Interview with the CEO of ADAM Audio

Christian Hellinger, CEO of ADAM Audio in Berlin, Germany, kindly answered questions from the editors of Russian publication ProSound.

ADAM monitors are very popular in Russia, and users are keen to hear how the company is doing. How strong is ADAM's position today? Do you have plans for product development, and sufficient resources to pursue them?

Despite everything happening around the world, we have recently been in a fantastic position, thanks to the entire ADAM Audio team, our partners and especially the many users who trust our products and service.

Over the next few months we are even planning to expand our team at our Berlin headquarters and at our subsidiaries, particularly in research and product development. There are always interesting new materials and technologies to investigate or develop in-house. Software is also becoming increasingly important, even for a loudspeaker manufacturer like us. Studio equipment and tools are getting smarter and more powerful, and we see ourselves at the forefront of those developments. We always ask ourselves, however, 'What will this do for the user?' and 'Can it be improved?' We do not do things simply because we can, or solely for our own benefit.

Since joining the Focusrite Group in 2019, we have also been able to benefit from synergies between its brands and companies, exploring opportunities that will naturally find their way into future products, as well as improved services and benefits for users.

Who uses ADAM monitors? Are they intended for professional studios, or can they also be used at home?

ADAM Audio has always been strongest in professional audio, offering professional monitoring solutions ranging from studio monitors and subwoofers to, more recently, software and headphones. Our products are designed and manufactured to meet the needs of creative people in recording studios, broadcasting, home studios and similar environments worldwide. Those are their principal applications.

At the same time, we are seeing growing interest in using active loudspeakers such as our studio monitors at home, accompanied by a deeper understanding of room acoustics. More people want to hear sound as the engineer or producer hears it in the studio. They are also increasingly aware that an active loudspeaker system requires fewer separate components, saving space and reducing environmental impact.

Some experts still debate whether AMT tweeters should be used instead of silk domes. What do leading studios say about this today? Do you have a clear answer?

Looking back to 1999, when ADAM Audio was founded and introduced the AMT tweeter design to a wider professional audio audience, AMT was certainly rather exotic. Most people had never heard of it.

Over time, this has become something of a signature technology for ADAM Audio. The advantages of the driver design are closely intertwined with our philosophy of sound reproduction. To this day, the AX- and S-series tweeters are handmade by skilled craftspeople at our Berlin headquarters.

One theme keeps recurring in feedback from users and music creators working with ADAM Audio studio monitors. Many describe a sense of revelation when they hear things they had never noticed in their own mixes or in other supposedly familiar material. We are confident that our tweeter plays a major part in that. Another common observation is that our monitors make it easy to work for long hours without listening fatigue.

There is also debate about using Class D amplification and DSP in monitors. ADAM embraced both in its flagship S Series. How could you be confident that this delivered the best sound quality?

There was certainly a time when purely analogue circuits outperformed digital signal processing in sound quality, but we believe those days are long gone. Today's DSP offers greater consistency as well as modern, increasingly demanded features such as comprehensive room adaptation, immersive integration and remote control. It also allows us to push the boundaries of accurate reproduction; the critically important crossover design is just one example. The ability to add features through firmware updates is another major advantage of DSP-based monitors. For us, there is no going back.

As for amplifier types, we use what works best in each frequency range. Class D amplifiers have proved excellent for driving woofers and midrange drivers, where high power is a priority. For ART tweeters we choose Class AB or Class D depending on the application. As with many aspects of loudspeaker engineering, it is often a matter of finding the best compromise within the available constraints.

How do you assess the success of your two most recent ranges, the flagship S Series and the entry-level T Series?

They address two very different groups of users, yet both have made their mark on the industry. While the former is mainly found in professional engineers' and music creators' studios, the latter is very popular with educational institutions, home musicians and DJs.

We have been fortunate to receive enthusiastic feedback on models from both ranges and recognition from respected professional audio publications. Examples include the DJ Mag Tech Award for the T5V, an IBC Best of Show award, Sound on Sound's Best Studio Monitor award for the entire S Series, and Audiofanzine's Innovation Award for the S2V.

Do you plan to continue producing the AX Series, your best-known and longest-running range? Please do not change anything that might spoil the sound or increase the price!

There is always room for improvement, even in brand-new products. Eventually, however, enough opportunities accumulate to justify replacing a product while ensuring a genuine benefit for the end user. We will make an official announcement whenever such a product is ready. Almost ten years after launch, demand for AX Series monitors is still growing, so there is clearly still a strong market for what we make.

What would you like to say to Russian ADAM users and the wider Russian audio community?

As an international company, we work directly or through our partners with many talented and highly experienced people. That is always remarkable and truly exciting. In every country there are creative people seeking their own unique voice through their work, and Russia is certainly no exception.

The past year has shown the world just how bleak life can be without cultural events such as concerts. We send our best wishes to everyone who continues to make music a central part of life despite difficult circumstances, whether professionally or as an amateur.

We look forward to hearing more great and exciting music from your country, perhaps written, mixed and/or mastered on ADAM Audio studio monitors! 😉

For more information about specific ADAM models, see our reviews:

Note. This is an adapted machine translation into English. It follows the “In simple terms” approach. Read the original article at https://prosound.ixbt.com/monitors/adam-interview-2021.shtml.