my system

[CnoEvil]

We can turn you hahaha

...being virtually extinct, we have to keep a few in captivity!

 

[matt49]

Great review and thread thanks for being so open and as DM say a way with words. Interesting you pick up on the starting and stoping of notes and the split second silence in between. Bass notes are tight they start and stop quickly (slew rate, large PSU?) Translates into an amp that bounds along and sounds very natural and dynamique. Im hopfully loading the car up next week to take the Abrahamsen and some speakers into deepest darkest west Wales to visit SteveR750 can not wait to hear the Hegel and the ATC's.

Looking forward to this Colin. Is it not too late to persuade Matt49 to bring his devialet along? That would be interesting, especially if there is a SAM profile for the ATCs

I'll certainly be up for it if I'm out west then, but I fear I'll be in London.

 

[iQ Speakers]

I did mail you Matt re bakeoff, Steve can not make it down to me so i have some time off next week so i thought id drive over there.

 

[drummerman]

Great review and thread thanks for being so open and as DM say a way with words. Interesting you pick up on the starting and stoping of notes and the split second silence in between. Bass notes are tight they start and stop quickly (slew rate, large PSU?) Translates into an amp that bounds along and sounds very natural and dynamique. Im hopfully loading the car up next week to take the Abrahamsen and some speakers into deepest darkest west Wales to visit SteveR750 can not wait to hear the Hegel and the ATC's.

Looking forward to this Colin. Is it not too late to persuade Matt49 to bring his devialet along? That would be interesting, especially if there is a SAM profile for the ATCs

Oh, a mini hifi show. Snow white (I hate to look up how to spell this!) and the two 'dwarfs' ... 'The beauty and the two biests' ... 'Transformers ... the show down' ... 'Battlestar Electrolytes' ...

 

[MUSICRAFT]

The active SCM40A contains an active crossover and a set of amps specifically tailored to the speakers drivers.

Hi gowiththeflow

Funnily enough i'll be posting a series of pictures on our Facebook page showing in brief the process of ATC building one our clients curved SCM40A active monitors which they completed yesterday

First step picture was added yesterday with amp pack picture later on today

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[iQ Speakers]

The active SCM40A contains an active crossover and a set of amps specifically tailored to the speakers drivers.

Hi gowiththeflow

Funnily enough i'll be posting a series of pictures on our Facebook page showing in brief the process of ATC building one our clients curved SCM40A active monitors which they completed yesterday First step picture was added yesterday with amp pack picture later on today

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Hi Rick I for one would love to see the pics could I invite you to post on here? I'm sure it would interest many.

edit Rick is stage one just geting a normal pair of SCM40A out?

 

[Vladimir]

As long as no more Hegel power amp pics get posted. Otherwise I'll have to get visual therapy by scrolling to the end of this page.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

The active SCM40A contains an active crossover and a set of amps specifically tailored to the speakers drivers.

Hi gowiththeflow

Funnily enough i'll be posting a series of pictures on our Facebook page showing in brief the process of ATC building one our clients curved SCM40A active monitors which they completed yesterday First step picture was added yesterday with amp pack picture later on today

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Hi Rick I for one would love to see the pics could I invite you to post on here? I'm sure it would interest many.

edit Rick is stage one just geting a normal pair of SCM40A out?

Hi Colin

The curved SCM40A's are our clients pair. As i said previously the pictures will briefly show the build process. SCM40 amp pack picture will be on soon

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Jota180]

An interesting comparison with the Hegel H360 + ATC SCM40 combo, would be the active version of those ATC speakers, the SCM40A.

The active SCM40A contains an active crossover and a set of amps specifically tailored to the speakers drivers. Obviously it does away with the need for speaker cables and the vagaries of trying to match amps and speakers. It's also a cheaper option than buying the passive version along with the H360.

You'd need a pre-amp and possibly a DAC with the active ATC setup so would have to factor in that cost and variable/s.

 

[Jota180]

As long as no more Hegel power amp pics get posted. Otherwise I'll have to get visual therapy by scrolling to the end of this page.

If she lived in my town I'd be Hannah Stalking.

 

[gowiththeflow]

You'd need a pre-amp and possibly a DAC with the active ATC setup so would have to factor in that cost and variable/s.

