Product Guides

CUBE Street vs CUBE Street EX – Which One is Right For Me?

Cube Street is the world standard for busking/portable amps
Range consists of Cube Street and Cube Street EX
Which one you choose depends on your needs – single performer, multi-instrument, multiple members, mini PA, etc

The Cube Street range is virtually synonymous with busking and street performance. We’ll go so far as to wager that there isn’t a popular waterfront or street corner in the world where you won’t see a Cube Street at the feet of the talented musicians entertaining passers-by!

There are two amps in the Cube Street range – the original Cube Street and the Cube Street EX. Which one you choose depends on your needs – are you a solo performer running backing tracks from your phone? Do you use just a single guitar or have you got multiple instruments to plug in? Or do you have several band members performing together?

We’ve compiled some of the key features of both the Cube Street and Cube Street EX to help you figure out which one works for your situation – and there’s also a handy summary table at the end of the article!

Contributed by Ed Lim for Roland Corporation Australia

CUBE STREET – THE ORIGINAL

The lightest and most portable Cube Street
5W power rating punches above its weight with high performance speakers
Input a mic and guitar, with versatile mix of on-board COSM amps and effects
6AA batteries will last 15 hours
Common features – tuner, footswitching, 3-band EQ, AC adaptor included

Weighing in at a mere 5.9 kg, the original Cube Street is lightweight and ultra-portable. You can run it for up to 15 hours on just 6x AA batteries, or use the included AC adaptor.

It’s rated at 5W of power but don’t let that fool you – it punches well above its weight through a pair of 6.5 inch high performance speakers!

Crowd ready!

You have a choice of two inputs – one is a combined XLR/TRS which you can plug in a microphone or a line level input like a keyboard or synthesizer; the other is a standard ¼” TRS jack for you to plug your guitar into.

On the Mic channel, you can fine tune your sound with bass/treble controls as well as delay or reverb.

On the Instrument channel, a wide variety of COSM amp models are available, from acoustic simulator to iconic JC clean, all the way up to chunky high gain. These are supported by classic effects types like chorus, phaser, flanger and tremolo, as well as a choice of delay or reverb.

Round off these great features with stereo aux in to run backing tracks from your phone or computer, as well as stereo phones out for silent practice, and it’s clear why the Cube Street is the standard choice for so many street performers across the globe.

But if you need a bit more, read on…

CUBE STREET EX – BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER

Supports more inputs for busking with multiple instruments or bigger groups
Innovative technology uses 8AA batteries to generate a huge 50W of power
Get extended battery life using power saving modes
Incorporates two pairs of discrete woofers and tweeters for great full range sound
Use i-CUBE link to connect Apple devices – use with CUBE Jam app
Stand mountable. Stereo link to create powerful mobile PA system
Streamlined selection of COSM amps and basic effects
Common features – tuner, footswitching, 3-band EQ, AC adaptor included

Cube Street EX takes things to a whole new level, sporting up to 4 inputs and a huge 50W of power to support busking with multiple instruments or bigger groups – or, if you just want to be louder than the busker a few metres down the sidewalk from you!

The versatility of the 4 inputs allows you to amplify almost any configuration of instruments and vocals for street performance, giving you a unique edge on the competition. For example, you might run:

Keys + vocals + electric guitar
Acoustic guitar + electric guitar + vocals
Electronic drums (in stereo) + electric guitar + vocals
Two vocals + synth (in stereo)

The possibilities are endless!

Sound quality is upgraded over the standard Cube Street by incorporating a stereo pair of 8 inch woofers and dedicated 2 inch tweeters to allow fantastic full range sound reproduction for backing tracks or instruments like electronic drums and synthesizers. With i-CUBE Link and the free CUBE JAM app you can easily control backing tracks from your Apple device, and even record straight to your phone!

A core selection of COSM amps is represented – from acoustic guitar preamp and acoustic simulation to clean/crunch/lead options; as well as a trusty trio of effects – reverb, delay and chorus.

The innovative power optimisation technology allows 8x AA batteries to power the EX for up to 20 hours on ECO mode (10W) – with 15 hours available on NORM mode (25W) and 5 hours on MAX mode (50W).

If 50W of power isn’t enough, you can even stereo link another Cube Street EX to form a mighty but mini portable PA system – mountable on speaker stands for maximum sound dispersion. In this configuration you can run up to EIGHT simultaneous inputs – no need to shell out for a separate mixing desk.

Considering the huge bump in power, increased versatility, and great quality of sound reproduction, the EX is still extremely portable at 7.4kg!

IN SUMMARY

	CUBE Street	CUBE Street EX
Inputs	1. Mic/Line (XLR/TRS) 2. Guitar/Instrument/Mic (TRS)	1. Mic/Line (XLR/TRS) 2. Mic/Guitar (TRS) - with COSM 3. Line in (L/Mono) 4. Line in (R)
Aux. In	Yes	Yes (w/dedicated volume)
i-CUBE Link	No	Yes
Speakers	Woofer: 16cm (6.5in) x2	Woofer: 20cm (8in) x2 Tweeter: 5cm (2in) x2
Power (watts)	5W	50W
On-board effects	Reverb Delay Chorus Flanger Phaser Tremolo	Reverb Delay Chorus
Built-in Tuner	Yes	Yes
Footswitchable	Yes	Yes
3-Band EQ	Yes	Yes
Stereo Link	No	Yes
AC Adaptor	Included	Included
Battery Powered	6 x AA	8 x AA
Battery Life	15 hours	5 hrs @ 50W (MAX mode) 10 hrs @ 25W (NORM mode) 20 hrs @ 10W (ECO mode)
COSM Amp Models	Acoustic Sim JC Clean Black Panel Brit Combo Classic Stack R-fier Stack Instrument Mic	A-Guitar Acoustic Sim Clean Crunch Lead Mic
COSM Gain Control	Yes	No
Weight	5.2KG	7.4KG