ATC SCM 40 - first thoughts

[Anonymous]

Nor me really but it was more a joke than anything

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Oakman:

Thanks very much for your honest comments as I think your 120 hours is going to give the best review available.

Sounds like a good demo is needed.

Have to say that I do like speakers that are part of the furniture thats why I like Sonus Faber but unfotunately they are too much for my pocket!

Tried the PMC FB1 this week . Certainly looks good but not too sure abouts its involvement.

Also Rick thanks for your confirmation of amp with the ATC's.

Looking forward to the demo with interest.

Cheers all

Hi Oakman

Your welcome.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

Oakman: Thanks very much for your honest comments as I think your 120 hours is going to give the best review available.

Sounds like a good demo is needed.You should also hear the ProAc D18's - excellent speaker. Those and the ATC's are pretty much the 2 best speakers you'll probably hear at £2k

 

[MUSICRAFT]

lordmortlock:Evlampi:

The scm 40 is now offered black ash too though i wish there were other options like maple or walnut ..

I've never been mad on black for some reason. They'd look lovely in Maple though. Or the piano gloss Yew finish from the anniversary '50s

Hi Evlampi and lordmortlock

The SCM40's are now also availble in (deep) Piano Black finish at nearly twice the RRP (£4018) of the standard Cherry finish (£2044).

A stunning finish though.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

May as well go for SCM50's........

 

[Anonymous]

I almost purchased a pair of ATC SCM40's but ended up purchasing an ex-demo pair of Mordaunt-Short Performance 6 loudspeakers (2 months old) for an absolute steal here (AUD$4,800.00 - probably about 2,400GBP).

I am extremely happy with the Mordaunt-Short Performance 6 loudspeakers.

 

[lordmortlock]

MUSICRAFT:

The SCM40's are now also availble in (deep) Piano Black finish at nearly twice the RRP (£4018) of the standard Cherry finish

Wow. Thats a serious mark up.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I always thought the high gloss piano black on the KEF Reference line was a bit OTT (201/2 extra £500 @£3,499, 205/2 extra £2,000 @ £7,999), but now it seems quite reasonable!

To be fair, with the amount of layers that piano black needs, it's understandable that there's a hefty premium on it, to do it properly anyway. I've seen cheaper speakers in the same finish, but you can tell there's not many layers to them.

 

[koolkeith]

Largely due to the opinions expressed here (thanks Rick/Frank for your articulate comments) & elsewhere on the web about the virtues of the SCM 40's & SIA2 - 150 I've just traded in my 11's & Densen amps. for that combination - without hearing them I should add. I need better speaker cables. I wondered if anyone could comment on the best arrangement.

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Visited a dealer and was informed that the ATCs are now assembled in China. Can anyone verify this? If they are, I'll have to think twice of getting the SCM11s.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jtein:

Visited a dealer and was informed that the ATCs are now assembled in China. Can anyone verify this? If they are, I'll have to think twice of getting the SCM11s.

Hi jtein

The cabinets for the SCM11's come from the Far East however the drive units, crossovers etc. are hand built (wherever possible) and assembled in the UK.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

The cabinets for the SCM11's come from the far east however the drive units, crossovers etc. are hand built (wherever possible) and assembled in the UK.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick for the reply. That goes for the other models too I presume? Any compromise in the quality as a result of outsourcing?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jtein:MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

The cabinets for the SCM11's come from the far east however the drive units, crossovers etc. are hand built (wherever possible) and assembled in the UK.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick for the reply. That goes for the other models too I presume? Any compromise in the quality as a result of outsourcing?

Hi jtein

Thanks for your post.

I have been selling ATC products for years now and i have not seen compromises in their speakers or amplification. This is partly the reason i have an ATC museum (as some of my customers have descibed it) in my shop and where i have many of their items/technologies etc. available in the flesh so that customers can see at first hand the sheer scale, precision and the levels of technology involved in their products.

Upon seeing these items/technologies at first hand (no one really needs to be technically minded to get a sense) my customers quickly realize that these are thoroughly engineered products first and foremost. Thereafter the speakers or amps are in effect sold before listening commences and in some instances listening is not required.

Btw, what source/s will you be using?

I hope this helps.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

Thanks for your post.

I have been selling ATC products for years now and i have not seen compromises in their speakers or amplfication. This is partly the reason i have an ATC museum (as some of my customers have descibed it) in my shop is where i have many items/technologies etc. available in the flesh so that customers can see at first hand the sheer scale, precision and the levels of technology involved in their products.

Upon seeing these items/technologies at first hand (no one really needs to be technically minded to get a sense) my customers quickly realize that these are thoroughly engineered products first and foremost. Thereafter the speakers or amps are in effect sold before listening commences and in some instances listening is not required.

