Product Review: Auratone 5C Super Sound Mix Cube | SPLmixing.com
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ม.ค. 2015
- I caught up with Auratone representative Alexander Jacobsen. Here’s what he had to say in answer to the questions I had about the new Auratone 5C…
What were some of the challenges you faced with bringing the Auratone 5C back to life? I know that Yamaha is not bringing back the NS-10M anytime soon because the materials they used are no longer as assessable or as easily found, was this the case with the 5C? Did you have to find any alternative materials?
Some of the challenges indeed had to do with the availability of materials. The parts that are found in the original 5C's are no longer available, so we had to source/tool new parts for the drivers to replicate the sound. The R&D phase for the speaker took well over a year to get the right match.
Do these come in active versions? If so, how do they differ in sound?
As of now we don't carry an active version, though it is in the works.
What are the biggest misconceptions about the 5C?
I believe you touched on it pretty well when you said that you expected "scratchy sounding" speakers. With nicknames like "horror-tones" it's easy for people to believe they are bad sounding speakers and not understand their true purpose.
How does the new Auratone compare to the original?
This depends on which "original" you are comparing it to. The 5C has gone through several different variations. To the contrary the new 5C is actually a little less bright than some of the originals in the 1970's. It is more similar to the 1980's versions of the 5C.
What year model 5C is the new Auratone based off of or have you taken liberties with the look to modernise its appearance?
The new Auratone is based off of the mid 1980's version of the 5C, which was possibly the most popular out of all the original models. The look of the new 5C is also based off of the mid 80's version. We made it look cleaner and more modern with nicer laminate & terminal cups.
Any future plans?
We definitely future plans to grow our product line to add different types of monitors, though nothing immediate. I would say our next goal is to bring an active 5C to the market.
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Valuable information. Many thanks. I used to check studio mixes back in the 70s & 80s on these little guys. They don't let you down.
probably the best review on Auratones I've seen so far!
To this day I still rely on them to help point out problems in the mid range. Such a great reference speaker. I hear the Avantones are also pretty decent too.
Man I wish I knew this 20 years ago. Awesome review, thanks a lot 😀😀
Happily listened to your video on my Auratone 5C active monitors! Great video!
Thanks 😊
GREAT REVIEW: I am a quasi-audiophile (vinyl collector) and I just bought a pair of these to replace 2 very old Technic satellite floor speakers. I have a large listening room and in the center, I have two Klipsch RP-600M Reference Bookshelf Speakers connected to a Yamaha A-S501 receiver, I also have an older large subwoofer in the mix. The Klipsch speakers are amazing but they just don't fill the room enough. I decided to replace the two Technic satellites with these Auratone 5C speakers. I also have two stands to bring them up to ear level while I am sitting down. When listening to the Technics by themselves they don't sound very good at all. My goal is to improve the sound quality of the satellite speakers with the 5C's which should improve the overall sound of the entire setup.
Very valuable video. Thank you so much.
this is a great review. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Awesome review! Finally someone debunks the myth that these are "grotboxes"! They are NOT! They are an invaluable mixing tool that lets you zoom in on some details like no other speaker out there. Thanks!!!
You can now buy a pair of these with an Auratone amplifier that was (supposedly) designed specifically for these monitors. The bundle costs $669 at Sweetwater right now.
Yes, I bought one, it's great. Like the Crown amp, but smaller and cleaner
@@SPLMixing Cool. Thanks for commenting on that. It's great to know it's a good amp. I'm thinking of buying that bundle.
@@Zarabozo I believe they're also working on an active version, though I am not sure when it will be released.
Cool... I have the same Crown D75A amp with my Auratones! Got the Crown NEW sealed in the box on EBAY for $80.
Good fucking job mate, so helpful
Thank you for such an informative and well thought out review. I feel a lot more confident in my decision to purchase them now.
I have a question about the banana cables - Will they connect directly to my Universal Audio Apollo MkII? Thanks.
