Advise on ATC SCM11

12oner

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Hello everyone,

Hope you're well.

I've been reading up a fair but on the above listed speaker and it sounds fantastic and definitely like something I'd enjoy. The only thing i'm concerned about is the 'lack of bass' which some reviews have highlighted, one video almost defining it as 'no bass'. I like some low end heft to my music, something to give it punch and body and I do listen to electronic music which would benefit from reasonable bass output.....I'm just wondering if any owners/listeners can shed some light on the bass performance? I'm not wanting earth shattering sub bass, but enough that the sound feels wholesome and weighty.

For reference, if it helps qualify the bass output I'm after, something like the MA Gold 100's, or the Elac Reference DRB62 (which I feel have slightly less than the Gold's).

It will take me 2/3 hours to travel to audition these speakers and wanting to get some info to decide if the journey will be worth it.

Thanks!
 
D

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Hello everyone,

Hope you're well.

I've been reading up a fair but on the above listed speaker and it sounds fantastic and definitely like something I'd enjoy. The only thing i'm concerned about is the 'lack of bass' which some reviews have highlighted, one video almost defining it as 'no bass'. I like some low end heft to my music, something to give it punch and body and I do listen to electronic music which would benefit from reasonable bass output.....I'm just wondering if any owners/listeners can shed some light on the bass performance? I'm not wanting earth shattering sub bass, but enough that the sound feels wholesome and weighty.

For reference, if it helps qualify the bass output I'm after, something like the MA Gold 100's, or the Elac Reference DRB62 (which I feel have slightly less than the Gold's).

It will take me 2/3 hours to travel to audition these speakers and wanting to get some info to decide if the journey will be worth it.

Thanks!


Yeah, you're not going to get that from these. These have a ruler flat response deep bass is not what these speakers are about. They do have bass but they're sealed enclosures, so you get fast and more textured bass but the impact will be (for a lack of a better word) "lacking".

If you want a similar performance with a bit more (a lot more) excitement Start with Revel either that or get a subwoofer to accompany them.

On a side note the 19's aren't that bass-heavy either and they require gobs of power and current to make them sing well
 

12oner

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Yeah, you're not going to get that from these. These have a ruler flat response deep bass is not what these speakers are about. They do have bass but they're sealed enclosures, so you get fast and more textured bass but the impact will be (for a lack of a better word) "lacking".

If you want a similar performance with a bit more (a lot more) excitement Start with Revel either that or get a subwoofer to accompany them.

On a side note the 19's aren't that bass-heavy either and they require gobs of power and current to make them sing well
Ah boo really, that's such a shame. I have listened to the Revel M16's and thought they were pretty decent, would you say they are really the only option that are voiced like the ATC but with better bass response? What about Dali Rubicon 2's??

Thanks for your input, appreciate it
 
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D

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No, they're not the only options but nothing is quite like ATC and nothing is quite like the Revels and so on. But they have aspects that do carry over.

TBH for the price M16's take some beating, Revel as far as I'm concerned make some of the best speakers on the market. But you personally have to like sound.

You've got quite the budget swing.

What's your real budget and what amp do you have?
 

12oner

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No, they're not the only options but nothing is quite like ATC and nothing is quite like the Revels and so on. But they have aspects that do carry over.

TBH for the price M16's take some beating, Revel as far as I'm concerned make some of the best speakers on the market. But you personally have to like sound.

You've got quite the budget swing.

What's your real budget and what amp do you have?
Ok, ok, I'm an eccentric millionaire, who only buys speakers based on seasonal fashion trends.

I mainly buy second hand gear and my budget is about £900/£1000. What quality would you say the ATC possess that no other 'is quite like'?

I might have a listen to the Revel's again as had quite limited time.

I currently have MA Gold 100's, driven by Roksan K3, with Bluesound Node 2i source. I feel the MA Gold's are pretty well balanced, MPD tweeter has good detail retrieval and they do sound refined, but also maybe a tad reserved. Was wondering if the ATC would bring more forward/bigger sound stage and added detail.

