Review of Adam ANF-10 Near-field Studio Monitors
After spending a couple of days with my new ADAM ANF-10 near-field monitors, I'm going to weigh in with my early impressions.
I've moved up to these speakers after one of my Behringer B2031A Truth Active Monitors just stopped working (they are sonically underrated, but frankly the build quality of the amps is questionable). Now, I've also worked on NS-10s, KRKs, Genelec (both 1031A and 1029A), Wright Audio, Event 20/20, Blue Sky, etc. And out of all those, I found the Truths to be the only flat monitors without that ridiculous smile curve (bass and treble boosted). That was, until now.
The ADAM ANF-10 are the unpowered "entry level" Adam offering, but don't be fooled. It is a serious monitor. Being passive, they really are greatly affected by the amp you use. I was going back and forth between getting a Bryston 3B-ST and a Yamaha P2700... both pretty powerful amps to be using with little near-fields. I went with the Yamaha because I found a great deal on a used one and had heard the ANF-10's matched with it before. It's also more powerful, and I'm glad. They really need the power. The P2700 is 375 Watts per side, and I have it cranked to about 75% to get a comparable volume to the Truths.
Before the Yamaha arrived, I tested them for a bit with my Adcom GFA-555II (which is rated for the same power). They sounded good, but a little unfocused and spitty (the amp's fault and I expected it). But as soon as I hooked the Yamaha up, they just bloomed.
They aren't a mind-blowing change from the Truths overall, by which I mean it didn't take long for me to adjust to them. But as I mentioned before, what I really liked about the Truths were how flat their response was. The Adams also fit this bill. They are actually a good bit smaller though, so it's interesting that they hold their own with a much larger speaker. The mids are clean and clear with a slight leaning to the warm side in the lows (but not super-hyped like most near-fields).
What is very different is the clarity and resolution in the high-end. The ribbon tweeters are what make Adam monitors worth raving about. The detail above 2kHz is just lovely. Playing various Steve Hoffman mastered SACDs revealed details that I can't hear on my far more expensive B&W speakers. My Blue Note and Verve reissues sound like velvet over the ANF-10's as well. You can hear Dexter Gordon's tongue touch the reed.
The stereo soundstage is extended as well. Pulling up some mixes I had recently considered "done", I was able to dial in greater clarity, find better balance and more precise stereo placement. Extremely subtle changes to vocals and guitars (like .02 dB eq changes) were immediately apparent. I even got an ounce more blood from a troublesome bass track by notching in some highs in a hole I'd not noticed before.
I should note, I am using a sub with these, so I can't really comment on their bass clarity below 80Hz. But I'm a big believer that no small box speaker can produce anything lower that 80Hz with any accuracy regardless of the price.
So, if you want a great pair of monitors for just around a grand (depending on the amp you get), I don't think you can beat these.