ATC SCM20 SLT

stpierre76

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Hi all,

I was wondering if anybody had some experience with the ATC SCM20 SLT speakers(passive) and if they are superior to the atc scm 40.Everybody seems to rave about the atc scm40 but there is not info about the scm20 slt.
thanks in advance
john
 
stpierre76 said:
Hi all, I was wondering if anybody had some experience with the ATC SCM20 SLT speakers(passive) and if they are superior to the atc scm 40.Everybody seems to rave about the atc scm40 but there is not info about the scm20 slt. thanks in advance john

Hi John

Your existing speakers are?

What do you generally listen to?

Will anyone else also use the system? If so, their listening prefrences?

Your source component/s?

Your amplifier?

Room size?

Room positioning of speakers (distance to walls, will there be anything in between or either side of the speakers such as windows, sofa, chimney breast etc.)?

Is the room heavily of lightly finished?

Will anything be in the way of the speakers?

Distance between the speakers?

Walls (brick, concrete etc.)?

Would you stand, shelf or wall mount the SCM20's?

Listening distance?

Your general listening level?

Floor (concrete, wooden etc.)?

Speaker cables?

Your overall budget?

What kind of presentation would you like the system to reproduce?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

stpierre76

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Hi rick and thanks for replying.I may have got the model wrong.The atc i am refering to are floorstanders.wicked digital(the atc importer) sells the atc scm 20slt for $6600Au.There is also a active model at nearly double the price, but on the atc website i can not find the passive model,just the active.is that because it s an obsolete model??
Current speakers are focal chorus 826,i geniumely listen to almost anything(my library includes, dub,regae,rock,pop,classic,world, electro, dance,jazz....).My source is laptop via jrivers(flac) and into dac(cyrus prexpd, but will get rid of it soon to either w4s dac2 or the ayre qb9).Amp is the 8power from cyrus but will also sell and replace.not yet sure by what and if i ll go for pre/power or integrated....
the set up up will be part of the family area, so nothing in between the speakers and the couch.Distances are not yet determined as the new house is being drawn as we speak, but as a giude, the family, dining and kitchen is an open plan of around 40sqm with 3m ceiling.
needless to say that i want a speaker that can easily fill that room, but also a speaker with a wide soundstage so i don t need to be in the couch in the sweet spot to enjoy my music(as i tend to move a fair bit niwadyas, don t have the luxury of staying on the couch listening for long period of times courtesy of 2 kids...)
levels varies a fair bit, can be quiet to loud as got no neighbours.Floors are timber,budget around 4000 to 5000 quids for passive speakers.
thanks in advance
 

Frank Harvey

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Hi John

Its well known that I'm not overly keen on the SCM40's. They may be more accurate from a technical point of view than other models in the entry level range, but they just don't do anything for me, and I've had a hard time finding amplification (other than ATC's own) to work with them. For me, I prefer the SCM19's (and SCM20's), which use the same SL spec mid/bass driver as the SCM20, which the SCM40 doesn't. I can only assume this holds the SCM40 back, I don't know.
 

stpierre76

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Hi david and thanks for replying once more,

I kind of knew you weren t a scm40 fan.I read it on some other thread here.Like craigm mentioned you must be one of the only one as people tend to rave about the 40 a lot. but i woun t hold it against you... :)
To be honest i may not have heard how good the 40s are but going on looks alone it would definately be the last speaker i d go for.However if the sound is as good as people say it is, my eyes(well more my wife) will have to adapt.
Like i said the local distributer is advertising the scm20slt which is a florstander and it looks a lot better, hence me asking some info regarding them..
sincerely yours
john
 

BenLaw

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The 20 may look better but IMO it's hard to see how it would match the 40s for SQ. True, the 40s do not have an SL driver but they have the famous soft dome mid driver and their own dedicated bass driver. You're looking to fill a fairly large room and the 40 will do a better job - it has the extra driver and double the cabinet volume, as the 20 is effectively a stand mount with an attached cabinet. FWIW the 40 sounds superb to me, including on non-ATC amplification, and will be my next set of speakers.

Given your budget, have you considered active? The active 50s would be a further leap from the 40s and have no problem filling your room. They may be a bit over budget but you'd be able to sell your power amp.

BTW try and get a look at the 40s in the flesh. Their very high build quality makes them significantly more desirable than they can appear in photos.
 

Frank Harvey

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I like numerous speakers for different reasons, and I'd pay money for any of ATC's entry level range, except the SCM40's. Believe it or not, I'm not the only one. As I've always said, we're all different, so not everyone is going to like the same speaker.
 

Evlampi

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I`m with David on this.

I like the Scm 11 and 19, but the 40`s are not my favorite ATC speakers for sure ...

In my experience, ATC SCM20 are way way better. Much more open, articulate etc...
 

BenLaw

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FrankHarveyHiFi said:
I've had a hard time finding amplification (other than ATC's own) to work with them.

Good to know your "quest of argonaut proportions" at least reached an end with ATC amplification
smiley-wink.gif
I would also recommend trying Plinius
smiley-smile.gif


I can only assume this holds the SCM40 back, I don't know.

