Perhaps no one in the industry brings more experience to the task of creating a nearfield monitor than Phil Jones, the designer of the famed Acoustic Energy AE-1, Boston Acoustic's Lynnfield 300 and 500 monitors, the critically-acclaimed Platinum Audio Solo and Reference One speakers, and AAD's own extraordinary 2001.

Now, he's raised the bar once more with the AAD 7001, a speaker that combines advanced metallurgy, driver design, enclosure technology, and an unprecedented attention to cosmetic detail. The result? The 7001 is already being hailed as the finest two-way monitor loudspeaker ever developed.

Thinking about the box

The 7001's enclosure combines brute strength and sophisticated styling. With a baffle and rear panel made of machined aluminum a full 陆" thick and the four remaining panels of 1.5" MDF, you might think the 7001 cabinet is as inert as current technology can make it. But AAD has gone several steps further to create a totally non-resonant structure. All interior surfaces are lined with 1/8" thick lead sheets and are coated in turn with contoured acoustic foam. Polyfill stuffing further dampens the 7001's interior.

But you'll see only exterior of this enclosure. And it is as unique cosmetically as it is acoustically. The 7001 comes in your choice of a striking glossy aquamarine maple and machined silver-anodized aluminum or piano-finish black lacquer with the same aluminum baffle and rear panel. Either choice is a refined yet powerful statement that perfectly echoes the speaker's capabilities.

Thinking inside the box

Inside this tour de force, you'll find the most advanced AAD drivers and a crossover network composed of tight-tolerance parts: air-core inductors, polypropylene capacitors, and wirewound resistors. In contrast to many high performance loudspeakers, the crossover components are specified to match the drivers after they've been fully broken in. This forward-looking approach insures that your investment appreciates in sonic value as you use your speakers.

The drivers themselves are equally impressive.

The active 5.25" woofer's motor assembly includes a neodymium magnet and a 2" voice coil. Although the coil is far larger than common practice dictates, the combined coil/magnet motor results in superb control to reproduce deep bass cleanly and effortlessly. The metal alloy cone transmits this powerful motor's signals without flexing and distorting the resulting sound waves.

A rear-mounted 6.5" passive radiator augments the active woofer without introducing the "chuffing" noise common to ported enclosures that attempt to reproduce the fundamental frequencies produced by tympani, organ, double bass, or special effects. It's suspension is made of neoprene rubber. In addition to being far more stable than foam, it contributes to the radiator's extraordinary 2" excursion capability.

High frequencies are reproduced by one of the most sophisticated ribbon drivers available anywhere. A strong neodymium magnet places needed flux energy very close to the ribbon itself for the finest, most naturally detailed reproduction of critical information. In fact, this tweeter's response extends to well over 30 kHz without the resonances that so often result in a rough and fatiguing "edge" to the sound.

Thinking below the box

Mini-monitors are at their best when free-standing away from walls or other reflective surfaces. This often calls for stands to hold the speakers. With a loudspeaker of the 7001's weight, proper stands are more critical than usual and AAD's offering virtually defines stability. The stand's bottom is a machined 戮" thick aluminum plate. From this foundation, dual 24" oval columns rise to a 陆" machined aluminum mounting plate.

7001s on stands, particularly when the stand columns are sand- or shot-filled, are a classic example of the "immovable object." Not only do the stands raise the speakers to proper ear-height, they virtually eliminate any chance of micro-movement that may cloud the speakers' ability to perfectly delineate any detail in the audio signal.

Enjoyment outside the box

The long term interest in mini-monitors rests on several well-founded beliefs: superb imaging due to their relatively small size, exceptional resolution of detain due to close driver proximity, low box coloration, and, surprisingly enough, controlled bass that avoids the "room overload" problem typically produced by large speakers in average sized rooms.

The 7001 provides an exemplary demonstration of all these qualities. However, don't let the term "controlled bass" lead you to think that the 7001 is in any way deficient in reproducing these all-important fundamental frequencies. In fact, the 7001, with a frequency response of 25 Hz to 30 kHz +/- 2 dB, far exceeds the capabilities of speakers many times its size. The issue here is control. The 7001 delivers none of that "bloated" quality to interfere with your enjoyment. Uncompressed reproduction beyond the audible octaves simply results in effortless sound. You'll enjoy unexcelled imaging and layering, staggeringly deep bass tones, and clear extended highs.

From AAD's premiere monitor, you should expect no less.