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

These little speakers punch way above their weight in quality of sound. And they are superbly designed, from the way the included stands angle the speakers upward from a typical desk surface to the way those stands slide into the speaker bases. Their bottoms are covered with a great non-slip material. The box also includes a few strips of non-slid material you can put onto the bottoms of the speakers, and they go into well-designed grooves that are designed to fit around the stands when you use them. Every aspect of the design radiates quality.All of this is in service of sound as good as any speakers this size I've ever heard. The tweeters radiate in a tight cone, so you want to be sure you've got them pointed at your ears - if you're too far off-axis, you'll lose those crisp high ends. So if you're looking for a pair of everyday room speakers that sound fine as you walk around the room, these wouldn't be a great choice for that reason. But that's not what they were designed for - they are monitors for people sitting between them, either a musician or engineer working on music, or just a music lover who spends a lot of time in one spot, such as working at the computer. For those people, these are fabulous.Update: The original release of the speakers included two problems (the highs were diminished at low volumes, and the speakers turned off automatically after being quiet for a while, requiring you to manually turn them on again later). People complained, and the manufacturer released a software patch that resolved both issues. The patch came out for both Windows and Mac (a rarity), and it worked perfectly. I consider that really fantastic customer service. Great speakers from a great company!

First, Adam released the firmware update to stop standby mode in Feb 25.Outstanding performers! The only small speakers I’ve used that I feel like a sub is optional. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t get to 20hz, but they get deeper than any speaker I’ve tried this size. I feel like these are a great value too. You spend $100-150 for a good amp, that would leave you at most $200 to get a pair of speakers, and I couldn’t find anything of this caliber close to that price.I am going to add a sub, but I’ll probably cross these pretty low. I just ordered another set to do a powered surround sound setup.Cons:1. No auto-sense connection, you must double press the volume button to change to USB-C input.2. A proprietary speaker interconnect cable. I can’t be too upset, as I appreciate that data and power are consolidated into a single cable.Pro:1. Stellar sound! These speakers actually thump, which I was finding impossible for this size at any price point. I almost went with the the SVS Prime Sarellites, but they were bigger, required separate amplification, and more expensive overall . These are a perfect size for near-field.2. The ability to change the DSP to match the room.3. Ability to turn off the auto standby, though I’m currently using the standby. I just hook my iPhone up to it USB-C to USB-C and jam out. Unplug my phone and walk off. 20 minutes later they go into standby4. The physical size is perfect for a desk, but I’m using them on a sim rig surround sound.5. Zero listening fatigue. Instead of turning these down after 30 minutes because your ears are getting tired, you’ll still have these cranked up.

TL;DR This is a 5 star product *for people like me*: Small desk (no more than 5.5 ft apart sitting on the desk), with a subwoofer, and the ability to run crossover (so these 3 inch woofers don't have to try and go bellow 120hz). They are a 4 star product generally because they are not for everyone, but if I described your usecase then don't hesitate.My Reference: is the Audio Engine A5 these are replacing, and headphones (hifiman he400i). Those will be my primary comparisons. My audio source was a Monolith THX AAA (DAC/amp), until I got a Wiim Ultra (streamer) which is my current audio source, which also outputs to my S8 subwoofer. My room is treated (floor, ceiling, 2.5 walls).Cords: As someone else had said, the cord connecting the powered speaker to the other is short, 78 inches on my measuring tape, but I would bet that with the length of the actual plug on either end of the cord, you get maybe 69 or 70 inches of usable length out of this. It's a very thick cable with 4 pins, similar to an XLR; plug standard TBD.It does not come with a cable for analog audio in, which is a dual 1/4 inch headphone jack, so it would be hard to use these without an audio device of some sort (DAC, amp, DAC/amp, streamer in my case), unless you use the built in DAC which won't give you the clarity these things are capable of.SoundThe one complaint: I have about the audio itself is that in order to not hear how small these speakers are, you need a subwoofer and the ability to do crossover; set the crossover to above 120hz (mine is set to 145). If this were my experience I'd take off another star. Not sure if that's really fair to expect from drivers this small, especially at this price point, but I can't leave it out.Mid range: That said, my experience is with a subwoofer and a streamer with crossover functionality. The mids are rich and detailed, even the lower mids are full, which is really impressive for a speaker this small. The smaller size of the drivers becomes an asset, because weight is the enemy of accurate decay. These have fantastic imagining, bass guitars, explosions, deep voices, etc. all sound very, very detailed, but they not taxing on the ears.Highs: The highs are what you expect when you get ribbon tweeters, present and pleasant. The same richness and balance in the mids is maintained until beyond 20Khz. Violins, glass shattering, cymbals, etc. have detail and "texture" that you probably won't have heard before if you haven't had ribbon tweeters.Build: These feel like a brick in the hand, and the lack of ports means there's less room for dust to get at the electronics. They're made of a thick layer of very dense plastic/polymer, similar to what power tools are made of (but thick). They are the height of a 20 bottle of cocacola, just bellow the rim (right under the cap). They are SO small, it's fantastic. And they pump out some BIG sound, with detail I was expecting from Adam Audio (a professional recording studio monitor manufacturer first and foremost).Aesthetics: these are professional/industrial, they're meant to not draw attention, and I like that. It makes my desk feel more like a home theater when I turn down the lights having speakers that melt into the black background, as opposed to speakers that are trying to say something stylistically. I appreciate that the manufacturer made speakers that are meant to be heard and not seen, but it's preference. They are pleasant when I do look at them, though, just professional and subdued.Advice for anyone getting any speakers/looking for better sound, if you're spending this amount on speakers or more, you'll get more detail by working on peripherals like your audio source/processing, adding a subwoofer or adding sound absorbing materials to your space than you would spending more money on speakers. Couches and beds are great sound absorbers, so are thick carpets.If I were Adam Audio I'd ditch the speaker stands and put in analog in cords. But this is their first mass-market product, and it's a real winner imo.