Shame you don't know why you don't like them tho - perhaps a few hundred hours more listening would help
smiley-wink.gif


Each to their own I guess, but I've found ATC, from 11s up to active 100s, share very similar sonic traits and liking one will mean most people will like them all
smiley-smile.gif
 
stpierre76 said:
Hi rick and thanks for replying.I may have got the model wrong.The atc i am refering to are floorstanders.wicked digital(the atc importer) sells the atc scm 20slt for $6600Au.There is also a active model at nearly double the price, but on the atc website i can not find the passive model,just the active.is that because it s an obsolete model?? Current speakers are focal chorus 826,i geniumely listen to almost anything(my library includes, dub,regae,rock,pop,classic,world, electro, dance,jazz....).My source is laptop via jrivers(flac) and into dac(cyrus prexpd, but will get rid of it soon to either w4s dac2 or the ayre qb9).Amp is the 8power from cyrus but will also sell and replace.not yet sure by what and if i ll go for pre/power or integrated.... the set up up will be part of the family area, so nothing in between the speakers and the couch.Distances are not yet determined as the new house is being drawn as we speak, but as a giude, the family, dining and kitchen is an open plan of around 40sqm with 3m ceiling. needless to say that i want a speaker that can easily fill that room, but also a speaker with a wide soundstage so i don t need to be in the couch in the sweet spot to enjoy my music(as i tend to move a fair bit niwadyas, don t have the luxury of staying on the couch listening for long period of times courtesy of 2 kids...) levels varies a fair bit, can be quiet to loud as got no neighbours.Floors are timber,budget around 4000 to 5000 quids for passive speakers. thanks in advance

Hi John

Thanks for your reply.

The site does only show the SCM20SL AT however rest assured the passive version is still available.

Yes, i have listened to SCM19, SCM20 and SCM40 monitors and all things being equal the SCM40's are in a different league altogether. The SCM20's have a better HF unit from Seas (whereas the SCM19's and SCM40's use a Vifa HF unit). However this difference is pulled back and is overall surpassed by the SCM40 monitors due to their the greater cabinet size and the use of vastly superior drive units (the original and legendary studio Soft Dome mid range unit and a dedicated 165mm bass driver). The studio Soft Dome is capable of covering a range of 300Hz to 4kHz and also achives an exceptionally broad and even dispersion so that the reverberant soundfield matches the on axis sound which results in a flat frequency response almost anywhere in the room. Basically SCM40's sound superb over a much wider area :)

Considering the size of your room the SCM40 monitors with their (amongst other advantages) greater scale and depth are really a no brainer (although this will also depend on what amplifier you use). Fwiw, i feel SCM40 monitors are overall probably the finest VFM speakers currently available on the market regardless of design or price.

Just going back to the HF unit. Any differences between the 25mm units are very much likely to be levelled out in due course when ATC's own design is released (which is currently being worked on). This should also be available as a retrofit.

Is there a possibility of auditioning these ATC's in your room?

Have you got a budget in mind for the source and amplifcation?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

stpierre76

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Hi rick,
once again thanks clearing most of the issues I had in regards to the atc range.M also glad to see that there is a possibility of retrofitting drivers makes the 40 a lot more appealing.
Unfortunately for me, i am unable to audition in my room as dealer is in sydney and me in brisbane.I can fly over there to audition but s about it all.
Source and amplification budget you ask??well i was tempted by a class d amp such as the w4s and matching pre and dac, but open to ideas.
 

MattSPL

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I used to use a Chapter Audio Couplet(Class D) power amp with some ATC scm19's.
It was a great combination.

The Chapter Audio Preface+ & Couplet are very transparent and have no sonic signature of their own and bags of power.
 

MattSPL

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But would this not leave the user to pick their chosen source to create the sound they desire?
Like some Active ATC users choose Tube pre amps to tailor the character of the sound to their liking.
 

CnoEvil

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MattSPL said:
But would this not leave the user to pick their chosen source to create the sound they desire?
Like some Active ATC users choose Tube pre amps to tailor the character of the sound to their liking.

There's good tailors.....and then there's bad tailors. ;)
 
stpierre76 said:
Hi rick, once again thanks clearing most of the issues I had in regards to the atc range.M also glad to see that there is a possibility of retrofitting drivers makes the 40 a lot more appealing. Unfortunately for me, i am unable to audition in my room as dealer is in sydney and me in brisbane.I can fly over there to audition but s about it all. Source and amplification budget you ask??well i was tempted by a class d amp such as the w4s and matching pre and dac, but open to ideas.

Hi John

Thanks for your reply and your welcome.

Yes, as it currently stands ATC's new 25mm HF unit would cover models from SCM7 to SCM150 monitors :) You may also be interested to know that ATC have recently finished their first ever HF unit which is a 34mm design :bigsmile: The 34mm unit will feature on SCM200 and SCM300 monitors.

Anyway the Wyred 4 Sound components certainly look impressive. Other components to also consider are ATC's SIA2-150 MK2, CA2/P1 or the new Plinius Hautonga amplifier (from your neighbours in New Zealand) with the source being a Chord Electronics QBD76 DAC. If budget allows then the Plinius Hiato amplifier is also worth serious consideration. Fwiw, a QBD76/Hiato/SCM40 combination produces superb results :) Truly frightening :bigsmile: I would also recommend these electronics with PL200's and Contour S 3.4's as i suggested to you in your other thread.

Btw, as Ben mentioned earlier would active speakers interest you?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

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