ATC Speakers

James Tanner · « **on:** 19 Dec 2009, 09:51 pm »

Hi All,

I just got invited to a listening session in Toronto tomorrow at David McCallum's - see email below.

"Hi James,

Your invited - I have 3 pairs of ATC speakers that i'm trying out this weekend, as well as the DAC. Lots of hifi fun."

I have not heard the ATC's in a while - looking forward to it! - james

Bio
David McCallum is co-owner of Toronto’s Tattersall Sound and Picture. A sound designer & editor, David has won numerous awards during a 16 year career including 3 Genie Awards for best sound in Canadian film, 7 Gemini Awards for best sound in Canadian television, and Britian’s prestigious BAFTA award for best sound. David has recently returned from Sao Paulo, Brazil where he was working as the dialogue supervisor on Blindness – Fernando Mierelles’ film adaptation of the Nobel Prize winner novel from Jose Saramago, and the opening night gala at the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival. David has also spent more than a decade writing Hi-Fi reviews and columns.

vegasdave · « **Reply #1 on:** 19 Dec 2009, 09:56 pm »

Nice. Have fun!

predrag · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Dec 2009, 09:25 am »

WOW! James, this sounds interesting!
Have fun and please drop a line or two about your impressions!

Mad Mr H · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Dec 2009, 01:43 pm »

I predict the next post from James post this sound off will go along the lines of....

"ATC xxx will be 'hear' Wednesday"

Please give links to the ATC you hear. I love em too......

Stu Pitt · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 Dec 2009, 03:37 pm »

I really like ATCs and wanted to buy a pair. Only problem IMO is that they need way too much power to truly open up and sing. Without something along the lines of a 7B behind them, they sound pretty dull and lifeless.

Their entry level models are pretty deceiving. They're somewhat inexpensive, which fools people into thinking they can afford them. They need amplification that usually costs 3-4 times their price to make them worth having.

If I had the funds for appropriate amplification, they'd be on my very short list.

They remind me a lot of the Totem Mani-2s. A phenominal sounding speaker when properly driven. But properly driven is almost impossible.

Stu Pitt · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 Dec 2009, 04:23 pm »

Just to add...

They also need to play louder than my normal level to sound their best.

Yet despite their drawbacks, they're easily one of the best speakers I've ever heard. When they're in the right environment, they're magical. When taken out of that environment they're just another speaker that's easily forgettable in the sea of countless other speakers.

vegasdave · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 Dec 2009, 10:23 pm »

I see. Thank you for the info Stu. I've been looking at ATC for a while myself. So they're a little tricky to get right, true?

Stu Pitt · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Dec 2009, 08:52 pm »

Yaeh, Dave. Just a little bit tricky

ATCs are easily one of the best speakers I've ever heard, regardless of price. At $1050 for the SCM 7 and $1750 for the SCM11, they'll mop the floor with just about anything I've heard under 3x their price. Without all the space, power, and SPL, they suck. I've heard several people say they didn't sound good. It had to be the circumstances, not the speakers. My local dealer dropped the line because they were so hard to get them to sound right. And those guys personally set up everything they sell!

They image and soundstage like crazy, are dynamic as hell, have absurdly good bass depth and speed, have a pure tone and texture, and won't get compressed sounding no matter how hard you drive them. What's not to love?

vegasdave · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 Dec 2009, 12:58 am »

Cool. Sounds good. I'm extremely interested in the JBL 1400 Array (James owns a pair) but I can always check out other makes. I try to be open minded about things.

Stu Pitt · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Jan 2010, 11:29 pm »

Any impressions on the speakers James?

James Tanner · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Jan 2010, 11:35 pm »

Quote from: Stu Pitt on 4 Jan 2010, 11:29 pm

Any impressions on the speakers James?

I only got to hear the Passive SCM 40's - http://www.atc.gb.net/scm40.htm - the mids were just excellent and more low end than I would expect in a small woofer speaker.

james

Laundrew · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Jan 2010, 11:41 pm »

Quote from: vegasdave on 22 Dec 2009, 12:58 am

Cool. Sounds good. I'm extremely interested in the JBL 1400 Array (James owns a pair) but I can always check out other makes. I try to be open minded about things.

Buy the Arrays

Be well...

ted_b · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 12:14 am »

I owned a pair of used (bought them sight unseen/unheard) ATC's pro SCM150ASL's gargantuan sized active speakers. They were magnificent transducers, but overpowered even my large media room. I called them washing machines cuz their 15" drivers looked like front loading washers. However, they were my connection to Grammy winning Michael Bishop of Telarc. I got to know him through an ATC-sponsored demo at Telarc (I called ATC UK and Billy recommended I head over there since it was 20 minutes away), then called him again when I was selling them to a guy in Baltimore area. Michael and team were going there for a recording session and were nice enough to transport the monsters for me...it got him to come over and hear my room, too.