There are deals out there on the SCM40A's which include a DAC/Pre and cables for little or no extra cost.

 

[SteveR750]

You'd need a pre-amp and possibly a DAC with the active ATC setup so would have to factor in that cost and variable/s.

There are deals out there on the SCM40A's which include a DAC/Pre and cables for little or no extra cost.

Ugh. You might not spend much on your laptop, and rightly so, but a free dac? Seriously?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Thank you Rick,so you suggest for my speaker to go for H160?Or maybe change the speaker for something more sensitive?

Hi dantt

Your welcome.

Hold on to your X16's as i feel they would benefit from the greater quality of the H160. If possible try have a listen to a H160.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Romulus]

So ive had my new very thick 6mm 500 strand ofc speaker cables on from using siver aniversary and the change just what my system needed. Now i can go loud without any problems and the bass is much better. I was unsure about all the cable debates going on but ill say you dont need to spend a fortune on cables and as long as they are thick enough with good quality coper they will be just as good as any other expensive cable.

Now onto my review: when i changed from roksan to hegel h160 the jump in quality was so large that it really had a big affect on me. The hidden details that stood out, the bass definition and control. Now being used to the hegel sound the jump is not so evident at first but now im used to the amp.

Well the trebble and midrange stand out more prominant. So its a little clearer but the bass is something else. The 4000 damping factor using the sound engine 2 makes a big difference. The bass texture will amaze you. Ita a great amp for musicians as you can really feel the strings and technique of the musician.

It sounds so powerful without making your ears sore. Its very smooth and easy on the ear. Crystal clear and every single detail can be heard. Imagine a music track broken down into all the seperate instruments so you can listen seperately to each instrument. That how easy it is to follow any part of the track. There is so little harmonic distortion that all the echos and silence between the notes are much more apparent. The transient details jump out at you but not to distract from the main beat. The amp is also very fast stops and starts like lightning. Also effects that are normally hard to hear stand out very clear. This will supprise you at first when your getting used to the sound. The sound is very natural also very close to having the artist in your room with you. Its like a live sound. Ive used heavy metel, pop, jazz, hiphop and folk music and it suits all styles. The amp is not warm, bright or anything like that it just sounds like music is meant. Its got the rythm and timming of other famous amps and to my ears has no weakness at all. I can not say enough about hegel amps but especially the h360. When you get goose bumps from mysic youve heard for the last 20 years that says something. My best band korn play 7 string ibanez down tuned really low and the way i hear their music now is so differnent due to the detail and texture of the guitars and bass. Katie melua a stark contrast sounds so good. Ive even started listening to other genre of music now due to how good it sounds - something no other make of amp has made me want to do that before( i am getting older though)

Watched my first movie today catching fire bluray connected via rca. When the dts logo came on at the beginning it sounded like a transformer had come into the lounge - very impressed. So it handles movies great also. No need for surround sound but it has AV bypass so i can hook it up to a surround reciever in the future also. My speakers are kefr700s and they sound great but ive set my heart on atc smc40s as they are even better.

Both h160 and h360 are great amps and i could easy have lived with the h160. I never lacked anything but just wanted the h360 but the improvement has been worth it.Everything has a price point and the more you spend the better you get but dont worry as the h160 is still a very good amp its just the 360 is better in every way. Anyone looking for a new amp check them out. They are not cheap but offer great value for money also and are built to last.

Oh and they look beautiful too lol

[/quote

Lovely review and it appears you have been smitten by the ATC SCM 40 speakers. I take it from the above review that you auditioned the Hegel H360 with the ATC, and with the KEF at home. What was the difference in sound between the two speakers and what was the deciding factor that made you choose ATC for the future (after you have done the grulling shifts and split shifts..!) ?

 

[SteveR750]

Andrew as much as I admire the Hegel, the ATCs are for me the star turn. I'm sure that up to moderate levels amps like the Abrahamsen will do an equally job, but no speaker I've listened to sounds as good quietly tinkling in the background as it does at close to maxing out. You'll understand the reference when I tell you I had the volume up to 85 once I'd gotten the sub set up, and it's my ears that are struggling, not the drivers. It's all too easy to get carried away without realising just how loud it is. I could easily see the hegel being replaced at some point, but I'm a life fan of ATC. I'd love to compare some of their tower and classic range to some of the new KEF reference series, and the Blades of course.

