Advice wanted on alternative to ATC SCM11 please.

[admin_exported]

I have a Quad 99/909 set-up and bought ATC SCM11 speakers as an upgrade from my old Celestion SL6 which I had from new.
No excuses, I did audition them, but I now find after a few months that I cannot relax with them.The SCMs are tiring me out with,to my ears,a too shrill treble.
The speakers are mounted each side of a chimney breast about 2 mtrs apart using custom made shelves and are naturally close to the wall behind them.There is no alternative as regards position.
Would something like the Monitor Audio GX50 or 100 give me a smoother sound or does their rear firing port being close to the wall rule them out?

Thanks,Dave

 

[Anatta]

The ATCs don't have shrill treble (I have the 19s, with the same tweeter), the treble is more subdued to me than on other speakers, even dull I might say. If they sound shrill it may be the rest of the system or the room needing some treatment. If you want something smoother and creamier check the Dynaudio Focus 160, but these are not good for close to wall placement.

Bellow is the measurement of the 11s from the Stereophile review with some comments by John Atkinson.

"Moving higher in frequency, the woofer is well behaved in its passband before crossing over to the tweeter close to the specified 2.8kHz. The tweeter is also well behaved, though its top octave is plateaued down by 3dB compared with the region between 4 and 11kHz.

As usual with a 1" soft-dome tweeter used in a fairly wide baffle, the radiation pattern becomes more directional above 8kHz or so. Along with the shelved-down top octave, the ATC will sound a little mellow, even lacking in air, in rooms of medium to large size, or in small rooms with too many absorptive furnishings."

 

[Richard Allen]

Would something like the Monitor Audio GX50 or 100 give me a smoother sound or does their rear firing port being close to the wall rule them out? Thanks,Dave

Yes, I believe you have answered your own question because of the rear port and you have them either side of a fireplace. It is my belief that ANY rear ported speaker in this situ will fail. It has to be a closed box. If not the SCM11, what about the EB Acoustics EB2?. WHF say it is the only one to hold a candle to the ATCs but don't take my word for it. I just make em.

 

[CnoEvil]

I know the SL6 well, as I own a pair. I would recommend that you try Spendor (especially SA1), Harbeth and Sonus Faber. There is also a good chance that you would like the Kef R series with your Quad.

IMO You will probably find the Monitor Audio too forward, coming from the SL6.

 

[Richard Allen]

I know the SL6 well, as I own a pair. I would recommend that you try Spendor (especially SA1), Harbeth and Sonus Faber. There is also a good chance that you would like the Kef R series with your Quad.

IMO You will probably find the Monitor Audio too forward, coming from the SL6.

As long as none of them are ported Cno. Either side of the fireplace and, probably, near or up against a rear or parallel wall. In that situ a ported speaker will honk its guts out. Whichever brand the OP uses, his scenario dictates a closed box. The small Harbeths to my mind are the only other option to the SCM11 or the EB2. The Harbeth is probably the closest of all of them to the SL6 but a tad more sensitive.

 

[whiskywheels]

My PMC DB1i's work well either side of the chimney breast, despite their rear ported 'transmission line' set up. Before I bought them I was interested in the ATCs and the EBs, but couldn't find anywhere to buy them let alone audition. I know the EBs are not available for audition, but when I last checked there was a very long waiting time and many posts from disgruntled customers who had ordered but still not got them many months later. I also found it very difficult to determine from WHF reviews and manufacturers websites which speakers were 'closed back' and would therefore be potentially of interest to those of us who have to place speakers fairly close to walls.

 

[CnoEvil]

I know the SL6 well, as I own a pair. I would recommend that you try Spendor (especially SA1), Harbeth and Sonus Faber. There is also a good chance that you would like the Kef R series with your Quad.

IMO You will probably find the Monitor Audio too forward, coming from the SL6.

As long as none of them are ported Cno. Either side of the fireplace and, probably, near or up against a rear or parallel wall. In that situ a ported speaker will honk its guts out. Whichever brand the OP uses, his scenario dictates a closed box. The small Harbeths to my mind are the only other option to the SCM11 or the EB2. The Harbeth is probably the closest of all of them to the SL6 but a tad more sensitive.

