The avantone rocks !

[gainreduction]

Came to the studio today with a fresh pair of avantones.

They instantly put a smile on my face because they're cool ! Build quality is excellent and they feel really solid and serious, the finish is impressive, like the color or not. They're certainly a fresh breeze in my studio instead of that dark-wood-veneer box that has been sitting on my meter bridge.

the rubber bottom to isolate the speaker from the surface is a nice feature.

Sound ? like an auratone with a *small* extension in both top and bottom end. Nothing more, nothing less really.

Cool speaker ! stike

[gainreduction]

Oh, I forgot my only complaint...

You can not buy them one at a time, only in pairs. Many auratone users, like myself, use only one speaker in mono so it feels a little wasted to buy a pair when you need only one. Anyone want to buy one ? I have a spare..

[seaneldon]

what do you want for it

[pan60]

cool i have been looking those bad boy's!

[ISedlacek]

Just thinking what are these types of small one way speakers good for nowadays. The auratones were used in the past to simulate a kind of common small radios etc. which prevailed in home listening conditions that time. Now almost everybody uses boosted home stereos with very rich sound, enhanced bass etc., so a need for "reference" speakers has naturally changed a bit ... What may sound good and tamed on one way limited speakers may sound quite exaggerated in real home listening conditions ... so should not the reference speakers of today (apart from precise and detailed main monitors) be rather of boosted, rich type, representing the average listening enviroment ?

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

The auratones were used in the past to simulate a kind of common small radios etc.

Maybe so, but that's not why I use them. They give me a very different perspective that I find rather useful.

It's easier to hear what's happening in the midrange without a tweeter to distract me, and I also hear stereo field placement better in the Avantones than in any of the other monitors I use (ATC-20/Tannoy 600/NS-10)

[gainreduction]

What Max said, it's about the midrange and un-ported, single/full bandwidth element speakers have a rather unique transient response that is very revealing. Setting vocal/drum/guitar levels in a speaker like this is very effective.

Unlike Max, I use only one speaker in mono. If the stereoplacement rules I might have to reconsider. Gotta try it.

As for real-world reference, what's that today ? A car, iPod headset, laptop cmptr speakers, your hot tub's built in speakers, club PA, airplane headset (mono sometimes), plasma tv speakers, McDonald's happy meal toy playing the Black Eyed Peas in 4 bit resolution..

I dunno, I mix 'til I feel good and trust the mastering guy with the rest.

[GPl]

I'll take one if no one else will. I have the means to get it here quick also, with no hassle to you.

[lucey]

Originally Posted by gainreduction

Sound ? like an auratone with a *small* extension in both top and bottom end. Nothing more, nothing less really.

Quite a bit more low bass and nice, full low mids ... smoother high mids (vocals dont jump as much, more seated) and they have far more damping/power handling overall. Very well made and useful, as was said.

I blew an Auratone, these seem far more robust.

The Avantones seemed to take a couple dozen hours to loosen up, sounding better all the time and gaining some of that Auratone migh mid as the relaxed. Definitely not Auratones, but similar. Made in China for under $200? Good deal.

[vixapphire]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

Just thinking what are these types of small one way speakers good for nowadays. The auratones were used in the past to simulate a kind of common small radios etc. which prevailed in home listening conditions that time. Now almost everybody uses boosted home stereos with very rich sound, enhanced bass etc., so a need for "reference" speakers has naturally changed a bit ... What may sound good and tamed on one way limited speakers may sound quite exaggerated in real home listening conditions ... so should not the reference speakers of today (apart from precise and detailed main monitors) be rather of boosted, rich type, representing the average listening enviroment ?

these things (and auratones) are ultra-useful for solving the problems in the midrange of a mix, including placement of vocals, guitar solos, etc. there are no distractions from the rest of the frequency spectrum and you can really focus on the issue at hand. just as different mics or compressors etc. are useful tools for different situations, so is the aura/avantone a complementary tool to one's near- and mid-field monitors. at the price, they're very attractive. i love my pair; they totally rock.

it's also interesting to listen to older records (i.e. 70s/80s) through these speakers; you gain an entirely different appreciation for the engineers and producers when you hear how fantastic so many older records sound through these things while still sounding burly and full on larger monitors.

one of the best $170 i've ever spent.

vic

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by vixapphire

there are no distractions from the rest of the frequency spectrum and you can really focus on the issue at hand.

This is important to me.

I used to have a hard time working out the midrange and the low mids.

I learned to walk into the next room, or to walk around to the back of my monitors.

The tweeters seem to bring the sound into "focus" and so no matter what else is happening, it kind of makes sense.

if you can ignore the tweeters, you can get a handle on the lower stuff.

[Jamz]

A new pair of Avantones arrived earlier this week. Tested them out quickly as I really need to find the perfect location for them as well as a new power amp.
I believe gainreduction summed it up perfectly. I did notice that the "sweet spot" is relatively small and I'm not sure whether I'll do the mono or stereo setup.

Ivo does bring up a very good point. Coming up before NS-10s were introduced it seemed every studio had small rigged up home radios and Auratones in the room. Of course at that time mono mixes were still a consideration. Not every home or car radio was necessarily in stereo. So times have changed. Are the Avantones just a little throwback "vintage" memory for marketing or do they serve a real purpose? I guess everyone has to make thei own decision. For me having several sets of speakers around is sometimes a benefit. Along with my Genelec/sub system I have a boom box and a choice of several small speakers to choose from when cutting/mixing. These little guys should be easy to place and I do like the idea of no tweeter. I guess if it can be made to sound good on the speakers at hand it should relate well in the real world. I'm curious to see how the Avantones translate in this scenario.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by gainreduction

Oh, I forgot my only complaint...

You can not buy them one at a time, only in pairs. Many auratone users, like myself, use only one speaker in mono so it feels a little wasted to buy a pair when you need only one. Anyone want to buy one ? I have a spare..

Try it for micing bass amps. It's a pretty efficient driver, so it has a good amount of output as a microphone.