ATC Speakers

[Nikhil]

I have been enjoying my ATC SCM20 since March this year.
Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much information available online..

Starting this thread to get some idea of how many ATC owners we have on the forum.
Please share which model ATC speaker you have in your setup and which amps you have in use.
Hopefully we can get a good number of folks on here to get a good discussion going.

Regards


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[Nikhil]

Some of you may have already seen my thread on my speaker switch.
Link: Shuffling the Deck

But here is the info on my current speakers:
Speakers: ATC SCM 20 PSL
Amps: Acoustic Portrait Thiyaga Preamp & Power Amp

Frankly I continue to be surprised at how well I think the AP amps have been driving my 20s. I've had these amps for quite a while now and when I slipped them into the chain I was not really expecting much. I knew the amps had a very capable design but have been very happy with the control and finesse with which they are playing with the 20s. Speaker cables are the Belden 8477.

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[captainsubtext]

I no longer have my ATCs which I thoroughly enjoyed for 2+ years.

I had the ATC SCM 11 paired with the following chain:

Schiit gungnir > schiit saga > trigon tre 50m monoblocs

What I really liked about this setup was the detail retrieval and layering. Of course it was lighter on bass than I liked and I did find it a bit difficult to integrate a sub properly in this setup.

 

[Nikhil]

Of course it was lighter on bass than I liked and I did find it a bit difficult to integrate a sub properly in this setup.

Interesting! Can you elaborate a little more on this?
I am planning to add a sub to my system soon and this is why I am asking.


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[square_wave]

Nice! Good to see you picked up the SCM 20. I have heard the active version of this speaker a few times here. One of the most accomplished speakers I have heard. You hear the truth through these. The AP amp will be a great match.

 

[cmsajith]

Been using ATC SCM 40 for ~10+ years, had paired it with Quad 909, 4 Nos x diy Nelson Pass Turbo V4 MonoBlocks and Acoustic Portrait PM1 PreAmp & Yamamoto YDA-01 DAC. Rest of the chain is in my signature.

 

[Nikhil]

Been using ATC SCM 40 for ~10+ years, had paired it with Quad 909, 4 Nos x diy Nelson Pass Turbo V4 MonoBlocks and Acoustic Portrait PM1 PreAmp & Yamamoto YDA-01 DAC. Rest of the chain is in my signature.

That looks like a great setup! Are you tri-amping your SCM40s?



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[drkrack]

I Recently Got ATC SCM 40 V2 Speakers, I am Driving them with Gryphon Diablo 250, The synergy is pretty good. Rest of my setup is in my Signature.
Incidentally I thought of adding decent subwoofer once the burning period is over.
You are welcome for a listen , we can plan a meet-up.

 

[captainsubtext]

Interesting! Can you elaborate a little more on this?
I am planning to add a sub to my system soon and this is why I am asking.


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The scm 11 have an odd roll off point of around 60hz and they don’t drop off very cleanly in my experience. So I was having a tough time to get the sub set up properly.

 

[vea]

I'm using SCM20 ASLT for the last few months. Chain is ifi zen stream>Hugo tt2>SCM20+single Rythmik F12. I was using dual rel t9i earlier and i was able to integrate both the subs to my satisfaction with the speakers. I xo the rythmik sub at 50hz/24db. Rel probably around 60-70hz using it's xo (12db I assume) and they sound excellent to my ears.

 

[arj]

The scm 11 have an odd roll off point of around 60hz and they don’t drop off very cleanly in my experience. So I was having a tough time to get the sub set up properly.

ATCs specs are usually misleading as their measurement is not on a room environment although more technically accurate..hence in a room it goes lower but to get bass right you need to give it breathing space behind the speakers to get it right.

Not sure if that was the issue on your case though ! every time i have heard a well set up ATC, the bass is usually their standout feature ( the older standmounts..not heard their new models)

 

[reignofchaos]

I'm using SCM20 ASLT for the last few months. Chain is ifi zen stream>Hugo tt2>SCM20+single Rythmik F12. I was using dual rel t9i earlier and i was able to integrate both the subs to my satisfaction with the speakers. I xo the rythmik sub at 50hz/24db. Rel probably around 60-70hz using it's xo (12db I assume) and they sound excellent to my ears.

Which one do you prefer? The Rythmik or the dual RELs?

I'm looking for a pair of subs for my setup with an SCM 19 v2.

 

[Miany]

I have used SCM 19.. both active and passive versions...

Needless to say, the actives were on another level. I was using a Schiit Freya preamp (Northern Electric 6SN7 tubes) and a Schiit Yggdrasil... Though the combination was much better (in terms of musicality) than the ATC Preamp that I was using earlier, it was still a bit clinical for my liking...

Changed to less expensive Q acoustics concept 40s along with Denafrips Terminator and Sugden A21SE at a later stage and it simply sounded fantastic to my ears...

My experience with ATCs have been in a smaller room (12 * 12 feet) and may be that too played a part.. Would love to listen to their bigger actives some day...

 

[vea]

Which one do you prefer? The Rythmik or the dual RELs?

I'm looking for a pair of subs for my setup with an SCM 19 v2.

Rel can easily be crossed over at 80hz with the ATCs, will play along with the speakers without standing out. I find the rythmik difficult to integrate above 50hz without high pass applied to the speakers. But the rythmik goes really low, decent output down to 6 hz in my room where as the rels roll of sharply around 25hz in my room. I find the rythmik bass to have some texture which I'm liking. Have ordered a second rythmik to make a stereo pair.

 

[Weathered]

I have ATC SCM 11s paired with Nuprime DAC/Pre/Power (DAC-10H / ST-10 combo). What I like about ATCs is their pacy foot tapping dynamics, bass quality, midrange tone and smooth treble. Recently added a Rhythmik F12 sub and working on optimizing it to integrate with speakers.

 

[Nikhil]

I have ATC SCM 11s paired with Nuprime DAC/Pre/Power (DAC-10H / ST-10 combo). What I like about ATCs is their pacy foot tapping dynamics, bass quality, midrange tone and smooth treble. Recently added a Rhythmik F12 sub and working on optimizing it to integrate with speakers.

That sounds like a great combination. NuPrime makes some tremendous gear.


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[captainsubtext]

ATCs specs are usually misleading as their measurement is not on a room environment although more technically accurate..hence in a room it goes lower but to get bass right you need to give it breathing space behind the speakers to get it right.

Not sure if that was the issue on your case though ! every time i have heard a well set up ATC, the bass is usually their standout feature ( the older standmounts..not heard their new models)

So I used them in two locations - I was using them on isoacouatic stands on a desk in a nearfield setup where they had their backs very close to the wall. In this position I didn’t notice any bass issues - possibly because I was listening so close to the speakers

However in the living room I had them pulled into the room and I found it hard to integrate the sub (rel t5). Perhaps it was my inexperience or the size of the room - I had far better luck getting my jerns to sound good in that setup.

 

[Nikhil]

Interesting review article on the ATC SCM50 Passives ...

Review: ATC SCM50PSL Loudspeakers – Homecinema Magazine

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[Nikhil]

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[Nikhil]

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