CLA-10 Active

The Best Studio Monitor of All Time, Reborn

The CLA-10 Active is our homage to the golden age of music production. We collaborated with platinum studio stalwart Chris Lord-Alge to re-create the ubiquitous “white cone” studio monitor that has been a staple of world-class recording studios for over 45 years — The sound of hits! While not known as the world’s best speaker for casual listening, it’s instead known for being the world’s best reference monitor for mixing.

Through meticulous research into the originals and unwavering attention to sonic detail, those iconic monitors have been recreated for a new generation of audio purists as the CLA-10 Active.

Encased in a sleek black box with that unmistakable white woofer, The CLA-10 Actives deliver the unforgiving mid-forward frequency response that lets you focus on the most mission-critical elements of your mix, particularly vocals. In short: if you can make a mix sound great on CLA-10s, it will sound great on any speaker.

The Original Drivers for the Original Sound.

As the supply of aftermarket components for vintage white-cone speakers dwindled, Avantone Pro stepped in to fill the void... drawing upon their decade of experience in driver construction. The result? Near-identical reproductions of both drivers and the classic crossover that all stay true to the original specifications while meeting modern environmental standards. These components match the originals so well that we even made them available as aftermarket replacement components for aging white-cone speakers.

The AV10-MHF tweeter dome underwent rigorous engineering to arrive at the exact phenolic resin doping required to replicate the original’s performance curve. Meanwhile, the AV10-MLF woofer boasts custom-tooled mechanical parts that faithfully mirror its predecessor.

Collaborating closely with one of the original vendors, Avantone Pro ensured that the stiffness and weight of the cone matched the original’s behavior flawlessly. The only departure from the original design is the use of a pressed cone instead of a lapped one, allowing for superior matching — ushering in a new era where matched pairs are now readily available!

Versatile Voicing and Old-School Power.

One of the most common questions asked about the CLA-10 Actives is “which version of the originals are they based on?” And the answer is... all of them! The CLA-10 Actives have a “VTPC” knob (Variable Tissue Paper Control) allowing you to simulate the high-frequency dampening trick often used on the original speakers — covering the tweeters with tissue paper. VTPC allows you to simulate anything from the Vertical “m” model to the horizontal “Studio” model and everything in between. No more debate over the best tissue paper to use — VTPC has you covered — and you’ll save money on tissue paper in the long run.

Avantone Pro decided to stay traditional with a linear power supply implementing a massive, old-school toroidal transformer in order to maintain the legacy sound. The CLA-10 Active uses a monolithic Class AB amplifier. At low power, THD is a phenomenal 0.005%; at rated load it is 0.1%, yielding excellent performance compared to class D amps. The system yields a rock solid 200W RMS.