Btw, what source/s will you be using?

I hope this helps.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Wow Rick....how I wish I could visit your shop....but I reside in Malaysia. Anyway, as I wrote in the other thread, I'm thinking of Roksan Kandy K2 amp and Cyrus CD 6 SE as the source (I'm actually building a system from scratch). But after reading a few threads here about the problems encountered by owners of the CD 6 SE and CD 8 SE of not being able to read CDs, I'm really having second thoughts. It's going to be very inconvenient to send a problematic unit all the way from Malaysia to UK for software update.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jtein:MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

Thanks for your post.

I have been selling ATC products for years now and i have not seen compromises in their speakers or amplfication. This is partly the reason i have an ATC museum (as some of my customers have descibed it) in my shop and where i have many items/technologies etc. available in the flesh so that customers can see at first hand the sheer scale, precision and the levels of technology involved in their products.

Upon seeing these items/technologies at first hand (no one really needs to be technically minded to get a sense) my customers quickly realize that these are thoroughly engineered products first and foremost. Thereafter the speakers or amps are in effect sold before listening commences and in some instances listening is not required.

Btw, what source/s will you be using?

I hope this helps.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Wow Rick....how I wish I could visit your shop....but I reside in Malaysia. Anyway, as I wrote in the other thread, I'm thinking of Roksan Kandy K2 amp and Cyrus CD 6 SE as the source (I'm actually building a system from scratch). But after reading a few threads here about the problems encountered by owners of the CD 6 SE and CD 8 SE of not being able to read CDs, I'm really having second thoughts. It's going to be very inconvenient to send a problematic unit all the way from Malaysia to UK for software update.

Hi jtein

Thanks for your post and for your kind words.

Yes, it would have been great if you could have visited me. Anyway, the Cyrus and Roksan will be fine with the SCM11's. I also have customers that use Cyrus components with ATC speakers however if you have some doubts than also consider the Kandy cdp or Nait 5i/CD5i combination. If you can stretch your budget than also consider the Nait XS/CD5i or Nait XS/CD5XS combinations.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

Thanks for your post and for your kind words.

Yes, it would have been great if you could have visited me. Anyway, the Cyrus and Roksan will be fine with the SCM11's. I also have customers that use Cyrus components with ATC speakers however if you have some doubts than also consider the Kandy cdp or Nait 5i/CD5i combination. If you can stretch your budget than also consider the Nait XS/CD5i or Nait XS/CD5XS combinations.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick for your detailed explanation. May I know what are the characteristics of Nait 5i/CD5i or Nait XS/CD5XS combinations as opposed to the Cyrus/Roksan combination? Sorry to keep troubling you with these questions as auditioning such kits is hard to come by over here.

I also have trouble purchasing Chord Co. products online as their products are only meant for UK sales. Would I be able to buy these products from you and have them shipped to me?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jtein:MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

Thanks for your post and for your kind words.

Yes, it would have been great if you could have visited me. Anyway, the Cyrus and Roksan will be fine with the SCM11's. I also have customers that use Cyrus components with ATC speakers however if you have some doubts than also consider the Kandy cdp or Nait 5i/CD5i combination. If you can stretch your budget than also consider the Nait XS/CD5i or Nait XS/CD5XS combinations.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Thanks Rick for your detailed explanation. May I know what are the characteristics of Nait 5i/CD5i or Nait XS/CD5XS combinations as opposed to the Cyrus/Roksan combination? Sorry to keep troubling you with these questions as auditioning such kits is hard to come by over here.

I also have trouble purchasing Chord Co. products online as their products are only meant for UK sales. Would I be able to buy these products from you and have them shipped to me?

Hi jtein

I am sorry for my late response as i have busy with other matters.

I hope it is not too late but i think you should also consider NAD C375BEE/C545BEE and ATC SIA2-150 MK2/NAD C545BEE.

To cut to the chase all these combinations have got their qualities

however i would personally choose the SIA2-150MK2/C545BEE combination to go with the SCM11's.

I don't deal with Chord Company and instead support Van Den Hul, QED and Black Rhodium. Van Den Hul's The Integration Hybrid is my favourite IC cable and the one that i would recommend for the non Naim based components. A speaker cable that i mostly use with ATC speakers is generic and only costs about £3/m.

I am more than happy to help you with ideas/recommendations and i truly appreciate you wanting to put business my way however i can't ship goods to Malaysia.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,

I've been demo'ing a pair of SCM 20 passive speakers with a Bryston 9B SST amplifier and have been thoroughly impressed. For a few reasons I don't think the 20's are the right choice of ATC speaker for me and was wondering if anyone could comment or offer comparative comments on the SCM 11's to either the passive 20 or the floor standing SCM 40's. And is it correct that each speaker uses a different mid-range driver?

thank you very much,

david

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Hi jtein

I am sorry for my late response as i have busy with other matters.

