Alta Audio Adam Loudspeaker
Audiophiles may disagree on many fronts (vinyl versus digital, vacuum tubes versus solid state, among others) but they do tend to agree the most important component in a stereo audio system in your listening space is the pair of speakers: they make the most significant change in sound when you swap them out. But in any assessment is the listening space itself. All spaces are different. If you change the listening space, the sound changes because of its acoustics and can do so dramatically—for better or for worse.
When I moved into a Manhattan apartment that has remained home for over 25 years, I tried various methods of room correction as I began upping the quality of my system. (Even including at one point a sophisticated digital DEQX unit for room/speaker correction.) Ultimately, however, I concluded that besides acquiring a large nice-looking quality rug to cover the main listening area (from couch to speakers), it was not necessary—for my space. My small-medium-sized listening space (the living room with a couch: 12’(D) x 15’(L) but no left wall to end it) is naturally gifted with nice acoustics; it is in a 115-year-old apartment endowed with 9.5’ high ceilings, solid plaster walls, thick hardwood floors, and (an odd twist) an open left side (left of the living room) directly leading to, and part of, an open kitchen, as well as, further left, the hallway extending to the apartment’s entry door. (So the distance from the right wall of the living room to the kitchen sink on the left is about 40’, and to the door about 50’.) The wall behind the speakers (another odd twist) contains a pair of sliding wooden doors behind which is a bedroom (which appears to contribute to the acoustics). A complex space it is.
This space has shown itself to handle a wide variety of 2-driver stand-mounted as well as some floor-standing models with more drivers. What I learned from experimenting: if the speakers don’t sound right to me in this space then I should find another pair of speakers that do instead of fiddling around with serious room correction—don’t try to force the issue. And of course, we all have personal preferences for what kind of sound character we like once we have some choices of speakers that work.
Further improvements (second and third-order), sometimes quite significant, have been due to acquiring better amps, DACs, turntables/cartridges, phono stages, preamps, power conditioning/regenerators, cabling, and antiresonance footers.
For years now the stand-mounted 2-driver Alta Audio Celesta FRM-2M speakers ($15,000/pair, 55 lbs each), from Alta’s Reference Series, have done the trick for me in my space: with an intimate presence, they offer a natural and warm sound that exhibits clarity, natural timbre of acoustic instruments, exceptional and beautifully integrated bass (down to 29 Hz), and a relatively large and detailed sound stage with lovely imaging. (The Celesta easily bested a variety of floor-standing speakers before them.)
When Mike Levy, owner of Alta Audio notified me this summer 2022 about a new 3-way floor-standing tower-shaped model he had designed named the Adam ($18,000/pair, 96lbs each, 41” tall), endowed with a very powerful 8.75” woofer, I had two strong but conflicting thoughts/feelings: (1) I wanted to hear them. But, (2) I hesitated to have them in my own space for reviewing: What if my space could not handle them (particularly the powerful bass)?
Levy kindly invited me to his home for several hours of listening. Not only were the Adams very handsome to behold, but I was immediately deeply impressed with the sound quality: They had that same character as the Celesta that I admire so much but threw a larger soundstage, exhibited more clarity, body, and textures (voices, for example). They also exhibited a remarkably seamless integrated bass that went flat to 20 Hz and even lower. I could vividly feel low frequencies even when I could not hear them. And the towering Adam, even with all that power, still could offer intimacy—like a gentle giant. But would they, however handsome, work in my space for a review? Even Levy was not sure, but we agreed it was worth a try.
In late August, the Adams were dropped off for this review (the same pair I had heard at Levy’s home, well burned in by now). I am happy to report that they worked well in my space. They even exhibited other desirable attributes in sound beyond what I witnessed at Levy’s home; I will expand upon this below.
How do they look?
As with other Alta Audio speakers, the Adam cabinet is not a rectangular box shape; it is thinner at the top and gradually and continuously increases in girth significantly to the bottom. This is in line with Alta’s tuning of speaker cabinets as if they are fine musical instruments (think of a cello or bass). They are serious-looking and very attractive at the same time—even in a living room, they are welcoming.
Four (detachable) metal spikes can be used as footers on a rug; I used them. There are two ports on the back, one near the top, and one near the bottom; the binding posts (accommodating both spades and banana plugs) are right above the bottom port, and they allow for bi-amping but come with jumpers (you can use your own as well).
The 3 drivers take up the top two-thirds of the front: ribbon tweeter near the top with the midrange close below followed by the woofer a bit further down. But the so-called “midrange” is a full-range monitor and has some remarkable qualities and duties (Alta Audio engineering) for the crossover to bass and tweeter (I remark more on this with details later in this review). My review pair came in a classy glossy silver/grey; but the standard finishes are Piano Black, Beech, or Rosewood.
Piano black.