I'm also looking at the AE500.

Thanks
 
D

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Ok, ok, I'm an eccentric millionaire, who only buys speakers based on seasonal fashion trends.

I mainly buy second hand gear and my budget is about £900/£1000. What quality would you say the ATC possess that no other 'is quite like'?

I might have a listen to the Revel's again as had quite limited time.

I currently have MA Gold 100's, driven by Roksan K3, with Bluesound Node 2i source. I feel the MA Gold's are pretty well balanced, MPD tweeter has good detail retrieval and they do sound refined, but also maybe a tad reserved. Was wondering if the ATC would bring more forward/bigger sound stage and added detail.

I'm also looking at the AE500.

Thanks

haha

I'm probably not the best person to ask as really don't like ATC speakers so ill try and keep bias out it.

ATC are designed to be completely flat across the board so they won't add or take anything away they have no character as there tool used for monitoring music. So the artist can see it in all glory and notice if there's a mistake in the track. So you want get forward treble/bloated bass (hence the no bass comments) . They are fast and very articulate but the do like a little volume to get them moving, so 8 oclock on the dial is the new 7 if you get my drift.

They can take an absolute pounding your amp will give before these do. TBH there overbuilt for sealed enclosures.

Don't be fooled into thinking that because these are sealed you can put them up against a wall they need plenty of air to breath and once you do give them room the sound stage is pretty big though not as big as Revel but the centre image is bang on. They like a touch of toe-in, and they love really heavy stands so you'll need to factor that into the price. Something like Atacama se24's, The ATC 19s are very heavy.

At first there a somewhat underwhelming listen especially if you used to bass-reflex speakers nothing will jump out you there's no excitement, however, continue to listen and everything is there

You can pair into the track so much as you can with the revels, actually do the monitoring thing very well indeed. and a lot better in many ways, when set up right the Revel are holographic to the point you think you're listening to a surround system. But the room and you have to placed just so.

Bass though there is where they fall down I know they're not meant to be that way but at low late-night listening levels, they are very anaemic. These are not low-level monitors in the same way Revels are


Hope that helps
 
ATCs have their place but as stated also have their limitations.
I compared them to the old EB Acoustics EB2 speakers, lately reincarnated as the Arcaydis EB2S, and ended up taking these home instead.
easier to drive and usable at all volume levels.
If you simply have to have a sealed box design look at the Arcaydis, and they're cheaper.
 
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I am more of an ATC fan, and as you’ve noted, they’re relatively rare in that they use a sealed box/infinite baffle design. (As do all models in their modesty titled Entry series) Most contemporary rivals use ported cabinets. That makes them more easily produce bass, but on the other hand it can generate a bit of a ‘hump’ in output, that’s not actually accurate. It can also boom in the wrong room.
Sealed designs are easier to place closer to the front wall (the one behind the speaker). That might be useful. However, if moving from a ported speaker, an equivalent ATC may sound a bit less obvious is the bass. Either you’ll appreciate the clarity or think it’s a bit lightweight.
One benefit of buying ATC used is that they’re relatively easy to resell if you decide they’re aren’t your cup of tea.
 
Ah boo really, that's such a shame.

ATC designs and build monitors. They are flat and honest. They have been designed to reveal the quality of what they are fed with as effectively as possible. The only way around this look at speakers which warm up the sound. However this warmth is distortion. So there’s your choice.

Please take at ATC's Corporate brochure for a background on ATC's take on loudspeaker design -

http://atcforums.co.uk/pdf/ATC CORP BROCHURE.pdf

Page 6 -

"The aims of the forefathers of the industry seem to have been completely forgotten and many loudspeakers of today's manufacturers are described as being musically involving, having pace, rhythm and slam or as just being a musical experience, words which might have a definite subjective meaning to the originator, cause confusion and suspicion in the mind of the public, and provide the less scrupulous with a cover for rather cynical products poorly engineered."

