Avantone Pro CLA-10 Passive Chris Lord Alge Passive Studio Monitors (Pair)

Re-creating a classic

To develop the CLA-10 Passive, Avantone worked closely with Chris Lord-Alge to re-create the monitor speaker that has been omnipresent in world-class studios for over four decades. There were several revisions and modifications to the iconic speaker over the decades, but the CLA-10 Passives enjoy the advantage of today’s advanced materials science and computer-aided design. The result? The Avantone Pro CLA-10 Passive is nearly 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 CLA-10 Passive’s woofer cone eschews the original’s curl-and-join construction for a modern pressed design, but is an exact sonic match. The crossover network uses the same value capacitors. The inductors match the original DC resistance, winding dimensions, and value; all of the CLA-10’s components were reverse-engineered from the original speaker for an exact match throughout the frequency range. The CLA-10 Passive does, however, include a feature the original didn’t have: namely, a VTC switch that attenuates the output of the tweeter by 2dB, simulating the infamous makeshift “tissue-paper mod,” but without the nasty comb filtration distortion.

Reveals every flaw in your recordings

Like the original, the Avantone Pro Chris Lord-Alge CLA-10 Passive studio monitors expose every shortcoming of your mix. Monitor on these, and you’re guaranteed a mix that translates to the world outside your studio and holds up well on real-world playback systems where lackluster mixes go to die. Avantone has been making replacement drivers for the original 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 CLA-10 Passive takes it to the next level, reproducing the entire speaker. If you want to nail your mix, this is the speaker to get.

The ultimate reality check

There’s nothing flat about this studio monitor’s frequency response. Like the classic that inspired it, the CLA-10 Passive delivers an unforgiving, mid-heavy sound, and like most acoustic-suspension speakers, it has limited low-frequency extension. In other words, this isn’t the best-sounding speaker in the world. In fact, it can sound cold and clinical — and downright dreadful if your mix isn’t up to snuff. That said, it’s this very quality that exposes the flaws in your mix. And that’s where this monitor’s magic lies — perfect your mix on a set of CLA-10 Passives, and it’s sure to sound great everywhere.

Meticulously tested for top-notch performance

Although the CLA-10 Passive 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 Suhavimart, 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. Finally, before it was given the final stamp of approval, a range of esteemed recording engineers reached a consensus that the CLA-10 Passive is an exact match to the original — in other words, it’s the real deal!

Avantone Pro CLA-10 Passive Features:

• Re-creation of the ubiquitous studio monitor that engineers relied upon for decades
• 2-way design with 7-inch woofer and 1.375-inch soft-dome tweeter
• Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
• Mid-heavy sound exposes every shortcoming of your mix
• VTC switch attenuates the output of the tweeter by 2dB
• Physically and sonically identical to the original design
• Hundreds of hours of testing ensure as close a match as possible
• Precisely matched frequency voicing ensures that your mix translates to real-world playback systems
• All components reverse-engineered from the original speaker for an exact frequency match
• Tweeter dome uses the same phenolic resin doping to match the original’s performance curve
• Woofer uses custom-tooled mechanical parts that mirror the original
• Crossover network uses the same value capacitors
• Inductors match the original in DC resistance, winding dimensions, and value
• High-grade components ensure long service life