Specifications
Height: 41 inches
Width: 8.5 inches at the top, 15 inches at bottom
Depth: 14 inches at the top, 18 inches at bottom
Drivers:
– One 5.75 inch ribbon tweeter
– One 6 inch midrange
– One 8.75 inch woofer
Weight: 96 lbs
Some technical details about the Adam from Mike Levy:
When I saw the 6” midrange driver, it looked familiar with its silver bullet-like center, and it was: the same type of wide-band/full-range driver used in the (discontinued) Alta Audio “Solo” speaker, with a frequency response of 50Hz-20khz. But Levy uses it in the Adam to meld between the 8.75” woofer and the ribbon tweeter by utilizing it (for a crossover) from 250 Hz to 2,250Hz. This allows for a wide, linear crossover range for creating a smooth and seamless crossover transition between the 3 driver's duties. The bass in particular benefits brilliantly. I queried Levy about this (and much more) for further clarifications, I offer his responses (via phone and email):
Our main goal was to get full advantage from the three-way design while avoiding any disadvantages. Alta Audio designs are based on using a ribbon tweeter and our XTL bass technology. The Alec has been very highly reviewed and uses an 8.75-inch woofer with a 5.75-inch pure aluminum ribbon tweeter in a two-way design. What would a similarly sized (but 50% larger in volume) three-way have as advantages?
1. Better image cohesion and detail: This is achieved through centering the design on the midrange where the ear is most critical and where our brain looks for the imaging clues that let us define the size and shape of what we are listening to. The midrange needs to be as fast and as dynamically wide band as possible. We found the best way to do this is to use a full-range midrange and then cross it over well inside its operating range. The 6-inch midrange in the Adam is tuned into its own XTL bass transmission line and has a phase plug. It operates from 50Hz to 20KHz but is crossed over to/from the woofer at 250Hz and is crossed over/into the tweeter at 2.25KHz so that in both cases the crossover does not suffer from any driver limitations in the crossover region. The blending is so well done that the crossover is inaudible, and all sound seems to source from the image of the instrument or vocals.
2. Smoother, more extended upper midrange and high frequencies: The 5.75-inch ribbon tweeter is in a magnesium housing and uses neodymium magnets for the highest flux density on a pure aluminum ribbon. Crossing it over well within the operating range of both the midrange and the tweeter allows the midrange to match the acceleration of the near-zero mass ribbon for incredibly smooth sound with intimate detail.
3. Intimate detail without harshness or edge:
Unlike dome tweeters, the secondary resonant point of this ribbon is well beyond audibility, eliminating audible ringing.
4. Incredibly powerful, low distortion dynamic deep bass:
The 8.75-inch woofer on the Adam is very special. Using the XTL bass design and optimized for depth of bass with high power handling, It easily outperforms much larger woofers and subwoofers. Using our patent pending transmission line technology, the transfer of energy from motion to sound is so good that the woofer barely moves while putting out incredibly deep, powerful, dynamic, and well-controlled bass. This is due to the maximum energy transfer of the XTL Bass system, but there is one more important effect. Since the woofer barely moves, it does not contribute any Doppler distortion.
5. Doppler distortion is minimized in both the midrange and woofer:
Doppler distortion is when the upper frequencies put out by a woofer are modulated by the lower frequencies' motion making them pitch slightly higher in frequency when the woofer is moving toward the listener, and slightly lower in frequency when it is moving away, giving the sound a slightly warbling sound. The XTL system stops the woofer motion and eliminates the Doppler distortion.
6. Bass extension:
Another positive effect of XTL bass is that it does not decouple with the woofer below resonance, thus greatly extending the depth of response. The Adam will perform to well below audible frequencies.
Sound
I positioned the Adam right where the Celesta had been, with only the toe-in requiring some slight adjustment; that worked right away without further ado.
As I hinted at before, the Adam sounded marvellous in my space.
Overall the sound quality was very similar to the Celesta and still intimate, but more powerful, more full-bodied, with more clarity and textures—and endowed with even lower bass that could shake things. And all of this was displayed on a larger soundstage that presented things not larger than life, but true to life-size, and was less sensitive to where I was listening from in order to enjoy it. A “sweet spot” on my couch was not required. I could even enjoy walking around my apartment while listening, or sitting at the kitchen table. I even could work in my back room near the entry door and hear well. Also, I did not need a pillow on the couch to raise me up a dash (so that my ears were closer to the tweeter height) as with the Celesta: The Adam (I measured) has the tweeter about 2 inches lower than the Celesta. Sweet.
I digress briefly here to offer some science behind the sound that might help explain why the Adam worked well in my space. Besides reflections, the size of the space affects sound because sound waves need to move through the air in the space. I consulted Audiophilia’s new “Technical Advisor”, Electrical Engineer Dr David Vallencourt for comment; he stopped by for some critical (and fun) listening. He had this to say of what he heard:
In your pre-war Manhattan apartment, the Adams are taking full advantage of its construction: rock-solid walls and floors, high ceilings, and a long dimension on the left (up to about 50’) easily comparable to the wavelength of a 22 Hz tone.”