He loved it, made one suggestion about an additional trap and voila, the room really came together. Not often that Grammy-winning ears get to analyze and suggest in your own music room.

Ne.net, active ATC's are the real deal.

Dardemm · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 12:51 am »

Great ATC story Ted.

I got to spend some time with one of the designers from ATC (Ben Lilly was his name i think) as we are putting a system in at my Post-audio studio in Toronto, as well as me getting to listen to the passive line.

The Active speakers are truly amazing to hear, but for home use I'm thoroughly impressed with the full entry-level product line. The service and professionalism from ATC and their Canadian Pro Distributor (HHB Canada) have been top notch.

James was over to listen to the 40's. The setup was pretty much straight out of the box after a few weeks in over sea's shipping from the UK. I used a Bryston 9B SST in a passive bi-amp configuration with the 40's, along with Bryston's BDA1 DAC, which i was reviewing for The Inner Ear's new on-line Hi-FI website. <www.innerearmag.com>

ATC uses their famous custom midrange driver in the 40's and you really can hear it. A pleasure to have these speakers for sure. I've been searching for new loudspeakers for a number of years and I think i've found my match! And I must confess, the finish and styling of the SCM entry series has come a long way - the wood finish is very nice indeed. Along with a new Modwright LS 36.5, my system is really starting to sing.

Now if i could just find a transport / blu-ray player to satisfy!!!!

keep well all,

david m

ted_b · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 12:57 am »

Yes, ATC's Billy Woodman (founder) and Ben Lilly are great people, and very easy to work with....and I was just a US audiophile, not pro recording engineer or in the biz.

xsparky · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 05:49 am »

Hi James;

I'm interested in how they might compare to the IB2i's. The IB2i's are still breaking in believe it or not, and sounding "more" wonderful each day!!
I do not know where PMC gets 20 hours of break in from. I think it is more like 300+ hours for that bass driver.

About a week and a half and I shall have my long awaited digital source back from Linn. Then I'll really know how these puppies sound!

Enjoy your session...

CraigS720 · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 07:46 pm »

After living with the Infinity RS1Bs for 20 years I went searching for a new speaker. after auditioning speakers like Magneplanars, Thiel, B&W, KEF, Martin Logan (all good in their own way), I was floored by the ATC SCM50 ALS active loudspeakers. I couldn't believe how transparent and dynamic they were and how real the instruments sounded. To me, it sounded like music, not a hi-fi representation. They are also very unforgiving. A bad recording is a BAD recording. But a great recording is glorious.

The front end is the Parasound JC-2 preamp, Oppo BDP83SE Nuforce/Bryston BDA-1 dac, SOTA Millennia turntable with Graham 2.2 tonearm, an Audio Research SP11Mk2 used as the phono preamp, a MacBook Pro / RME Fireface firewire interface for hi-rez files like Reference Recordings 24/192, Squeezebox, PSAudio Power Plant Premier and a Z-Systems digital equalizer.

I am in the process of breaking them in and enjoying every minute.

Craig

Ron D · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 11:00 pm »

Craig - I don't want to hijack the thread but I am interested in your observations on the Oppo SE Vs the Bryston DAC on redbook. Can I assume that the DAC is still your preferred redbook playback source over the OPPO and the OPPO is there for hi-rez?

feel free to email off line via PM or directly at rgdavis@telusplanet.net if you have the time.

tx
Ron

P.S. nice set-up

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 11:09 pm »

Craig- What kinda cartridge you got hangin in that Graham? I'm sure the gods are smiling on you with your choice of speaks. What interconnect are you using? I'm sure Alan Mayer has something for your unused sockets that could be of benefit to things. Worth reading up on here on AC.

CraigS720 · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Jan 2010, 11:40 pm »

Jim

I am currently using a Grado Reference but about to try a Graham Nightingale. I wish there was a way to audition phono cartridges. These days (and at these prices) it's mostly word of mouth or review.

As for interconnects, that's a whole other story. I am about to go into experiment mode and see what works best. ATC recommends inexpensive Belden 1800F Balanced between the preamp and active speakers, so I've started with that. Very, very neutral as best as I can tell. For the moment most of my connections are digital (save for dac to preamp and phono-pre to preamp) and I am using Canare until I carefully try things and see what works. I think too often we throw stuff in systems, hear a change and confidently tell the world that it "blows everything else away!"

I hear differences in interconnects but I think the differences pale in relationship to how much the room itself, room treatments and placement play a part in our enjoyment of the equipment (and foremost music!). I will say, being a complete skeptic on power cords, I did change the ATC stock PC to Cryomax with Furutech connectors and it made a difference for the better. Maybe I'm kidding myself but I was quite surprised.

Sorry, I don't know who Alan Mayer is. Can you point me in a direction?

Craig