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.
Application
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.
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.
MixCube Active Creme Pair … IDR 10.642.000
MixCube Active Creme Mono … IDR 5.329.000
MixCube Passive Creme Pair … IDR 4.933.000