Vallencourt had done a simple mathematical calculation using the speed of sound in air (about 1100 feet/second at sea level at in-home temperatures) and the equation (speed) = (wave frequency) x (wavelength), to conclude that my space can accommodate the full length of low bass waves. (The solid construction and high ceilings of course also naturally help reduce reflections).
[Note: Alta Audio works with you to determine what Alta Audio speakers are appropriate for your listening space; you can send them photos, dimensions, and other details. They also have a full return policy if you are not satisfied.]
Music: A tour through some examples
Digital:
Holst, The Planets, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta, Decca (24/176 Qobuz, and CD). The formidable power of the Adam is displayed with aplomb in this superb recording and performance; the sound took over my apartment (I could feel vibrations when touching the kitchen table) with its lightening fast tempos and wide dynamic range. This will give a good workout to any speaker; a nice introduction to what the Adams can do.
“Until” (composed by Sting) from Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Album Ghost Song (2022) (24/96 Qobuz). Besides her clear and remarkable voice; the piano and flute were displayed with superb timbre and clarity. It sounds like a live recording (but it is in the studio).
Eva Cassidy, “Fields of Gold” from Live at Blues Alley (1996) (guitar and voice) (composed by Sting). A live performance, emotional with passion; a wonderful rendition in honour of Sting’s composition. Her voice becomes noticeably a dash reverb-heavy (must be the microphone) after about 20 seconds but it works fine here. The Adams present the voice beautifully with clarity and nice textures as well as displaying her gentle guitar playing in the background as a well-balanced complement with the right timbre. Love it.
(Sadly, she died at age 33 of cancer only months after this performance.)
Leonard Cohen’s Ten New Songs, (2001) in particular, the tracks “By the Rivers Dark”, “A Thousand Kisses Deep” and “Alexandra Leaving” (24/44.1 Qobuz). The rich and full presentation of his voice (very low and visceral) along with the bass and with Sharon Robinson tastefully accompanying him (sometimes only faint, and out of synch on purpose I’m guessing) is the best I have ever heard in my apartment, and certainly one of the very best I have ever heard anywhere. (Levy has claimed he uses Cohen’s recordings to help tune his speakers. This is the proof indeed.)
Holly Cole’s track “Temptation” from the album of the same name (1995) (Qobuz, 16/44.1). The tastefully booming drums move across continuously in the soundstage repeating themselves. Cole’s soft voice keeps repeating “Temptation” as well while you hear her breathing; a dog can be heard at one point barking, and that charming ending of her asking the engineers about her performance, “Is that good?”. All were captured brilliantly by the Adams.
2 LPs
Falla: The Three Cornered Hat, Ansermet conducting, L’orchestre de la Suisse Romande Decca LP (1961). The soundstage was magnificent. A rich and detailed full-bodied presentation.
The lower-stringed instruments and the timpani’s booming presence vibrated my couch with great effect. There was even more depth to the soundstage than I have heard before on the Celesta, with castanets even further up front, and Berganza’s (Mezzo-Soprano) voice even further way back on the slight left.
Saturday Night In San Francisco, “Meeting of the Spirits”, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco De Luca (2021 Impex Records (recorded in 1980). Each of the three guitarists is located on a different part of the large soundstage, competing/battling à la their guitar playing, with McLaughlin continuing as the backbone with a fascinating mysterious-sounding melody that can also be found originally on the 1971 Mahavishnu Orchestra, album Inner Mounting Flame. The percussive knocking on the wood of the acoustic guitars (I think by both Di Meola and De Luca) is very clear and natural sounding.
[Reference Equipment: VPI HW-40 turntable, Pass Labs XP-17 Phono Stage, Mojo Audio Mystique X SE DAC and Deja-Vu Music Server, PS Audio BHK Signature Preamplifier and P3 Power Conditioners, Audio by Van Alstine DVA 600 Mono Block Amplifiers, Jay’s Audio CDT3-MK3 CD Transport, Speakers: Alta Audio Celesta FRM-2M; cabling by Wireworld Cable Technology, Audio Art Cable.]
Summary
From my perspective, the Alta Audio Adam loudspeaker is the “gentle giant” of the Statement Series; a significant achievement at $18,000/pair. Handsome and stately looking, it exhibits a powerful but intimate presence, with warmth, clarity, timbral accuracy, detailed smooth high-ends, tremendous bass, and a true-to-life-size soundstage that can be enjoyed even if not sitting in a sweet spot. It also appears to be less sensitive to its positioning in a room than one would expect. Very highly recommended.
Further information: Alta Audio
