Short answer: the Adam Audio T8V. It ranks #25 of 40 powered bookshelf speakers by sound quality at $349.99; the Adam Audio S2V ranks #37 and costs $3500, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Adam Audio T8V offers: Quite balanced and neutral, very close to the Yamaha HS8. Watch for: A crossover-region notch around 4.6kHz where tweeter and woofer interact, and a hole in the vertical response below the tweeter axis - keep the tweeter at or above ear height.
What the Adam Audio S2V gets right: CEA2034 spinorama shows excellent driver blending through an imperceptible crossover between the 7” woofer and AMT tweeter, with distortion measured 70dB down at 1kHz. The catch: An intentional shelving curve creates a dip in the low bass response, roughly 200-500Hz.
Buy the Adam Audio T8V. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Adam Audio S2V and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the Adam Audio S2V. It ranks near the bottom of the 40 powered bookshelf speakers, so look higher up the list instead.
Specifications Side By Side
| Adam Audio T8V | Adam Audio S2V | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $349.99 | $3500 |
| Ranked | #25 of 40 in Large Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers | #37 of 40 in Large Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 45Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) | 85Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 35Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) | 62Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 15.8"H x 9.8"W x 13.2"D (401.3 x 248.9 x 335.3 mm) | not published by manufacturer |
| Frequency Response | 33Hz - 25kHz (-6dB) (Manufacturer specified) | 35Hz - 50kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Inputs | XLR, RCA | - |
| Weight | 21.6 lbs / 9.8 kg | not published by manufacturer |
| Drivers | 8" (203mm) woofer | 7" woofer, S-ART AMT tweeter |
| App | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | No | - |
| EQ | Yes (Room adjustment) | No |
| DSP | No | Yes |
| Output Power | 90w Per Speaker | 350W total (300W woofer Class D, 50W tweeter Class A/B) |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- JBL 708P vs Adam Audio T7V
- JBL 708P vs JBL 308P MKII
- JBL 4305P vs Klipsch The Sevens
- JBL 306P MKII vs Adam Audio S2V
- Adam Audio S2V vs Emotiva Airmotiv 6s
The Two Speakers In Full
Adam Audio T8V: $349.99 Amazon
Pros: Quite balanced and neutral, very close to the Yamaha HS8. Deeper bass than the HS8
Cons: A crossover-region notch around 4.6kHz where tweeter and woofer interact, and a hole in the vertical response below the tweeter axis - keep the tweeter at or above ear height. Distortion is well controlled at 86dB SPL but gets messier at 96dB.
Full Adam Audio T8V review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 35Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 45Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| DSP | No |
| Dimensions | 15.8"H x 9.8"W x 13.2"D (401.3 x 248.9 x 335.3 mm) |
| Drivers | 8" (203mm) woofer |
| EQ | Yes (Room adjustment) |
| Frequency Response | 33Hz - 25kHz (-6dB) (Manufacturer specified) |
| Inputs | XLR, RCA |
| Output Power | 90w Per Speaker |
| Weight | 21.6 lbs / 9.8 kg |
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Adam Audio S2V: $3500 Bhphotovideo
Pros: CEA2034 spinorama shows excellent driver blending through an imperceptible crossover between the 7” woofer and AMT tweeter, with distortion measured 70dB down at 1kHz. The 350W amplifier was the first the reviewer tested that didn’t run out of power on demand, delivering over 120dB SPL per pair.
Cons: An intentional shelving curve creates a dip in the low bass response, roughly 200-500Hz. The rotary-encoder control interface is non-intuitive, and the companion PC app requires serial-number registration with settings that only take effect after a manual “write” step that takes 5-10 seconds and produces audible ticks and pops. Expensive at $3,500 per pair.
Full Adam Audio S2V review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 62Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 85Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| DSP | Yes |
| Dimensions | not published by manufacturer |
| Drivers | 7" woofer, S-ART AMT tweeter |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 35Hz - 50kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Output Power | 350W total (300W woofer Class D, 50W tweeter Class A/B) |
| Weight | not published by manufacturer |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons