AREDMONO

pplication
Active Recording / Mixdown Monitors

Engineering Objective
The Avantone Active Mixcubes are designed to be high-resolution,  full-range powered mini-reference monitors for fixed or remote  locations.
The secondary engineering facet was to create a timeless design that compliments a single full-range transducer.

Performance Objective
Studios primarily use 2-way & 3-way larger monitors designed to  represent a wide range reference viewpoint at higher listening levels.  However, in this newly developing age of High Definition Audio, there is  still a need to also hear what your mix will sound like when played  back over small “bass-challenged” systems such as televisions, clock  radios, computers, car stereos, iPod docking stations, etc. It is  important to make mixing judgments based partially on listening to  reference monitors that will not impart tonal anomalies caused by  crossovers or inferior full range drivers. Particular attention is  always paid to the critical mid-range vocal/guitar/keyboard areas. This  is where having a full-range monitor without a crossover is truly  revealing. Ten months of R&D comparative listening & tweaking  went into the voicing of the AVANTONE MixCubes. The result is a very  smooth sounding, full range upgrade from the original 5C Sound Cubes.  Listening tests reveal that the MixCubes have a smooth, more open,  transparent top end response with extended bass while maintaining their  basic original character.

While originally inspired by the 5C sound cubes from decades ago,  the Avantone MixCubes have become the industry standard in studios  around the world and have become the #1 best selling speaker of its type  in history. 

Cabinet Design
The original 5C Sound Cubes™ were made of ½” particleboard covered with a  glue-on wood grain contact paper. We chose to use thicker, denser MDF  board because of its high rigidity and inherent low-resonance  characteristics. We started with a 165mm (6 1/2") sealed cube design  with radiused edges. We then chose an elegant Polyurethane high gloss  “RETRO-CREAM” finish. The originals had either screws or on later models  plastic binding posts mounted on a recessed plastic cup. We upgraded to  high-end nickel plated, machined solid metal binding posts (Dual banana  spacing) mounted on a black anodized ,milled and silk-screened aluminum  terminal plate. Next we added a 7mm thick neoprene pad embedded into  the base of the cabinet to serve as a skid-resistant acoustic isolator.  Additionally, for creative mounting situations, we recessed an industry  standard 5/8”-27 mic stand mount into the base.

Driver Design
The originals were a basic 5” stamped frame design. We designed a  proprietary 5.25” die cast aluminum frame driver/cone assembly to exceed  the performance of the originals. The mounting bezel is then polished  for an elegant appearance. The paper cone, chosen for its musical  character, is custom designed & crafted using the finest New Zealand  pulp with mica fibers added for lighter weight & rigidity. The  cloth surround is made in Japan to exacting uniform thickness  tolerances. The Top Plate and T-Yoke of driver are made of Sumitomo 1008  low carbon steel enabling the highest modeled flux density in the gap.  The magnets are Y- 40 GRADE (MIL-SPEC) yielding a 43oz. High Power-low  distortion motor structure.

Amplifier Design
We designed the amp module from the ground up to be a true  professional-grade amplifier. It incorporates “overkill” concepts in  component selection as well as safety. The result is a “no-compromise”  amp with robust headroom characteristics that will rival the performance  of much higher priced studio rack mount amps.

Specifications           

• System Type: Active (Self-powered) shielded full-range stereo pair                
• Frequency Response: 90Hz - 17,000Hz (useful musical range)              
• Impendance: Nominal 8 ohms               
• Max SPL: 104db @ 1 meter = 1%THD (PINK NOISE)                           
• Amplifier Power: 60 watts RMS@ .005% THD (1KHz)               
• Amp Frequency Response: 22Hz-50KHz +0dB/- 3dB (90Hz-50KHz +/-0dB)             
• Noise: S/N -113 dB              
• Sensitivity: 0dBu (.775VRMS) input at maximum volume (+6dB) = 104dB SPL              
• Driver: Proprietary design 5.25" cast aluminum frame / paper cone / shielded              
• Cabinet: sealed / 18mm MDF / Dacron acoustical stuffing                
• Inputs: XLR & TRS (COMBO JACK) +4/Balanced and -10 unbalanced        
• Weight: 7.13lbs (per monitor)               
• Dimensions: 6.5" x 6.5" x 6.5"