Avantone Pro CLA-10

Exposes the Shortcomings of Your Mix

Avantone Pro's CLA10 is a modern reworking of Yamaha's NS10M — the ubiquitous white-coned studio monitor that engineers have sworn by for decades. Like the original, the CLA10 exposes every shortcoming of your mix. Nail it on a set of these, and you're guaranteed a mix that translates everywhere. Avantone has been making replacement drivers for this monitor for a while now. These direct-replacement parts were painstakingly reverse-engineered from the source components, and have garnered acclaim for replicating their sonic signature. The CLA10 takes it to the next level, reproducing the entire speaker. Avantone built the CLA10 from top-shelf materials (some of higher quality than the originals). If you want to hear your mix, this is the speaker to get.

The ultimate reality check

There's nothing flat about this studio monitor's frequency response. Like its predecessor, the CLA10 delivers a fatiguing, mid-heavy sound. And like most sealed-box speakers, it has limited bass extension. In other words, this isn't the best-sounding speaker in the world. In fact, it sounds downright dreadful in some circumstances — cold and clinical. That said, it's this quality that exposes the flaws in your mix. And that's where this monitor's magic lies — perfect your mix on a set of CLA10s, and it's sure to sound great everywhere.

Physically and sonically identical to the original

The Avantone Pro CLA10 is physically and sonically identical to the original. Its tweeter dome uses the same phenolic resin doping to match the original's performance curve. Its woofer uses custom-tooled mechanical parts that mirror the original. The CLA10's woofer cone eschews the original's curl-and-join construction for a modern pressed design, but is an exact sonic match. Avantone even sourced the cone material from the original vendor! The crossover network uses the same value capacitors. The inductors match the original in DC resistance, winding dimensions, and value. All of the CLA10's components were reverse-engineered from the original speaker for an exact match throughout the frequency range.

Meticulously tested for top-notch performance

Although the CLA10 is a veritable clone of its forerunner, it uses higher-grade components than the original. This allows for tighter production tolerance and meets current ROHS and WEEE requirements. And these monitors were tested to death — at Sweetwater, we've rarely seen such meticulous quality control. Avantone conducted hundreds of hours of testing to ensure as close a match as possible. Every component was tested in one of the world's top studios. Every magnet was tested in the gap for field density, ensuring a uniform performance curve. And before it was given the stamp of approval, a range of esteemed recording engineers reached a consensus that the CLA10 is an exact match to the original — it's the real deal!