 

[Romulus]

So ive had my new very thick 6mm 500 strand ofc speaker cables on from using siver aniversary and the change just what my system needed. Now i can go loud without any problems and the bass is much better. I was unsure about all the cable debates going on but ill say you dont need to spend a fortune on cables and as long as they are thick enough with good quality coper they will be just as good as any other expensive cable.

Now onto my review: when i changed from roksan to hegel h160 the jump in quality was so large that it really had a big affect on me. The hidden details that stood out, the bass definition and control. Now being used to the hegel sound the jump is not so evident at first but now im used to the amp.

Well the trebble and midrange stand out more prominant. So its a little clearer but the bass is something else. The 4000 damping factor using the sound engine 2 makes a big difference. The bass texture will amaze you. Ita a great amp for musicians as you can really feel the strings and technique of the musician.

It sounds so powerful without making your ears sore. Its very smooth and easy on the ear. Crystal clear and every single detail can be heard. Imagine a music track broken down into all the seperate instruments so you can listen seperately to each instrument. That how easy it is to follow any part of the track. There is so little harmonic distortion that all the echos and silence between the notes are much more apparent. The transient details jump out at you but not to distract from the main beat. The amp is also very fast stops and starts like lightning. Also effects that are normally hard to hear stand out very clear. This will supprise you at first when your getting used to the sound. The sound is very natural also very close to having the artist in your room with you. Its like a live sound. Ive used heavy metel, pop, jazz, hiphop and folk music and it suits all styles. The amp is not warm, bright or anything like that it just sounds like music is meant. Its got the rythm and timming of other famous amps and to my ears has no weakness at all. I can not say enough about hegel amps but especially the h360. When you get goose bumps from mysic youve heard for the last 20 years that says something. My best band korn play 7 string ibanez down tuned really low and the way i hear their music now is so differnent due to the detail and texture of the guitars and bass. Katie melua a stark contrast sounds so good. Ive even started listening to other genre of music now due to how good it sounds - something no other make of amp has made me want to do that before( i am getting older though)

Watched my first movie today catching fire bluray connected via rca. When the dts logo came on at the beginning it sounded like a transformer had come into the lounge - very impressed. So it handles movies great also. No need for surround sound but it has AV bypass so i can hook it up to a surround reciever in the future also. My speakers are kefr700s and they sound great but ive set my heart on atc smc40s as they are even better.

Both h160 and h360 are great amps and i could easy have lived with the h160. I never lacked anything but just wanted the h360 but the improvement has been worth it.Everything has a price point and the more you spend the better you get but dont worry as the h160 is still a very good amp its just the 360 is better in every way. Anyone looking for a new amp check them out. They are not cheap but offer great value for money also and are built to last.

Oh and they look beautiful too lol

[/quote

Lovely review and it appears you have been smitten by the ATC SCM 40 speakers. I take it from the above review that you auditioned the Hegel H360 with the ATC, and with the KEF at home. What was the difference in sound between the two speakers and what was the deciding factor that made you choose ATC for the future (after you have done the grulling shifts and split shifts..!) ?

My kef r700s sound very good with the h360 but the Atcs are a step up. For one you can push them much harder and they seem to be more clearer at higher volume. Being a sealed design the bass is more acurate and less fussy in position. My kefs have to be further from the wall which is a problem with bull terriers. The mid range is absolutely awesome and gives a more real sense of the artist in your room. Id say that maybe the kefs are a little fuller sounding though but thats in my room as apposed to musicrafts shop and when i demoed the h160 at musicraft it sounded much better at my house so if the atcs sounded better at musicraft then they will be even better at my place. After spending 2.5 - 3 hours listening to the atcs, my kefs sounded a little lifeless at first when i got home in comparrison. Th mid range is so real sounding. The Atcs are also more revealing and i noticed more details in the place back. Im not talking night and day but subtle differences that will be more noticable over a longer period. I think its in the mid range where the atcs really out shine the kefs. The atc tweeter is also very good. The atcs have plenty bass also. As ive now a bery good amp i feel the atcs are more closer to reference for the price. If i wantwd kef ref speakers it would cost about £10000 and thats out of reach.

