Advise on ATC SCM11

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Eddieckf

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Very interesting read so far. Perhaps the lack of bass on the ATC could be due to a less than powerful amplifier. Don't forget the sensitivity is only 84db and it requires something more powerful than the 75 watts it suggests to drive them.
 

12oner

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Just read some very interesting info about sealed and ported designs. Seems to explain a lot of the reason for ATC's sound, which I thought was chosen voicing but *may* actually have more to do with playing to the inherent design strengths

  • Sealed (or acoustic suspension) enclosures: A sealed enclosure is an airtight case. As your driver moves back and forth, the air pressure in the speaker constantly changes. This puts extra pressure from behind on the diaphragm as it moves in and out, and that takes extra power to overcome. On the positive side, that extra pressure makes the cone snap back and forth faster and with more precision, giving you a crisper, more accurate sound.
  • Ported (or bass reflex) enclosures: In the front of this enclosure is a hole (port) that equalizes pressure between the inside and outside of the speaker. When the diaphragm moves back into the speaker, it increases the internal pressure, which is funneled out through the front port of the speaker. This action augments the sound waves traveling from the speaker, and increases the efficiency tremendously.
The downside of a ported enclosure is that you may get less accurate results from a reproductive sound perspective. That’s because a ported enclosure doesn’t have the benefit of the extra pressure influencing the reverberating diaphragm. So the speaker sound might reproduce bass notes less precisely — substituting a louder boominess for a more realistic reproduction of the low notes.

Ported enclosures can dramatically decrease your power requirements because they increase the bass output of a speaker by around 3 dB compared to a sealed enclosure. To match a 3 dB output boost through amplification, the power applied to the speaker needs to be doubled. So if a bass reflex enclosure speaker was powered with a 150-watt amplifier, a sealed enclosure speaker would require a 300-watt amplifier to produce the same output.
 

yunie_

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I hope I'm not too late.
I'm a long term user of atc scm 11 and owns ported speakers like amphion argon 1, dynaudio etc.

I'm surprised no one answers your question straight, and I'm surprised you haven't gotten your answers from the numerous threads about bass of atc.

If you are listening to music, atc scm 11 bass is more than enough. In fact, I find it more satisfying than most ported design. Just don't expect bass like big speakers do.
 
I hope I'm not too late.
I'm a long term user of atc scm 11 and owns ported speakers like amphion argon 1, dynaudio etc.

I'm surprised no one answers your question straight, and I'm surprised you haven't gotten your answers from the numerous threads about bass of atc.

If you are listening to music, atc scm 11 bass is more than enough. In fact, I find it more satisfying than most ported design. Just don't expect bass like big speakers do.
More than enough bass for you maybe....... however everyone is different
 
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12oner

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I hope I'm not too late.
I'm a long term user of atc scm 11 and owns ported speakers like amphion argon 1, dynaudio etc.

I'm surprised no one answers your question straight, and I'm surprised you haven't gotten your answers from the numerous threads about bass of atc.

If you are listening to music, atc scm 11 bass is more than enough. In fact, I find it more satisfying than most ported design. Just don't expect bass like big speakers do.
Good to hear, and of course I've read other threads and reviews but they don't all lead to the same answer. Thanks!
 
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yunie_

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More than enough bass for you maybe....... however everyone is different

Definitely. It also depends on your expectations and the room you are listening in.

For music listening, I never felt I'm missing anything, unless you specifically are testing kick drums and deep bass. While watching movie, a subwoofer will be a great add on.

If you are a bass head, atc is not something you should be going for. It does not have quantity, though the quality more than makes up for it. You will get what I mean when you've tested it.

If you are like me, into mid range but still don't want to be shortchanged in the bass department, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Again, don't use this in a big living room. I'm using it in a 4x4m room and it is sufficient. I once tested the atc 11s in the distributor room that is 10x10m with a 8m high ceiling. Against the atc scm40, the 11 in comparison sounded much worse.
 
I'm surprised no one answers your question straight

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.

ATC Transducer. The sound of accuracy :)

All sounds straightforward to me (y)
 
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