ATC Transducer. A precision monitoring instrument.
 

12oner

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ATC designs and build monitors. They are flat and honest. They have been designed to reveal the quality of what they are fed with as effectively as possible. The only way around this look at speakers which warm up the sound. However this warmth is distortion. So there’s your choice.

Please take at ATC's Corporate brochure for a background on ATC's take on loudspeaker design -

http://atcforums.co.uk/pdf/ATC CORP BROCHURE.pdf

Page 6 -

"The aims of the forefathers of the industry seem to have been completely forgotten and many loudspeakers of today's manufacturers are described as being musically involving, having pace, rhythm and slam or as just being a musical experience, words which might have a definite subjective meaning to the originator, cause confusion and suspicion in the mind of the public, and provide the less scrupulous with a cover for rather cynical products poorly engineered."

ATC Transducer. A precision monitoring instrument.
Hi, I understand and appreciate their mission statement/ethos and have no qualms with that, my issue is that people were saying it underperforms in terms of bass, as in it doesn't reflect the amount of bass that should be on the recording, therefore not being totally honest in that instance.
 
therefore not being totally honest in that instance.

ATC's transducers do what they say on the tin so I'll repeat what I said a couple of posts ago -

ATC designs and build monitors. They are flat and honest. They have been designed to reveal the quality of what they are fed with as effectively as possible. The only way around this look at speakers which warm up the sound. However this warmth is distortion. So there’s your choice.

Please take at ATC's Corporate brochure for a background on ATC's take on loudspeaker design -

http://atcforums.co.uk/pdf/ATC CORP BROCHURE.pdf

Page 6 -

"The aims of the forefathers of the industry seem to have been completely forgotten and many loudspeakers of today's manufacturers are described as being musically involving, having pace, rhythm and slam or as just being a musical experience, words which might have a definite subjective meaning to the originator, cause confusion and suspicion in the mind of the public, and provide the less scrupulous with a cover for rather cynical products poorly engineered."

ATC Transducer. A precision monitoring instrument.
 
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12oner

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I know their drivers are revered and you can see that they make quality products but do you feel the people commenting on the lack of bass are incorrect then? Are you saying that ATC's reproduce the original recording so accurately that if there is a perceived lack of bass, it's not the speaker, the original track just isn't that bassy? OR that the consumer in general has become accustomed to increased levels of bass that we are disillusioned to how much bass there should be?
 
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Let's try and look at it this way.

A cup of tea has been made. So although nothing is perfect let's add half a tea spoon of sugar to the tea. Now if someone is used to having their tea with 1.5, 2, 2.5+ tea spoons of sugar then having the cup of tea with half a tea spoon of sugar is very much likely going to taste light even though this cup of tea with half a tea spoon of sugar is the closest to the ORIGINAL without the added sugar.
 
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Let's try and look at it this way.

A cup of tea has been made. So although nothing is perfect let's add half a tea spoon of sugar to the tea. Now if someone is used to having their tea with 1.5, 2, 2.5+ tea spoons of sugar then having the cup of tea with half a tea spoon of sugar is very much likely going to taste light even though this cup of tea with half a tea spoon of sugar is the closest to the ORIGINAL without the added sugar.
I'm glad I am a coffee drinker..... :)
 

12oner

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Let's try and look at it this way.

A cup of tea has been made. So although nothing is perfect let's add half a tea spoon of sugar to the tea. Now if someone is used to having their tea with 1.5, 2, 2.5+ tea spoons of sugar then having the cup of tea with half a tea spoon of sugar is very much likely going to taste light even though this cup of tea with half a tea spoon of sugar is the closest to the ORIGINAL without the added sugar.
So you're essentially saying this

'the consumer has become accustomed to increased levels of bass, therefore they are disillusioned about how much bass there should be'
 
D

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So you're essentially saying this

'the consumer has become accustomed to increased levels of bass, therefore they are disillusioned about how much bass there should be'
No, we've moved on from speakers to beverages :)
 
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