M-Audio Studiophile CX8 High-Res Active Studio Reference Monitors – Pair (CX8)

Typical mass-market loudspeakers sound pleasing because their designs incorporate adeliberately uneven, non-linear frequency response that artificially enhances certain bassand treble frequencies. While it may be quite enjoyable to hear finished albums on suchspeakers, actually mixing on this type of monitor is not recommended since such speakerstend to smooth over problem areas and do not reveal everything that should be fixedduring a mix.

Unlike typical mass-market speakers, M-Audios CX line of bi-amplified studio monitorshave been designed to provide accurate, highly detailed, reliable playback that is free ofdistortion or coloration. This is done by having a tightly integrated system in which the CXdrivers, internal electronics (amplifiers, crossover, etc.), and enclosure all work together

to provide accurate bass, smooth high-frequency transient response, and a highly linearfrequency response through the entire audible range of the speaker. This allows you tohear everything in your recorded tracksthe good and the bad thingsso that you can spotand fix problems and ultimately create great mixes that translate well to other speakersand audio playback systems.

Note that the placement andorientation of the CX monitorswithin your studio is importantand correctly placed speakers willresult in improved imaging, clarity,and overall performance. Thistopic is covered in detail in theSetting up CX Monitors sectionof this guide.

Also note that the CX monitorsfeature several switches thathelp you contour the speakerto your specific studio. Whenthese switches are left intheir default position, the CXmonitor will closely resemble the response characteristics shown in the acousticfrequency response graph in the appendix. These anechoic* measurements representperformance of the speaker in an ideal environment similar to that found in ahigh-end recording studio with carefully tuned acoustics. In the real world, however, theacoustics of your specific studio (or the placement of your speakers within the studio)may cause your monitors to exhibit too little (or too much) bass, midrange, or treble.To help compensate for this, the rear-panel switches contour the frequency responseof the speaker specifically to your studio.