I don't believe so. You'll need to purchase an amplifier that runs these, as they are passive design, then connect the audio outs from your Apollo interface to the inputs of the amplifier. They may now make an active design, which doesn't require any additional amplifier, but best to check with Auratone with that one. It's been a few years since I put together this review and they may have another solution for this. Good luck!
GREAT REVIEW ; it has been very helpull to me when trying to figure out if i'd go for it as second pair of monitors .
i'm lso going to go for crown d75-a as power amp for the auratones and would like you're fully satisfied by this combo ?
Thanx again for the review
Hey! My Crown D-75 is getting on a bit and has a slight power hum, but other than that, I find the combo work well together. I believe the D-75-a is a slightly different beast to the older D-75, but honestly, it's worth looking at every amp that is sufficiently powered so that it will not blow these cubes up. I pressed the wrong shortcut a few times and started a feedback loop, but they are still working as before. You either get an amp that is powerful and run it at a lower output (and never touch the dial), or you max out an amp like this that doesn't have quite enough power. A quick search on Gearsluts might be worth it to see what other options there are. From memory, a Hafler P3000, an Adcom 545 or Bryston 2Bs are also being used, but I took my advice directly from Auratone themselves who recommended the Crown D-75 model. Best of luck!
Nice review!
Did you compare them with any of the replicas, e.g. by Avantone or Behringer?
Thanks! No, unfortunately, not in the same room at the same time. Spent a bit of time with them in other peoples' studios though prior to buying the new Auratones. The Avantones were probably the closest to the 5C's - although somewhat extended and less upfront - they can't be leaned on reliably to judge sub levels as they don't distort soon enough in my opinion. I also think they are too smooth to be able to do the whole dark/bright thing that the 5c's do so well - but the transient response was on par from what I could tell. The Behringer model was not great, definitely didn't have the same feel to it of dryness/clarity/transient response that the Auratones have. It's what you can afford and get used to I guess.
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Thank you, very valuable insights!
I guess I'll wait for an active version of the auratones. Active monitors are just so much more convenient for today's workflows, also regarding mobility. I hope it will not take them ages to bring them to the market.
No surprise about the Behringers... lol.
Thank you for this review, it is interesting and helpfull. I'm currently looking to buy a pair of Auratone for my home studio but its really hard to find a crown d75. Auratone made one, the A2-30, but it outputs 30 Watt per channel. Do you have any suggestinos for the amplifier?
Maybe have a chat to the people at Auratone. I think I asked the same question in the past and they provided a few different options, so it's not essential to get the crown amp. Bryston amplifiers are pretty decent but expensive. If Auratone still make an amplifier I would honestly go with that, it doesn't need to put out more than 70 Watts total, I believe.
Subbed.
great review, thanks. I need help for choosing the amp. I already have a Onkio A-9211 ampli, do you think it can be good in terms of audio quality and useful power? Thanks for support ;)
Specs seem ok on that. Better to use what you have first and look at getting an old silver face Crown D-75 or Bryston of similar specs if you don't like the sound.
SPL Mixing thanks for your fast reply and for advice, I think the same, it’s only that I don’t have terms of comparison in sounds between my amp and models you mention. I’ll buy this speakers after your review, hope to improve my mixes. Thanks again 🙏
Thank You
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should I go for auratones or NS-10s? They're both famous and respected sets of speakers for the midrange area, so I don't think that getting both would be a benefit.....or??
They're both good for different reasons, but you're right, they both have enclosed cabinets and small drivers. I think it really comes down to your environment and what you think you can listen to for hours on end.
I have the Auratone A 2 - 30 connected to two small Visatone loudspeakers that are installed inside Altec Lansing cabinets; the positive side of the medal is that they don't need a lot of space, and that is ok for me, but the negative side of the medal is that, although the sound is filtered throught an DBX equalizer and an American Audio splitter with treble and bass knobs, even with the sliders at the maximum position, the bass frequencies are almost unheareble. Do you think that i could improve the basses with these Auratone cubes? I do not pretend huge bass sound, but at least enjoyable. Thanx for your suggestions, Patrick
Are you sure it's not a room acoustics issue?
