Avantone Active MixCubes

Sources split. SonicScoop and Sound On Sound hear a smoother, cleaner and more neutral cube than the original Auratone 5C, still honky by design, and a Gearspace owner calls it more hi-fi than an Auratone. ASR measured a badly uneven response with clear resonances, Amazona's 2016 comparison heard boxy, slightly dull voices and overstated upper mids, and ASR members and Reddit users who know the original 5C say it changes the midrange in the wrong way.

Sources split on what the missing bass is good for. All agree there is essentially none below about 150–200 Hz. Sound On Sound, Tape Op, SonicScoop, Ju1ce Audio and owners say the clean, unported roll-off makes it surprisingly good for judging whether kick drums and bass lines carry through their harmonics. ASR, Amazona's 2026 test and a Thomann owner say kick, bass and cymbals barely register and can't be judged on it.

What it is for, and where agreement is broadest: it isolates the midrange so vocals, snare, guitars and keys can be balanced quickly. Amazona calls it an unmatched mid-balance tool, Sound On Sound the best thing for vocal automation, Tape Op says vocals are even more exposed than on the first version, and Thomann and Amazon owners (mixing performance 17 to 1 positive) agree. Dissent is narrower: Amazona's 2016 comparison heard boxy voices that tempt you to over-EQ, and a few users find the low mids under-represented.

“I can't think of any speaker I'd rather use for carrying out critical lead‑vocal automation tasks than this.”

Mike Senior, Sound On Sound

“Im Prinzip kann man mit den Monitoren nur eine Sache ganz hervorragend, die Lautstärke von mittenbetonten Instrumenten wie Gesang, Snare, Gitarren und Keyboards abgleichen.”

Axel Ritt, Amazona.de (German: “In principle the monitors do only one thing superbly: balancing the level of mid-heavy instruments such as vocals, snare, guitars and keyboards”)

“I have them and the are indispensable in setting vocal levels, checking verb levels and identifying low-mid mud.”

Heartfelt, Gearspace (owner of the actives)

“Allerdings kommen menschliche Stimmen merklich topfig und leicht dumpf daher”

Onkel Sigi, Amazona.de comparison with the Auratone 5C (German: “However, human voices come across noticeably boxy and slightly dull”)

Sources split, unevenly. ASR measured the driver breaking up above about 2 kHz and heard distorted highs; owners on Thomann, ASR and Reddit describe a harsh or scratchy 2–6 kHz edge and distortion at the top. Amazona's 2026 test and SonicScoop find it smoother and less grating than the original Auratone, and some owners praise its clarity up top. Either way, little is left above about 10 kHz.

Unforgiving, which is the point. Sound On Sound found it extremely revealing of distortion in the programme itself, Amazona hears masking between instruments and mouth clicks in vocals mercilessly, Ju1ce Audio hears compression "like night and day", and Thomann and Reddit owners say it exposes saturation and mid-range distortion that main monitors hide. One owner calls the midrange a bit fuzzy.

“Maskierungseffekte zwischen Instrumenten, die sich um denselben Frequenzbereich streiten, werden auf diesem Lautsprecher geradezu unerträglich deutlich hörbar”

Axel Ritt, Amazona.de (German: “Masking between instruments competing for the same frequency range becomes almost unbearably audible on this speaker”)

“They reveal any distortion in the mids and make it easier to hone in on the problem and fix it.”

Driftin' Duke, Thomann owner review

“Another thing about these is that you hear compression like night and day.”

Ju1ce Audio (YouTube, dealer-sponsored)

Fast and punchy for what it is. Sound On Sound, SonicScoop, Amazona and Reddit owners praise the transient response of the sealed, crossoverless design, and Amazona's 2016 comparison found it played loud with a strong attack. ASR members dispute how much the transient advantage is real. It is not built for volume: one owner found a single cube much quieter than a Behringer C50A at the same level, and another says it runs out of power for stage use.

“Die Avantone haben einen sehr kräftigen Antritt und können auch „gut laut“, die Drums knallen schön und es gibt eine insgesamt gute Plastizität.”

Onkel Sigi, Amazona.de comparison (German: “The Avantones have a very strong attack and can play quite loud too; the drums crack nicely and there is good plasticity overall”)

“Yeah a far less talked about positive aspect of the mixcube is the transient response.”

I_love_milksteaks, r/audioengineering

“elles manquent tout de suite un peu de puissance si l'on veut faire de la scène.”

Thibault Hias, Thomann owner review (French: “they quickly lack a little power if you want to use them on stage”)

Sources split. Owners on Thomann, Reddit and Gearspace and Ju1ce Audio find it easy to place: with no bass to excite room modes it sounds the same in any room, works in tiny untreated spaces and isn't fussy about where you sit. ASR measured narrow dispersion that tightens further up the range — Avantone tells you to point it at your ears — and a Thomann owner finds the single driver hard to position without comb filtering.

