In this article, I’ll be reviewing Adam Audio’s A77H, which is a 7-inch powered midfield studio monitor.
I’m always happy when reviewing Adam Audio products, thanks to the stellar quality control when it comes to the product’s performance. Let’s take a look and see if the A77H holds up against the expectations.
About the author
Final verdict on the Adam A77H
It should come as no surprise when I say that this is an amazing studio monitor. The technological developments which Adam has spearheaded have been fully integrated into the design of the A77H to deliver a high-caliber performance which is altogether rich, open, and engulfing.
As always, Adam Audio remains on the cutting edge of audio technology and I couldn’t recommend this monitor more.
What I like
- Amazing sound quality.
- Room correction.
- Impeccable design.
- Reasonably priced.
What I don’t like
- You’ll probably want two.
Power and frequency response
The A77H is a three-way midfield monitor with a frequency response of 37 Hz – 41 kHz at -3 dB. It also has a max SPL of 106 dB (sine bursts), and 118 dB (IEC-weighted noise). The cabinet houses two 7-inch woofers, a 3.5-inch midrange driver, as well as an X-ART tweeter.
Overall, the A77H’s frequency response is incredibly neutral and transparent. The midrange driver helps produce a clear sound that is extremely accurate. Also, the monitor is capable of playing at extreme volumes without any hint of harmonic distortion.
What’s particularly special about this monitor (and Adam’s A series as a whole), is the incorporation of an automated room correction software that runs on the DSP of the monitor itself. This allows the monitor to be adaptable to a myriad of varying preferences and room environments.
For those of you whose studio doubles as a bedroom, living room, or is otherwise not properly acoustically treated, this software can help to compensate for an imperfect room sound.
I’ll touch more on how to use this later on, but on the whole, this monitor provides a great deal of flexibility without sacrificing the purity of its sound.
I/O and controls
All controls of the A77H are located on the rear panel. Starting from left to right, you’ll first notice both a balanced XLR input as well as an unbalanced RCA input, these are joined with an input select button to toggle between the two.
Located on the top right are the Room Adaptation parameters. You’ll see four separate buttons (“Bass”, “Desk”, “Presence”, and “Treble”) which allow you to attenuate the monitor to your room environment.
Just above these parameters is a graph to serve as visual aid, along with LED lights to show you how you where each button is set.
Directly under these parameters are an input for the remote control, a “Voicing” button (allowing you to toggle between “Pure”, “UNR”, and “Ext”), and finally a rotary dial for volume control (going from -12 dB to 12 dB).
Last but not least is an IEC socket and the On/Off switch, both of which are located in the bottom right corner.
Build quality
The A77H is an amazing robust and durable monitor. It weighs in at roughly 37 pounds, and is wrapped in vinyl MDF. I appreciate the iconic yellow ribbon tweeter that Adam is known for, and aesthetically the A77H is just as sleek and attractive as the rest of the siblings in its series.
On the whole, the monitor’s design leaves little room for criticism. The speaker is dual front ported, allowing it to be placed fairly close to the walls, which is ideal for tighter spaces.
There is no noticeable resonance or noise emanating from inside the cabinets, the layout on the rear panel is clear and concise, and nothing gets in the way of it sounding great.
Compared to other studio monitors
While these can be the perfect studio monitors for your needs and budget, here are a few alternatives to consider in comparison to the Adam A77H.
Adam Audio A77H vs A8H
If you have a slightly bigger space and your budget is slightly more plush, the A8H might be worth you consideration. The woofers are slightly bigger at 8 inches and the frequency response has a bit more low end, reaching down to 34 Hz (-3 dB) whereas the A77H reaches down to 37 Hz (-3 dB).
Otherwise, the monitors share the same exact specs and benefits. You can’t go wrong with either.
Adam Audio A77H vs Dynaudio LYD 48
The Dynaudio is slightly less expensive than the A77H, but is a worthy competitor. The woofers are 8-inches as compared to 7-inches on the A77H, and the midrange speaker is similarly bigger at 4-inches compared to the A77H’s 3.5-inch speaker.
However, the frequency response is noticeably more narrow, only reaching from 32 Hz – 21 kHz whereas the A77H goes from 34 Hz – 45 kHz (-6 dB).
I would personally recommend spending the extra $100 towards the Adam.
Who are the Adam Audio A77H studio monitors best suited for?
These are best suited for professional audio engineers looking for superb monitoring. The room correction software also makes the A77H ideal for producers needing to compensate for imperfect room environments.
Buy Adam Audio A77H at: SweetwaterAmazonVideo demo
You can also watch this video by my colleague Fabio where he puts the Adam Audio A77H studio monitors to the test.
