Adam Audio S3H Active Studio Monitor (Midfield)

The Adam Audio S3H builds on the success of ADAM Audio's most popular studio monitors, the S3A and S3X-H, and, like them, establishes new benchmarks in technical innovation and design.

The dual 7-inch bass speakers, driven by a 500 W Class D amplifier, reproduce frequencies down to 30 Hz flawlessly. The ADAM Audio DCH, a 4-inch hybrid dome/cone mid-range driver driven by a 300 W Class D amplifier, handles audio above 250 Hz and below 3 kHz, with its cutting-edge hybrid design delivering the sonic advantages of both cone and soft-dome drivers in a single, one-piece unit. Above 3 kHz, frequencies are channelled via a novel combination of the S-ART treble driver (each handcrafted in ADAM Audio's Berlin plant), the new precise HPS waveguide, and a 50 W Class A/B amplifier. All of this ingenuity has resulted in a stunningly transparent three-dimensional soundscape with a wide sweet spot.

The custom-designed DSP in the S Series optimises the loudspeaker crossovers to produce linear responses across the whole frequency range, as well as allowing user equalisation and in-room tuning/voicing functions. A unique feature of the S3H's DSP options is a built-in factory EQ setting that emulates the response of ADAM Audio's iconic S3A monitor. The DSP also manages limiter-based high-frequency driver protection, processes signals from the AES3 digital inputs, and will eventually enable different extension possibilities. Software updates are simple to perform using the USB connector, which also allows users to connect PCs and manage the speakers' DSP features through a software front-end.

The S3H was designed as a midfield monitor due to its tremendously powerful amplification and three-way architecture (optimally tuned for horizontal use), although it may also be used in more compact listening environments. The sound is powerful but musical, as with all ADAM Audio designs, with crystal-clear rendition of the all-important mid-range.

The S3H's broad frequency response, readily available power amps, and lack of the need for additional subwoofers should appeal to any audio professional looking for a stand-alone, full-frequency active solution for their recording studio, one that provides equally detailed audio information at any volume setting, loud or quiet. Whatever your desired output level, the S3H's lively realism inspires producers, engineers, and artists everywhere, and its sound remains incredibly unfatiguing even when working continuously for long periods of time.