Sources split, unevenly. Sound On Sound, Tape Op, Amazona, Ju1ce Audio and most owners say mixes balanced on it hold up everywhere, and some do most of a mix on it. ASR calls it unfit for any purpose, several ASR members and Reddit users say an EQ on the main monitors or a cheap real-world speaker does the same job, and some former owners sold it or found a Behringer or original Auratone more useful. SonicScoop and Sound On Sound add a subtler worry: it is cleaner than the original, so it may let a cluttered midrange slide.

Mostly quiet now, with a history. The first series in 2009–10 hummed even with the ground lift engaged (Thomann reviews); Gearspace owners and a later Thomann reviewer report the redesigned units hum-free. A 2021 Thomann buyer still got one from a batch with grounding hum (exchanged without trouble), and another hears a loud ground hum when an unbalanced monitor controller is switched off ahead of the cubes.

“Unfortunately, the first series apparently had issues with ground loops. These have now apparently been resolved, and what remains is a great alternative monitor, preferably used individually and in mono.”

rennert, Thomann owner review (2011)

“Hay que ir con cuidado porque hay una partida de estas unidades que da problemas de masa y emiten zumbidos. A mi me llegó uno de estos y me lo cambiaron en Thomann sin problema.”

Growch, Thomann owner review, 2021 (Spanish: “Be careful: there is a batch of these units with grounding problems that hum. I got one and Thomann swapped it without trouble”)

Deliberately basic, and sources like what is there: a locking combo XLR/TRS input, a ground-lift switch, a detented gain knob for matching cubes (Tape Op found it far handier than the first version's recessed trim pot), a lit power switch and a mic-stand thread in the base. There is no tone control, no RCA or USB input and no front power light — one owner misses the LED.

“This is really helpful when bringing the MixCubes to other studios.”

Allen Farmelo, Tape Op, on the external detented gain knob

“The only down side is the lack of led lights in the front and the power supply is way to big...”

Max Haze, Thomann owner review

Plug-and-play once set up (Ju1ce Audio), with detented gain for repeatable matching, but every cube needs its own screw-on external supply of about 2 kg — Sound On Sound calls it almost comically hefty, Amazona the biggest it has ever seen, and owners on Thomann, Reddit and Gearspace complain about the size. A single cube needs the mix summed to mono before it, and one buyer found it so quiet that the gain had to sit at maximum.

“Wenn ich mich recht entsinne, habe ich überhaupt noch nie ein so gigantisches externes Netzteil gesehen, das zudem mit knapp 2 kg Gewicht auch noch extrem schwer ist.”

Axel Ritt, Amazona.de (German: “If I remember right, I have never seen such a gigantic external power supply, and at almost 2 kg it is extremely heavy too”)

“Was ich nicht ganz verstehe sind die übertrieben riesigen Netzteile”

Dr Woe, Thomann owner review (German: “What I don't quite understand are the absurdly huge power supplies”)

Widely praised. Amazona found not one part that wasn't faultlessly made, SonicScoop calls the active cubes truly beautiful little speakers, Tape Op likes the glossy lacquer, and even ASR found it well built; Thomann and Gearspace owners agree. The weaker tail is quality control and shipping: Amazon reviewers received cubes with the driver half-detached, one that made no sound, and one whose gain knob crackled and cut out, and a Thomann owner warns the front logos can come off.

“From the magenta heat sink in the back to the lettering on the front; from the custom power supply to the fleckless paint job, the active MixCubes are truly beautiful little speakers.”

Justin Colletti, SonicScoop

“Überhaupt ist die Verarbeitung der Speaker vorbildlich, nicht ein Bauteil, das nicht tadellos verarbeitet wäre.”

Axel Ritt, Amazona.de (German: “The workmanship is exemplary; there isn't a single part that isn't flawlessly finished”)

“Tuning the input gain knob resulted in crackling and pops while the audio cut in and out.”

sleight, Amazon owner review (1★)

Mostly judged worth it as a second reference. SonicScoop named it the best-value cube monitor (after first thinking $499 steep), Amazona calls it a must-buy next to proper main monitors, Ju1ce Audio would rather split $1,000 between these and a pair of mains, and Amazon owners lean positive on value (5 to 2). ASR members and Reddit users call it an overpriced gadget that an EQ, a Behringer cube or a cheap speaker can replace.

“Although I initially thought a $499 street price seemed a little steep for such a small and simple design, finally examining them in person made me feel differently about it.”

Justin Colletti, SonicScoop

“Als Ergänzung zu einem ordentlichen Hauptmonitorpaar: Pflichtkauf. Als Ersatz dafür: völlig ungeeignet.”

Axel Ritt, Amazona.de (German: “As a complement to a decent pair of main monitors: a must-buy. As a replacement for them: completely unsuitable”)

“I honestly think it's just an overpriced studio gadget.”

Postlan, Audio Science Review forum (former major-studio engineer)