundamental role and by working on the correct positioning and the environment we could further improve what is already working well.
Hearing the bass of some synths, as they have been programmed and which can hardly be heard without the help of the sub, is a pleasant and engaging listening sensation. How pleasant is the listening and the perception of the pressure of the kick drum, of the symphonic timpani and of all those frequencies that speakers not predisposed and designed for this purpose cut. The sub undoubtedly contributes to the involvement of the listener.
Furthermore the satellites, lightened by the reproduction of first two octaves with all the consequential interactions and the "fatigue" in power / performance that this entails, they take on a "new light" and the whole Sub + Satellites system positively synergizes in determining the total performance. This is regardless of the entry-level price for the category.
Remote switch bypass
Particularly interesting I find the Remote switch bypass which, through a 6,3 mm jack connector on the sub, allows the connection of a remote switch to activate and deactivate the subwoofer bypass mode. You are in Bypass by connecting the two pins of the jack with the closure of the circuit. This will disable both the subwoofer and the satellite high pass filter, allowing the monitors to reproduce the full range and the Sub not to ring.
This is particularly useful, for example, when you work in "annoying" hours, with very low frequencies that do not represent a priority and you want to minimize the disturbance for the neighbors and the inhabitants of the floor below. Or to understand what all those who are not equipped with a sub or in any case a complete reproduction system on the low frequencies side can hear from our mix.
For my convenience, I used a toggle on / off switch and not the pedal as recommended by the manual, but they are personal choices. It is not important how you activate or deactivate this function but that the function itself has been planned and implemented, because it is very useful.
The sub, with its crossover was also tested with a pair of ADAM A5X and Yamaha NS10M, both of which are part of my studio's budget. Also in this case the expectations were confirmed as well as the character of the satellites used from time to time was respected and maintained.
On the quality of the T8V I have already expressed myself in last month's article, the T10S confirms the positive trend of T series that is an entry level series that does not give up on performance, on the contrary, in many cases with performance of value independent of the ratio Q/P.
What to write again, I'm seriously considering not returning the system to the direction and buying it, because by now I'm used to it.
Nota: the insertion of a subwoofer in an audio system is not only roses (extension and correct reproduction of low frequencies with completeness of reproduction and greater involvement of the listener) but there are also plugs.
The first thing to consider is that the low frequencies pass the walls as if they were made of "butter" (if not specifically and adequately designed) and therefore it is possible to cause greater disturbance to the neighbors and in particular to the occupants of the floor below. Furthermore, given the frequencies involved, the formation of standing waves as well as waves that overlap in total or partial counterphase and still trigger unwanted vibrations, are always lurking.
However, once the system is set up (in the manual there are also some tips), the satisfaction will come.
Technical features
Useful Information
Producer: Adam Audio
Product: Adam T10S
Price: € 399,00
Italian distributor: midi music