Once you acquire the ATC speakers, do you feel you will have enough bass for all your music collection and therefore have no need for a subwoofer?

 

[SteveR750]

Andrew as much as I admire the Hegel, the ATCs are for me the star turn. I'm sure that up to moderate levels amps like the Abrahamsen will do an equally job, but no speaker I've listened to sounds as good quietly tinkling in the background as it does at close to maxing out. You'll understand the reference when I tell you I had the volume up to 85 once I'd gotten the sub set up, and it's my ears that are struggling, not the drivers. It's all too easy to get carried away without realising just how loud it is. I could easily see the hegel being replaced at some point, but I'm a life fan of ATC. I'd love to compare some of their tower and classic range to some of the new KEF reference series, and the Blades of course.?

Those ATCs are something else. Next year early i hope. Ill do a few 7 days during christmas and make extra money to spend up and when im close ill sell the kef r700s.

Then i bet ill be looking at subs lol. You can ask Rick for commision lol

JL audio E112. You can't have too big a driver!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I recently had a H360 and curved SCM40 passive monitors with two E-110 subs *biggrin* I am still recovering from the onslaught of this system *biggrin* Pictures of the system were posted on our FB last Saturday night

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[matt49]

JL audio E112. You can't have too big a driver!

These are superb subs. I had one on loan recently. Phenomenal impact alongside the 10" woofers of my Martin Logan Montis.

 

[SteveR750]

Having 2 X E110 would be something, I'm pretty sure that a second sub placed elsewhere in the room would help even things out. A single E110 seems to have more than enough power though, when conducting the sweep tests when mead using my room response, from 50hz down various bits of furnishings and superstructure start rattling. The sub volume is set to around 25% to match the ATC's, even at 50% it starts to drown out them out. The power of the thing is unnerving, it is easily capable of exciting my room to a point where it rattles so much it obscures the music!

 

[SteveR750]

Having 2 X E110 would be something, I'm pretty sure that a second sub placed elsewhere in the room would help even things out. A single E110 seems to have more than enough power though, when conducting the sweep tests when measuring using my room response, from 50hz down various bits of furnishings and superstructure start rattling. The sub volume is set to around 25% to match the ATC's, even at 50% it starts to drown out them out. The power of the thing is unnerving, it is easily capable of exciting my room to a point where it rattles so much it obscures the music!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

JL audio E112. You can't have too big a driver!

These are superb subs. I had one on loan recently. Phenomenal impact alongside the 10" woofers of my Martin Logan Montis.

Hi matt49

+1

At last years Bristol show a single E-112 caused quite a stir on the floor AV-Tech/JL Audio were on, the floor below and even on the stairs between the two floors *biggrin* and this wasn't even anywhere near reference level. Needless to say the volume level had to be turned down to help keep the peace *biggrin*

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I recently had a H360 and curved SCM40 passive monitors with two E-110 subs *biggrin* I am still recovering from the onslaught of this system *biggrin* Pictures of the system were posted on our FB last Saturday night

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

Must have sounded great. I cant wait to get those atcs. The sound of the mid range is still on my mind. Cant remember the song but the guitar went right through me in a good way.

Hi Andrew

Yes, the system sounded great

Btw, the H360 continues to impress me. Weight, body, power, grip, speed, depth, punch, control, detail, naturalness just keep on springing to mind

So far nothing has fazed the H360 as it just keeps on presenting these qualities with ease

Hegel have pushed the boat out with the H360 and have bought it closer to their mighty H30

I've got work to do and yet the H360 keeps on distracting me. Thanks to the H360 i'll be finishing late. I think i'll invoice Hegel for my time *biggrin*

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[iQ Speakers]

Spent the day at SteveR750's place yesterday the ATC's were stunning. The mids and high being the best part. I also thought they look very good, small Gloucestershire speaker company, low overheads not to greedy, great speakers Took along 3 pairs of iQ speakers and the Abrahamsen. A great day was had!

 

[Electro]

Spent the day at SteveR750's place yesterday the ATC's were stunning. The mids and high being the best part. I also thought they look very good, small Gloucestershire speaker company, low overheads not to greedy, great speakers Took along 3 pairs of iQ speakers and the Abrahamsen. A great day was had!

The suspense is killing me *help* , more please !*biggrin*