ADAM T5V and T7V settings and placement

The ADAM T5V and T7V have two small switches on the back, LF and HF, plus a level knob and an input switch. ADAM's manual says more than most about when to use them, so this guide follows it closely.

The short answer

Then change HF only if the room needs it (below), and check by ear.

LF switch

LF turns the bass up or down by 2 dB. The middle position, 0, is flat.

ADAM says to keep each speaker at least 16 inches from the nearest wall for the flattest bass. A wall close to a speaker adds bass, and the T Series port fires out the back, straight at that wall. If your desk won't allow 16 inches, ADAM's advice is the -2 dB setting.

The manual describes +2 dB as exaggerated bass. It's for listening for fun, not for mixing, and in a room that already booms it makes things worse.

HF switch

HF turns the treble up or down by 2 dB, and it has nothing to do with bass. ADAM's guidance:

• A room covered in foam or fiberglass panels can sound dull, because the panels soak up treble. Try +2 dB.
• A bare, bright, echoey room can sound harsh. Try -2 dB.
• Anything in between, leave it at 0.

Level knob and input switch

ADAM says the 0 dB mark on the level knob is right for most setups. Set both speakers to the same position and control your volume from your audio interface or computer.

The +4 dBu / -10 dBV switch is easy to misread. On the T Series it doesn't set sensitivity for the room. It picks which input the speaker listens to: +4 dBu for the XLR input, -10 dBV for the RCA input. If a speaker is silent, check this switch matches the cable you plugged in.

Placement

ADAM's manual is specific here, and every item on this list affects the bass:

• Sit about 3 feet (1 m) from the speakers, with you and the two speakers forming a triangle with equal sides.
• Point the speakers down the length of the room, so the wall behind you is as far away as possible.
• If one end of the room is lopsided, for example with an alcove on one side, set up at the other end.
• Make the two sides mirror images: each speaker the same distance from its side wall, and both the same distance from the wall behind them.
• Don't put a woofer the same distance from two surfaces, such as the wall behind it and the wall beside it.
• Put the tweeters at ear height, or tilt the speakers so they aim at your ears. ADAM recommends stands or pads that keep the speakers from shaking the desk, which muddies the upper bass.
• Leave at least 4 inches (10 cm) behind each speaker for cooling, even when space is tight.

The free Monitor Placement tool works out these distances for your room.

The boom that stays

The LF switch fixes the wall's extra bass, which spreads across the whole low end. It can't fix the boom from your room's size, where one or two bass notes get much louder where you sit. At -2 dB those notes still stick out, because the switch turns them down by the same amount as everything else.

You can hear it with the free Room Bass Test. Play the slow sweep and listen for the spot where it swells up.

That note is what Unboom handles. It plays a quiet sweep, listens with your Mac's microphone (or lets you pick the boom by ear), and turns down just that note in your music and video apps. It only cuts, never boosts.

FAQ

T5V or T7V for a small room?

Both work. The T7V's 7-inch woofer plays deeper than the T5V's 5-inch one (ADAM lists 39 Hz against 45 Hz), so it reaches more of the low notes a small room exaggerates. In a small room close to a wall, the T5V is the easier pair to tame.

Why do my T7Vs have so little bass?

First check that LF isn't on -2 dB with the speakers out in the room. If the bass is only missing where you sit, the room is cancelling some notes there. Moving your chair a little forward or back often helps. Unboom only cuts, so it can't fill those gaps.

Should both speakers use the same settings?

Yes, if they sit in mirror-image spots. If one has to sit closer to a wall than the other, try LF -2 dB on that one only.