ADAM Audio D3V Active Desktop Monitoring System with USB-C Connection (Pair, Black)

After watching a number of YouTube videos on mid-range priced desktop speakers, I decided to give these a try. I am replacing a Logitech Z623 desktop system which includes an integrated subwoofer. Two things concerned me about reviews on “monitors” vs “speakers”. One was that monitors are often said to be accurate to a point, reducing some of the warmth or coloration that people might want in their own music listening. Second was that as an independent purchase without an amp I was eliminating the subwoofer from my system. Both of those concerns disappeared as I listened to a fair amount of music.I found the Adam D3V to be accurate. With good balance from the lows, mids, and highs. The highs in particular are nice and sparkly, not letting a cymbal turn into hiss. I did not find them to be jarring or tiring any way – which is often mentioned with “accuracy”. With my own near field listening, the sound field is fully stereophonic and pleasantly seems a bit larger than the Logitech. One thing these speakers effectively do that my prior speakers did not is pick out poor recordings and mixing. A number of garage shoegaze groups sound muddier than before, but maybe I was not listening as closely as I am right now. So far, I have not missed the subwoofer. The D3V has passive radiators on both sides of each speaker that seem to help fill in the low frequencies. Even when fed some Dr. Octagon Kool Keith tunes, the D3V does OK. Still, I do plan on adding a sub at some point, there is no earth shaking right now with just the D3V.I am not as fond of the on-off mode button, notably because you need to read the instructions to understand how it operates. It is something I will get used to.I think the Adam Audio D3V’s are priced right and provide a good value for a desktop system. 5/5 for sound quality.

If you're in the market for a set of desktop speakers and want to make one solid purchase and be done, look no further. These speakers are an absolute standout. I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the years on various levels of audiophile gear, and for the money, nothing comes close to what these deliver.The inclusion of a ribbon tweeter at this price point is practically unheard of—and it shows in the performance. The articulation and separation are exceptional, offering a clarity and presence that rival far more expensive setups. They fill a small space beautifully, delivering clean, balanced sound with impressive bass for their size. No, they’re not subwoofer replacements or “thumpers”—but that’s not what they’re meant for. When I want that low-end punch, I turn to a different setup.But if you’re looking to mix, enjoy your desktop environment, and hear music or audio exactly as it was intended, these are the ones. I researched for months before pulling the trigger, and I can confidently say it was a fantastic decision. In this price range, there’s simply nothing close.

I swapped out my JBL 305p MkII for these, and I have no regrets. My desk has more space since these are smaller, and they pack as much a punch as the JBLs. I really like that they are plug and play via USB. Build quality is solid, they are plastic, but it's dense and high quality plastic. The speakers themselves are heavy for their size and that makes them feel like premium.I have no regrets, I was on the fence since there wasn't that many reviews, but I took the leap of faith and I'm not looking back.If you are looking for small monitors that punch way above their weight class, these are it.

The Adam Audio D3V sounds very good irregardless of size. It is very compact, but very solid. I had it hooked up to an audio interface and to my PC. I played lots of streaming music from Youtube music, and Amazon Music as well. I also watched a lot of youtube videos, and shows on Amazon prime. Very nice sound performance, a huge step up in performance from a generic USB speaker set.However there were a few minor issues. The first one was that to change modes requires you to pay attention to the color of the LED in the front so you know if the unit is in USB, analog, or muted mode. I didnt know this as a new user so spent a few minutes figuring out that you had to press the volume knob to change the color/modes. A little user unfriendly unless you intinctively what color does what.It made a pretty bad crackling sound when the PC came out of sleep, and also random crackling sounds just out of the blue, about once a day on average. I reaarranged power supplies, separated lines, all to no avail. Tech support to Adam Audio suggested to turn off the speakers when waking the PC, then turning them back on. Huh. Narrowed it down to the USB line going into the PC from the audio interface. So it's not directly tied into Adam Audio really, but it definitely affects the units performance if it's being used as a PC sound system. However I tried a competing product from another audio company and there were comparatively few problems. Go figure.Aside from the occasional annoying crackle and hiss, the sound quality was pretty outstanding. Decent bass, satisfying mids and very clear highs from the ribbon tweeter. It looks good, it fits well on a desk, and comes with desk stands. It has a new firmware update that attempts to solve user complaints from the past, especially the power off feature. I don't know if power off is really that necessary because using a watt meter, it showed the unit using 4 watts when inactive without power saving. It wouldn't be so bad if the speakers would actually turn back on like they were supposed to. So turning that feature off was a no brainer. But it would still go into that mode occasionally because I was trying to press the button, cycle through the colors, and then bam, it goes into red mode, powersaving got me again.. argh.Overall I have to give the Adam Audio D3V speakers 5 stars based on sound quality, and the way it connects to PC via USB, no bluetooth though. I found the main Volume control non-intuitive, but workable once you memorize the colors and what they stand for (minus 1/2 star). The main issue for me was the occasional crackle, about one good sharp one everyday (minus 1 star). The advice from Adams tech support to turn off the speaker, to avoid the crackling, cracked me up (plus 1/4 star).