ATC SCM11 near field?

Zax89swe

New member
Apr 19, 2011
23
0
0
Visit site
Im tempted to replace my Monitor Audio Bronze 2s to the SCM11s, will listen near field just 1.2meters away, with the amplifier Rega Elex r. Can I expect a more enjoyable sound? Unfortunately I can't audition.
 

Pedro

New member
May 31, 2016
4
0
0
Visit site
The SCM11s are in a completely different league. I never listened to mine so close. I sit around 1.80m/1.90m from them and everything's fine.

But why would you buy speakers blind? It's a gamble...
 
The Amphion Argon 1 are good for nearfield as they use a nice low 1600Hz crossover point, so you're less likely to detect frequencies are actually coming from two separate points. The Ophidian Mojos are worth checking out too.

As to what sounds enjoyable, only you can answer that one!
 

insider9

Well-known member
Get yourself proper nearfield monitors. Something like my Red Rose Rosebud.

I would however say that a jump from MA Bronze to ATC SCM11 will be so big that you may simply not like them. I've gone through the same when I got "ATC SCM11 killers" EB Acoustics EB2 and couldn't warm up to them.
 

Zax89swe

New member
Apr 19, 2011
23
0
0
Visit site
I want powerful as possible but above all it's brightness and strain I want to lower, I wish more neutral sound, there I'm not completely happy with the bronze 2s performance. but have never heard a speaker at higher price before.
 

Andrewjvt

New member
Jun 18, 2014
99
4
0
Visit site
Don't get caught up with the term, near field.
Near field just means it will work in a small studio and won't fill a massive space with loud sound.
With regards using the atcscm11 at 1.2m
That would be fine as i found in my room you can move around and closer/further and not really change the sound much, although at closer distance the details are easier to pick up
 

seemorebtts

Well-known member
Feb 2, 2013
66
0
18,540
Visit site
Zax89swe said:
I want powerful as possible but above all it's brightness and strain I want to lower, I wish more neutral sound, there I'm not completely happy with the bronze 2s performance. but have never heard a speaker at higher price before.
the ATC scm11 are way better than the bronze 2 and are much easier listen but I think the ATC scm7 should be better being close.ill recommend the dynaudio emit M10 and the new KEF q 350 and sonus Faber chameleon all these speakers are great and are easy on the ear
 

Gray

Well-known member
Zax89swe said:
Im tempted to replace my Monitor Audio Bronze 2s to the SCM11s, will listen near field just 1.2meters away, with the amplifier Rega Elex r. Can I expect a more enjoyable sound? Unfortunately I can't audition.

I think you'd find PMC twenty 21s enjoyable at close range. I do.

I'd also say their neutrality make them less of a gamble than some for a blind (deaf?) purchase, but nobody would recommend that with any speaker.

You may not like nuetrality (or even agree that they are neutral when YOU hear them)
 

Zax89swe

New member
Apr 19, 2011
23
0
0
Visit site
Thanks for the tips, but I went for the new Monitor audio Silver 100.. Very happy. the sound is more relaxed but still a more exciting listen.
 

nick8858

New member
Aug 8, 2011
29
0
0
Visit site
Bag a second hand pair of these. Great Near Field speakers, designed for the studio. You can put plenty power through them as well
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
When listening in the nearfield the listener does not get the benefit of room gain (reflected sound) which tends to favour the lower frequencies. Hi-fi speakers balance for normal 'far field' use can sound bass light when used in the nearfield, all other things being equal.

This also explains why many studio speakers designed for 'near field' use have such a prodigious bass/mid-bass output. If your taste runs to modern bass heavy music, then such speakers can be remarkably effective.
 

lindsayt

New member
Apr 8, 2011
16
2
0
Visit site
Davedotco, the opposite to what you say is true.

Bass is less directional than treble.

Therefore the further away you sit the more bass falls off relative to the upper frequencies.

Of course this can be modified by sitting in the midfield in a small echoey room.

And it can be modified by the particular room acoustics. An example of this was the large downstairs room near reception at Scalford 2016 where there was a monster horn system. Sitting in the front seats and the tonal balance was bass heavy. Sitting at the back next to the rear wall and it was bass light. Sitting 4 feet in front of that and it was just right.

But as a general rule of thumb, the further you sit away from speakers the more you require them to have a bass heavy tonal balance - as measured at 1 metre - in order to get a neutral balance at the listening position.
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
Vladimir said:
The extra percieved bass in NF monitors might be the reflections from the desk or mixer?

This is a well known phenomena and well understood. Some monitors even have notch filters to attempt to counter this effect, it is however not what is under discussion.

By definition, in the nearfield you only hear the sound direct, no reflections. Because the bass is less directional, you only hear the bass energy that is radiated directly towards the listener, you do not hear the bass energy that is radiated in other directions (omnidirectional).

In a normal hifi situation the bass energy that is not direct is reflected to the listening position adding to the direct bass energy which, generally speaking, increases bass levels at the listening position. This is what happens in 'normal' size domestic rooms, in larger spaces, auditoria or even free space it is very different.
 

Vladimir

New member
Dec 26, 2013
220
7
0
Visit site
Since the desk reflections are a variable they are not accounted for in the speaker design. Just like wall reflections aren't taken in consideration and speakers are voiced for anechoic environment.

By that logic manufacturer shouldn't consider if a speaker is for mid or nearfield listening and just make the best neutral sounding speaker for anechoic environment.
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
To be fair, most small monitors are called near field monitors simple because they do not go loud enough to be used at a distance. Up close they can offer detail and insight that main monitors do not, furthermore they often find themselves in 'project' studios where rooms are rarely well treated, so listening up close minimise the room effects.

The theory here is mostly overuled by reality, to be in a speakers near field you really need to be very close indeed, think real desktop audio, most studio setups place the listener in the mid field and work because the clarity they deliver shines through.

I am not a loudspeaker designer but I know that one of the technical issues that they wrestle with is the difference between 'total power response', ie the output of the speaker through full 360 degrees and the 'on axis response', ie direct output only, this is critical to how a speaker works in a given space.

To be honest, the way speaker designs react in room is largely determined by the 360degree response and issues regarding speaker placement with regard to room bounderies have far greater effect than whether you are sitting in the near or far field.
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
I wanted the A7x which I think are cracking. However they need stands, are a bit big and sound best driven quite hard, so for domestic considerations I went for the Artist6.

Set up correctly they work well, deep bass is largely absent but for the music I play that is really not an issue, from about 80hz up it is tight and, for two tiny drivers, quite punchy.

Most of the time though they are back, quite close to the wall, either side of the tv, far from ideal. That said they remain tight and clear with no discernable overhang, pace and timing is excellent which suits me down to the ground.

All this from a tiny, piano black column less than 6 inches wide.

Currently playing 'Poker Dice', Stomu Yamash'ta.
 

Vladimir

New member
Dec 26, 2013
220
7
0
Visit site
Do you own a printer? You will eventually want to print handouts for your guests: "No, there is no subwoofer. It's not a surround, it's just those two. Yes, really."
 

davedotco

New member
Apr 24, 2013
20
1
0
Visit site
Vladimir said:
Do you own a printer? You will eventually want to print handouts for your guests: "No, there is no subwoofer. It's not a surround, it's just those two. Yes, really."

Deep bass is absent, but a tiny bit of mid-bass heft will convince many that the bass is quite prodigious. If I was serious about deep bass I would get a sub that enables me to filter out the deep bass to my mains, Adams own Subs will do that.

I still occasionally get asked ('as a man who knows about these things') to help out but these days, like on here, I make little comment about sound quality mainly advising on practical matters.
 

TRENDING THREADS