Avantone Mixcube Mini Reference Active Studio Monitors, Gloss Black (Pair)

Main Features

• Full range mini reference monitors
• Magnetically shielded
• Colour: Gloss Black

The Avantone MixCubes are shielded, full-range mini reference monitors. Their design is inspired by the legacy of the 5C Sound Cubes used in virtually all-major studios for the last 25 years.


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.

Cabinet Design
The original 5C Sound Cubes™ were made of 1/2 inch particleboard covered with a glue-on wood grain contact paper. Avantone chose to use thicker, denser MDF board because of its high rigidity and inherent low-resonance characteristics. They started with a 165mm (6 1/2 inch) sealed cube design with radiused edges and 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. These have been upgraded to high-end nickel plated, machined solid metal binding posts (Dual banana spacing) mounted on a black anodised ,milled and silk-screened aluminium terminal plate. Next a 7mm thick neoprene pad was embedded into the base of the cabinet to serve as a skid-resistant acoustic isolator. Additionally, for creative mounting situations, there is a recessed industry standard 5/8 inch-27 mic stand mount built into the base.

Driver Design
The originals were a basic 5 inch stamped frame design. Avantone designed a proprietary 5.25 inch die cast aluminium 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 modelled flux density in the gap. The magnets are Y- 40 GRADE (MIL-SPEC) yielding a 43oz. High Power-low distortion motor structure.

Amplifier Design
The amp module has been designed 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.


Avantone Mixcube Specifications

System Type: Active (Self-powered) shielded full-range stereo pair
Frequency Response: 90Hz - 17,000Hz (useful musical range)
>Driver Impedance: Nominal 8 ohms
Max SPL: 104db @ 1 meter = 1%THD (PINK NOISE)
Amplifier Type: Class A/B
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 inch 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 lb 5 oz (per speaker)
Dimensions: 165mm x 165mm x 165mm (6 1/2 inch x 6 1/2 inch x 6 1/2 inch)