Auratone 5C Super Sound Cube Classic

I was looking for reference speakers and found that Auratone Cubes are back in production! They really are great reference listening for mixing. They sound so "bad" that they highlight the flaws in your mix instantly, exactly what you'll need! And they are small in size too, you'll find a place for them.

I was already looking for used ones on eBay, but you'll never really know how used up they are. And most importantly, the price is almost the same! I switch monitors during mixing when I feel that I'm losing little focus or sense of balance. They reveal the mistakes. I really can't imagine to have just these in the studio, they are narrowband speakers - 75 - 17000 Hz. But I backchecked the mixes that I've done in the past. The ones that I'm still quite proud of, they sounded good on Auratones and the ones that were just OK, they were no good on Auratones?. And the same goes for any music.

Speakers are really small, no problem to find space for them on your desk (I've heard some use just one speaker for reference, some even don't place them apart for each other for stereo panning, just side by side). They are passive speakers, just find the matching amp.

It was hard to find low-wattage studio amp for them (20 Watts). But as i consulted with some wiser people: you don't really need a special amp for reference. Any decent and pretty flat receiver kind of amp will do. And if you are pro user, you don't need to match the speaker and amp wattage. It's even better to have higher powered amp - more clarity and cleaner sound. Low wattage solid state amp will produce square wave when cranked up and it will destroy the speaker more likely.

In conclusion - great reference, they are very revealing, I get better mixes much faster. They are small, no problem finding space for them. They are the best buy for a long time!

Music is a territory of various elements. Time, synchronicity, pauses, tonality, harmonic nuances, dynamic variations etc. While time elements are generally fairly distinctive, some others aren’t. Recorded music always contradicts reality in the domain of perception.
As a matter of fact, recorded music is somehow an illusion. An illusion of frequency fullness, harmonic plentiness, correctness of intensity and so on.
The main problem dealing with recorded music content is to bring as much as humanly possible is the perception close to reality. Largely, this is a mind game. Where, and when, perception wins, reality loses. And if we let reality win, perception would tear us apart… That’s the reason why “unreal” recorded music always sounds very “different” from the “real” performed live. Needless to say we needed a compromise here. Well, not so late after... “man gave names to all the animals”, he invented studio monitor speakers! While he was struggling to light a fire in his shack he was trying as well to compromise perception with reality. Αnd as today's music goes back to prehistoric times, the controversy over whether monitor speakers should enhance perception or reproduce reality has erupted.
Given all the above I would say that Auratone’s Sound Cubes are not the kind of monitors that enhance perception. They are focused on the less spectacular and ostentatious goal of reproducing reality, the pure yet complex reality of that graph curve showing the variations of tonality in relation to time which we used to call music.
I’ m using Sound Cubes as reference monitors along with passive Westelakes Lc 8.1, KRKs R6 and active Emes Cobalt in a professional recording studio. In my opinion, they provide a thumbnail, a concise but accurate "summary" of the final outcome of a mixing while they can also be very useful during tracking.
In an acoustically well-treated room they will unfold their sound virtues providing the user a valuable tool to approach musical realism. I think, in this environment you would hardly experience the emphasis on the middle range frequencies which these speakers are notorious. I also find the performance of the low range quite satisfactory in relation to their dimensions and what is written and said sometimes. Obviously they are not for newcomers who are looking for, and excited about, super bass and super highs and prefer impressive sound reproduction despite realistic representation. In conclusion, Aurotone’s Sound Cubes are critical listening tools of a very good quality that offer precision and accuracy while they always remain pleasant to the listener's ears.

There are not that many products out there that really help you with your mix as a pair of Auratone speakers.

I've been using a pair of mid-priced monitors for mixing and sound design but haven't really felt that I've been totally in charge of the final mix and sound.

So when I heard that Auratone where making these again I just had to get a pair and jump on the Auratone train.

They definitely don't sound "horrible" as the name they've earned through the years and it really isn't a name they deserve. These monitors are just very honest and really gives you vital information about your mix and sound.

You can get a surgical control of you mids, which I would say is very important to get closer to a good crisp mix that sounds good on any speaker systems.

So if you are tired second guessing your results I really recommend these monitors/speakers.

One of my best buys to date!

Note:
You need to drive these monitors through an stereo amplifier because they are passive monitors so take that into your consideration.

I've used different Auratones over the years (the older classic models). I was worried when I got these that they might sound 'too good', and therefore defeat the purpose slightly. I have to say I'm delighted. They really compliment my main speakers, and I actually find myself working on them quite a lot, as it's quite nice to not have the fatigue from all the top end. The choices I make on them help me clear up a lot of the mid range issues when mixing, and I'm often quite surprised when switching back to the full range. They look great and a well built. Highly recommended.

There is a big learning curve for these monitors. I've listened material that I know very well for a couple of days before I started mixing.

I'll describe the sound like you heard on your grandma's cheap radio but in the same time very direct and clear.

These monitors react extremely well on transients ,mixing snare drum and acoustic instruments especially is a breeze !
Also you can here instantly the frequencies that are harsh and fighting with each other .

I think a big benefit will have every mix engineer who is dealing mostly with live instruments and acoustic based music !
For trap and modern processed sounds you can take something different !

Highly recommended !