If you’ve been planning to set up a studio, whether in your garage, bedroom, or you’ve secured a decent-sized space, one of the most critical pieces of must-have equipment is proper studio monitors.
These come in a plethora of shapes and sizes. The right one for you will depend on several factors including the price, size of your studio, and your goals.
Today we take a look at two awesome studio speakers that you can pick from the market. Mind you these are a bit on the larger side so are best suited for a larger studio.
We are talking about the Avantone CLA-10 and the Yamaha HS8.
Okay, so you are probably wondering by now, which of the two should you choose?
To best answer that question, we will need to take a closer look at both these studio monitors to see how they perform, their price, their size, and build quality to mention but a few.
So if you are ready, let’s get to it.
The price
You are probably wondering how much these speakers cost. After all, you can only spend as much as your budget allows.
The Avantone CLA-10 is available on Amazon for about $1000. Okay, by no means is this the cheapest studio monitor on the market.
So is the price worth it? That’s what we are here to find out.
Next is the Yamaha HS8. This one comes with a more attractive price tag. You can pick the Yamaha HS8 off Amazon shelves for about $374.
Yes, you are right. The Yamaha is a lot more tempting to choose than the Avantone CLA-10. However, there is still plenty to consider so hang in there!
The verdict:
The Yamaha HS8 is a lot more affordable than the Avantone CLA-10. If you are tied by your budget, then you may just want to go with the Yamaha HS8 studio monitor.
The Features
The speakers on the Yamaha HS8 feature transducers that have a completely new design. They utilize magnetic field technology that results in clear and crisp sounds over a huge range of bandwidth. Then there are the duo amplifiers that are designed for high performance. These were developed with the transducers in mind resulting in a perfect match.
There is an amplifier for the woofer and the other for the tweeter. The Yamaha studio monitor features white cone speakers that produce 200 watts of output. All this is in a 23.59 pound or 10.7kg package.
It is 15.4 inches in height, 13.1 inches wide, and has 9.8 inches of depth.
But what about the Avantone CLA-10?
The Avantone also boasts a class AB amplifier. This simply means that the amplifier provides maximum efficiency while also ensuring minimum sound distortion.
Due to its mid-heavy sound, the Avantone CLA-10 can prove to be the perfect studio monitor as it will expose any flaws in your mix. It features a 7-inch woofer and a 1.4-inch soft-dome tweeter. The enclosure is made from sturdy and durable MDF which ultimately means long life. The Avantone CLA-10 weighs 6.3kgs and has a power handling of 120 watts.
It is 15.1 inches wide, has a height of 8.4 inches, and has a depth of 7.7 inches.
The verdict:
The Yamaha HS8 takes the lead when it comes to the number of features. Even for its lower price, it still offers a larger output and looks more modern and quality than the Avantone CLA-10.
Design and Build
If there is one thing we know about Yamaha is that they don’t disappoint with their quality of build. And this is certainly reflected in the Yamaha HS8.
The enclosure of the monitor is built from a dense MDF material. This not only adds to its durability but also ensures as little resonance as possible.
It also has a three-way mitered joint which further helps to reduce resonance.
The result? You get clear deep bass.
The enclosure also has a textured finish that makes it look stylish.
The Avantone CLA-10 is a rebuild of the original Yamaha NS10. Even the tweeter and the woofer use the same technology to bring the sound and output as close as possible to the Yamaha NS10.
Why would the designers of the Avantone CLA-10 create a remake of another speaker you may ask? Well because the Yamaha NS10 worked.
It was considered the standard studio monitor back in the day.
The Avantone features an 18cm woofer and a 3.5 cm tweeter.
The verdict:
The Yamaha HS8 has more quality with its textured surface and MDF build. The speakers also look and feel more robust. That said, you get a nice and top-quality build with the Avantone CLA-10 as well.
The sound and output
Let’s start with the frequency response, shall we?
The Yamaha HS8 sits at 38Hz to 30KHz. Compare this with the Avantone CLA-10 which has a frequency range of 60Hz to 20kHz.
It is not surprising thus that the Yamaha HS8 offers more bass and crisp clear sounds. That said, the Avantone is quite the loud studio monitor as well. You will find this blast from the past highly suitable for a medium-sized studio.
The one thing that stands out with the Yamaha HS8 is how clear the sound feels across the range. There are no distortions even at high volumes.
The bi-amp design is something that you see with expensive studio monitors but you also get this feature with the Yamaha HS8.
As we noted before, the Avantone produces a mid-heavy sound. You are likely to easily notice that its bass is far more limited than in the Yamaha HS8. But there is a hidden benefit to this.
You can notice any flaws in your mix with the Avantone CLA-10 even far better than you can with the Yamaha HS8. The result is a better quality production.
The verdict:
The Yamaha utilizes a bi-amp design which contributes to the clear crisp sounds. It also offers much deeper bass while the Avantone sounds more boxed in. The Yamaha also has a larger output than the Avantone. Here, the Yamaha HS8 is the clear winner. That said you simply cannot ignore the Avantone CLA-10’s ability to pinpoint flaws in your mix.
The Verdict
The Yamaha HS8 produces more output and deeper basses. It also offers clear and crisp sound even at high volumes. Plus it costs around $374 on Amazon compared to the Avantone CLA-10 which costs about $1000.
So you might be wondering, why would you even spend $1000 on the Avantone? Well, remember that this studio monitor is designed from a classic Yamaha NS10M. For decades these speakers were accepted as the industry standard and were found in almost every studio. And while they may sound boxed in, they are excellent at pointing out flaws in your mix.
If you prefer something modern then you may just want to go with the Yamaha HS8. However, if you would like a recreation of an iconic studio monitor that will still perform decently in today’s standards, then the Avantone CLA-10 is one to check out.
