Return Of The White Cone Studio Monitor

US Avantone Pro announces the active CLA-10A Limited Edition 14/12/23

Avantone Pro tells us that, having closely collaborated with GRAMMY® Award-winning mix engineer Chris Lord- Alge to previously introduce its full-range, two-way passive CLA-10 as an accurate recreation of an iconic studio monitoring mainstay, subsequently followed by its active CLA-10A counterpart, they are now announcing a repeat return of the 'white cone' classic studio reference monitor in question as its active CLA-10A Limited Edition. They say that this enables delivery of that revered reference tone exactly as before but presented in an attractive North American black walnut veneer that looks as classic as it sounds. Here's the details in their own words...

History has it that a certain iconic studio mainstay -- much loved in the music industry among pop and rock recording engineers to this day as a valuable mixing tool with which to reveal shortcomings in recordings -- is a passive affair, as reflected in Avantone Pro's CLA-10 as an accurate recreation. As alluded to by an appellation (partly) shared with the CLA-10's active CLA-10A counterpart subsequently released to equally widespread critical acclaim, no external power amp is required when working with the CLA-10A Limited Edition, however -- unlike yesteryear's studio reference 'white cone' classic. Clearly, improving on perfection without altering the revered reference tone that those recording engineers expect could well be considered beyond the bounds of possibility -- at least to outsiders. On the face of it, then, Avantone Pro's CLA-10A Limited Edition enables delivery of that revered reference tone exactly as before but presents it in an attractive North American black walnut veneer that looks as classic as it sounds -- achieving the unachievable by changing the finish, in other words!

Why the CLA-10A Limited Edition sounds the way it does is a little more complicated, understandably. Ultimately, the supply of aftermarket components became increasingly expensive with reduced availability after the 'white cone' classic studio reference monitor was discontinued, which is why Avantone Pro created a near-exact recreation of the original drivers. Deploying their global resources and decade-long experience in driver construction, the affordable high-quality audio products producer succeeded in faithfully reproducing the components concerned, while updating the materials involved to comply with modern environmental standards.

Saying that, though, the AV10-MHF 3.5 cm soft dome tweeter used in the CLA-10A Limited Edition design went through a difficult engineering process to get the exact phenolic resin doping to match the original performance curve, while the accompanying AV10-MLF 18 cm cone woofer uses custom-tooled mechanical parts that mirror the original. Also, Avantone Pro worked closely with one of the original vendors of the original cone to get the exact same stiffness and weight, but upgraded the production process to create machine-pressed cones. Consequently, the CLA-10 marked the first time that a white cone-style speaker was made in matched sonic pairs, an achievement that clearly continued with the introduction of the active CLA-10A and, now, the CLA-10A Limited Edition, effectively representing a repeat return of the 'white cone' classic studio reference monitor in and of itself.

One of the most common questions asked about Avantone Pro's accurate recreation of an iconic studio monitoring mainstay concerns which version of the originals they are based on, to which the answer is: all of them! The CLA-10A Limited Edition has a VTPC (Variable Tissue Paper Control) located on its rear panel, allowing users to simulate the high-frequency damping trick employed by pop and rock recording engineers back in the day -- namely, covering the tweeters with tissue paper! Put it this way: with VTPC, CLA-10A Limited Edition users can simulate anything from the vertical 'M' model to the horizontal 'Studio' model, as well as everything in between. No need to worry about the best tissue paper to use since VTPC has effectively settled that debate once and for all -- surely saving money on tissue paper purchasing in the process of doing so!

Staying traditional with a linear power supply implementing a massive, old-school toroidal transformer in order to maintain that still-sought-after legacy sound, the CLA-10A Limited Edition also uses a monolithic Class AB amplifier. At low power, THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is a phenomenal 0.005%; at rated load, it is 0.1%, yielding excellent performance compared to Class D amps. A rock-solid 240W total RMS full- range -- 60-20,000Hz (accessible musical range) -- two-way stereo pair (120W per speaker) system is the result of Avantone Pro's design choices made in close collaboration with GRAMMY® Award-winning mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge (to whom the CLA-10A Limited Edition and its elder siblings not only owe their shared 'initials' but also their very existence). End result? It is fair to say that the CLA-10A Limited Edition design most definitely looks as classic as it sounds!

Pricing and Availability:
The CLA-10A Limited Edition is available at Avantone Pro's US Dealers with a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $999.00 USD per pair. (SSP -- System Sell Price -- in the European Union is €1,332.00 EUR per pair, including VAT (Value Added Tax), with international dealers listed by country here.

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