I hope it is not too late but i think you should also consider NAD C375BEE/C545BEE and ATC SIA2-150 MK2/NAD C545BEE.

To cut to the chase all these combinations have got their qualities

however i would personally choose the SIA2-150MK2/C545BEE combination to go with the SCM11's.

I don't deal with Chord Company and instead support Van Den Hul, QED and Black Rhodium. Van Den Hul's The Integration Hybrid is my favourite IC cable and the one that i would recommend for the non Naim based components. A speaker cable that i mostly use with ATC speakers is generic and only costs about £3/m.

I am more than happy to help you with ideas/recommendations and i truly appreciate you wanting to put business my way however i can't ship goods to Malaysia.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Hi Rick,

Many thanks once again for your input and recommendations. Nope....you're not too late as I plan to get my gear only late next month. Actually, my listening room's dimensions are 5.45m by 5.0m. In fact, it's not an enclosed room but my living room which adjoins a 2nd living room, the dining room etc. So if I take into account all these, it would be 15.0m by 10m! Perhaps a floorstander might be in order?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

David M:

Hello everyone,

I've been demo'ing a pair of SCM 20 passive speakers with a Bryston 9B SST amplifier and have been thoroughly impressed. For a few reasons I don't think the 20's are the right choice of ATC speaker for me and was wondering if anyone could comment or offer comparative comments on the SCM 11's to either the passive 20 or the floor standing SCM 40's. And is it correct that each speaker uses a different mid-range driver?

thank you very much,

david

Hi David M

The SCM11's are terrific however they are not as good as the passive SCM20's. The SCM40's are significanlty better than the passive SCM20's.

The SCM11's use a CLD (Constrained Layer Damping) mid bass unit, SCM20's SLMT (Super Linear Magnet Technology) mid bass unit and SCM40's use the studio Soft Dome mid range unit and a dedicated bass driver.

Btw, what aspects of the passive SCM20's are you unsure about?

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Rick,

Thank you for the reply. I'm not unsure about the 20's at all - they sound fantastic and are a wonderful treat to listen to, even if not all my cd's and records agree!

My curiosity about the 11's and 40's relates to choosing the best speaker for my application and room. The space isn't very big (15'x12' with low ceilings of 8') and I want to have 3 identical speakers across the front as I use my system for both Hi-Fi and Home Theatre ((I don't like dedicated center speaker designs). But since I've only heard the 20's my question is more of curiosity about the comparative merits of the different models.

Currently I use 3 Stirling Ls 3/5a v2 speakers in an LCR and I have been using an Ls3/5a speaker for a decade now. As much as I like the Stirling's I have been motivated over the last few years to find something with a bit more resolution and detail. Ideally I would find a speaker that offers the same mid-range quality but that adds that layer of resolution and dynamic range that the ATC line of speakers seems to offer.

So the 11's are the most attractive option in terms or drop in replacement for the small LS3/5a; the 20's are great but I don't really like the pro-style box for my house; and the 40's are an attractive floor stander 3-way design that really appeals but is quite big for the space. Because of the importance of the mid-range I wondered if the 40's might be the best choice overall, but I keep reading wonderful things about the 11's, and they obviously fall into a much more attractive price point.

Do you have an thoughts with that added information? Thanks again,

david m

 

[Craig M.]

i haven't seen them but i'm guessing the 20's come in a black "studio" finish? if that's the case maybe the 19's? same finish as the 11's but, well, 19!

 

[lordmortlock]

I had a good sit down with the '40s last night and moved them into a few different positions around the room (easier said than done on your own!)

I've had the speakers out into the room and was surprised at how different they sounded when put more into a corner. The bass goes crazy! Not totally uncontrolled either - but a very different sound. I guess I didn't expect this from a sealed unit.

I thought this was worth reporting as I know some folk like mega bass - and this certainly qualifies!

 

[crusaderlord]

''Van Den Hul's The Integration Hybrid is my favourite IC cable and the one that i would recommend for the non Naim based components''.

i am interested in this point about the Integration Hybrid - i have been tempted to buy one before but went for a cheaper option of a VDH 102-III for £50.

How do you feel the Integration compares to the one i bought - i may be prepared to recoup what i paid and try one if its that good !

 

[Frank Harvey]

lordmortlock: I've had the speakers out into the room and was surprised at how different they sounded when put more into a corner. The bass goes crazy! Not totally uncontrolled either - but a very different sound. I guess I didn't expect this from a sealed unit.Sealed cabinets will always behave much better against a wall, but corners are a different kettle of fish - no matter what you put in a corner, it'll boom - even worse if you have susupended floor and solid walls.