Almost everything is easier to drive than the original copper dome tweeter version of the SL6.

If there really is no room to move a few centimeters into the room, then Audio Note should also be considered.....but your point is more than sensible, and the speaker of preference should be tried in situ before purchase.

 

[hoopsontoast]

See if you can find some SCM10's. They use the Mid-Bass from the SCM7 but with a much smoother Tweeter and is slightly bigger than the SCM11. They do them in Rosewood too 8)

They usually go for around £300.

My old pair-

 

[indietronic]

when can i find a good 'ol pair of Keesonic Kolt like yours ????

 

[mpapo]

Sorry for the Hijack, but I'm able to upgrade my ATC SCM 11's to Kef reference 201/2 for a very good price. Is it worth it and will my amp be able to cope with them ?

 

[CnoEvil]

Sorry for the Hijack, but I'm able to upgrade my ATC SCM 11's to Kef reference 201/2 for a very good price. Is it worth it and will my amp be able to cope with them ?

Hi Mpapo, I have a couple of questions:

- Can you try them on your system before committing?

- Do you intend upgrading any other parts of your system?

Please bear in mind that I haven't heard this combination, so I am partly guessing here.....anyway, here is what I think:

- I wouldn't normally recommend a £1k amp with these speakers, but the HK 990 puts out 150W @ 8 Ohms, and 300W @ 4 Ohms. It even claims an intantaneous current of 200 amps. This should certainly drive the Refs.

- If you are happy with the ATCs, then you are comfortable with a revealing speaker, and so I suspect that you will be happy with the 201/2s.

- They are very revealing of everything that preceeds them, so down the line they will ultimately put pressure on your source, and then your amp. They give great headroom so the world is your oyster.

- IMO They are very natural and not as forward sounding as Focal or Monitor Audio, but like a chameleon, will take on the colour of your system.

So to sum up (and I am a bit biassed), I would say that if possible try them. If not, and you are getting them at a good price, I would on balance say they are worth getting. You are used to a reference type of speaker, so like a revealing sound, and there is the fact that they will do justice to any upgrades that you'll make in the future.

If you don't like them, sell them to Wishtree!!

Cno

 

[hoopsontoast]

when can i find a good 'ol pair of Keesonic Kolt like yours ????

I doubt you will (which is why I recomend the SCM7) as they are very rare. Get lucky on eBay would be the best option 😛ray:

 

[CnoEvil]

when can i find a good 'ol pair of Keesonic Kolt like yours ????

I doubt you will (which is why I recomend the SCM7) as they are very rare. Get lucky on eBay would be the best option 😛ray:

I should have held on to my Keesonic Kubs, which I traded in for buttons at the time.

 

[hoopsontoast]

At least a pair of Kubs turn up on eBay every month or so. I only know of (heard of) one other pair ok Kolts that are still around. There must be a load in old studios or something.

 

[richardw42]

With the return / money back thingy from EB Acoustics I reckon the EB2 are really worth a go. Don't know what current waiting time is.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the thoughts but as it seemed from some answers that the SCMs were unlikely to be the problem I went back to the start and now think that the 909 amp is the problem.The SCMs sound more as I want them to on another amp (admittedly an AV receiver).

It sounds to me that one channel of the Quad 909 is distorting when I raise the volume so will get this checked out.

 

[indietronic]

someone who has auditioned both scm11 and eb2 side-to-side can do a quick comparison ? (naim amplification)

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for all the thoughts but as it seemed from some answers that the SCMs were unlikely to be the problem I went back to the start and now think that the 909 amp is the problem.The SCMs sound more as I want them to on another amp (admittedly an AV receiver).

It sounds to me that one channel of the Quad 909 is distorting when I raise the volume so will get this checked out.

If the 909 is faulty, that is likely the fault; if it is working as intended, imo it shouldn't sound shrill and the problem may be you don't get on with the ATCs.......Finding out which it is, will save expensive mistakes.