@@SPLMixing My stereo is placed in a small living room, all i have in this room ( 12 square meters) is just a couch, two Ikea Kallax ,and a furniture with top and low " drop leaf" doors, with a small television in the middle, nothing else. Therefore the sound does not have " obstacles " ,i have normal bricks walls ( in Italy wood houses are not common like in the U.S.A.). At this point i don't know where i made the mistake, i have complained about bass ,the mids and the treble are much louder even , like i wrote on my previous comment, if the DBX equalizer sliders are at the maximum position. So i'm very curious to know if with the Auratone Cubes loudspeakers, the bass frequency would improve. I apologize for my english, i hope to having been understandable! Regards, Patrick from Italy
I think Auratones will sound great in most rooms, they have a very good response to transients. It sounds like your room is not ideal, but jump on John Brandt's acoustic spaces Facebook forum, he could give advice about your room. When I am not busy in the studio, perhaps we could jump on a video call and talk about it more. Feel free to contact me via email daniel@splmixing.com
The Auratones don't have a lot of bass, which might work in your favour in your situation in terms of accurate listening.
@@SPLMixing thank you so much, SPL . Best regards to you
Do you recommend 70s HiFi amp like Pioneer SA 606 for Auratones?
I'm unfamiliar with the specs of that model but provided it has the right amount of power, it's worth trying out (if you already have one). You want something with at least 70Watts power and if it's more, like a lot more, you might want to place a limiter between the speakers and amp for protection because the drivers, given enough overload of level, could potentially shoot the cones across the room.
SPL Mixing thank you
Can someone please let me know how much heat the auratone 5c active monitors generate fully operational? It's really important for me. Thank you all
Probably not much. I have the passive pair with amp. The Auratone branded amp I use doesn't generate any heat that I notice.
Using the crown d75 as the amp when you shut it down, it has this little funny turn off sound lol I think the crown d75 amp is the only one to do it also do you get a lot of electrical noise when using the amp? Mines very quiet but I can still hear it maybe cause the amp is old ?
I bought the Auratone amp and it very similar. Slight pop and quiet hiss.
@@SPLMixing oh okay makes sense since it’s gots hella power going through them speakers 🔊 yeah mine has a slight hiss as well
please elaborate on the cables pictured to run the speakers. They do not look like the kind you will find at the music store, I am a hobbiest who's mixes using my iMac speakers. mixes never translated well to my car, portable speaker or headphones. So I bit the bullet on the auratone bundle to solve this problem.
Banana plugs joined to standard insulated copper wire for use with home stereo systems. I bought mine from an electronic store called JayCar. If you're in the USA you might check out Tandy or RadioShack or something similar.
@@SPLMixingfunnily enough i have a cart with Jaycar awaiting checkout. Thanks again for the response. I can now complete the purchase confident I've got the right gear.
Did you open it to see if there's any damping inside? thanks
Yes, I did. Similar to what you might use to construct a house with, it had slightly less fluffy compressed sound insulation inside.
SPL Mixing Ah cool! thanks again. I'm about to DIY one and I was wondering if they use this kind of stuff inside or leave it hollow. Nice video by the way.
What amp do we need...
Crown D75 amp if you can get one. Best to check out what everyone else used, as it varies, but Crown is not a bad match up for them.
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Passive or active??
Passive, you need to pair them with an amp for this particular model
I'm always active ;-)
"...not a hundred-percent flat, as you can see..." Oh, what's 90-15kHz, +8/-25db, next to accurate sonic performance? 😊 Post-amp XLR connections don't offer significant advantages. In fact, that application often results in less-than-optimum conductor size being used.
The expectation is that all reference speakers must be flat, so this is an accurate statement. It's not flat, but it's not meant to be either, and that's the point.
@@SPLMixing I think I might have been referring to a number like 25db, or a total amplitude difference from linear input across that range of around 33db, as being a little beyond the pale of "accuracy" in reference to anything, so I thought your statement of "not a hundred-percent flat" was humorous. I certainly agree that plenty of consumer listening devices really are that bad that a mix is going to be played on.
not telling the whole “Truth”... i see what you did there lol