ATC SCM7 - what amp for small room?

ast2312

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May 3, 2020
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Hi All,

I am a new member to the forum and was hoping to seek some advice on setting up a system for a small room.

Having spent many years (and cash) with Naim systems I have taken a break for 5 years. I am now trying to put together a system for my home office.

The room itself is only small, 2m x 3m and is not great acoustically with lots of hard surfaces.

Ideally I was looking to build the system around ATC SCM7 V3 speakers with the source being a Bluesound Node 2i. The challenge is trying to find a good mid-range amp. Lots of threads say these speakers need power and others say that some amps work well at 50W.

I have got as far as Rega Brio R and Audiolab 6000a as possible options.

Does anyone have experience of this type of system and how it performs? Or, do I really need to be looking at amps around £1000 to get the SCM7 ‘S working well?

Any help and advice is appreciated.
 
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I think your readings are correct and, to get the best out of these speakers, you need a beefy amp.
They are pretty inefficient at 84dB but do have a flat impedance curve.
Whilst the amps you mention will work, and assuming you are looking to spend around £600, I would be looking to go do the second-hand route and consider something like the Creek Evolution 50A or something along those lines.
Basically the quality and output of the power supply in the amp needs to be good.
 

ast2312

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Thanks Al Ears for the reply and I will take a look at the Creek as you mention.

The other option I guess is to look for a different set of speakers but I am struggling to see what will match the quality of the ATC’s.
 
Thanks Al Ears for the reply and I will take a look at the Creek as you mention.

The other option I guess is to look for a different set of speakers but I am struggling to see what will match the quality of the ATC’s.
Understand, they are very good indeed and unfortunately the only speakers that were on a par with the larger SCM11s were the EB Acoustics EB2, which I own, but are no longer made although the design has been reissued by the manufacturer Arcaydis.
The EB1s were smaller and more comparable with the SCM7s.
Interestingly enough they are all sealed-box designs which makes placement simpler.
If you definitely want the SCM7s the originals can be found cheaper second-hand which may release more money to fund a better amp. Just a thought.
SCM7s at around £600 and SCM11s at around £700 if you do go down second-hand route, and there's no reason not to if buying from reputable source.
To be honest, apart from the shape of the speakers, I would doubt you would notice much difference between the originals and the V.3
The Crrek amp can be found second-hand for around £570
 
Excellent speakers (y)

For a budget of £500 - £600 I would also look at the used market and Rotel’s RA-1062 and the NAD C370. Both a are discontinued however they have the quantity and the quality of power to get on top of and energise the SCM7’s monitors perfectly well :)
What's the going rate for a TDAI-3400 these days?
Apologies to the OP, wasn't intending to derail this thread.

The Rotel is a good suggestion.
 
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ast2312

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Thanks again for the suggestions. I have got some further homework to do :)

With the limited space in the room space the Rega Brio R (half width box) is a front runner. I have also just realised I can also do some further fine tuning for treble/bass in the Bluesound to suit room and my taste. Not preferred but I guess I can demo at various shops but no substitute for home demo. Just concerned about reflections/bass boom (sorry this maybe going off topic).
 
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Thanks again for the suggestions. I have got some further homework to do :)

With the limited space in the room space the Rega Brio R (half width box) is a front runner. I have also just realised I can also do some further fine tuning for treble/bass in the Bluesound to suit room and my taste. Not preferred but I guess I can demo at various shops but no substitute for home demo. Just concerned about reflections/bass boom (sorry this maybe going off topic).

I have no idea how this pairing will sound with atc. But if you want a half width box maybe look at Cyrus in the second hand market plenty about loads of mono blocks and pres available. Loads of grunt for those atc.

just a thought is all
 
What's the going rate for a TDAI-3400 these days?

RRP (Rick's Recommended price or Rick's Retail Price ) :) for Lyngdorf Audio's TDAI-3400 are -

TDAI 3400 + RoomPerfect + Media player - £4999

TDAI 3400 + 1 option ( HDMI/USB or ADC Input (4K & HDR) - £5399

TDAI 3400 + 2 options (HE Analogue Phono & HDMI input (4K & HDR) - £5799

HDMI/USB or HE Analogue Phono input - £399
 
RRP (Rick's Recommended price or Rick's Retail Price ) :) for Lyngdorf Audio's TDAI-3400 are -

TDAI 3400 + RoomPerfect + Media player - £4999

TDAI 3400 + 1 option ( HDMI/USB or ADC Input (4K & HDR) - £5399

TDAI 3400 + 2 options (HE Analogue Phono & HDMI input (4K & HDR) - £5799

HDMI/USB or HE Analogue Phono input - £399
Cheers,
Pretty much the same as it was a good while ago then.
 
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