upgrade from atc-scm11

[Anonymous]

Why the obsession with stirring on ATC threads Fats??

Observation, not obsession Ben. All those previous threads.

 

[Anonymous]

No problem with broadening horizons but while some of the suggestions may give deeper bass they will be a step down in many of the qualities of ATC.

Indeed, and whilte ATCs might start to roll off a little earlier than other speakes, since they are sealed units the roll off will be half that of ported designs.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

hello all !

i am thinking of upgrading my secondary system . plenty of sources (main being my pc), a Naim XS and a pair of atc-scm11 on atakama hms2 stands.

sound is fine but i think that by upgrading amp and speakers it might be even ...finer.

room size (home office) is about 3x4 meters.

so questions are : are atc-smc19 any better than 11 ? i mean will they sound even louder and refined as the 11's ?

will upgrading xs to supernait (so the matched system would be scm19) also help ?

you know, being a fan of the classic bbc sound (harbeth or stirling nowadays) i find myself suprised (!) to enjoy to such extent the sound of the atc monitors (in this secondary system). i also have upraded from scm7 and i find 11 even more enjoyable, so although everything is ok, except maybe for a little more bass, i am thinking of stretching this enjoyment even further !

do you think that i should try and change naim with another -non-naim- amp together with scm19 ? (finding the family of atc standmounters so fine i am ONLY considering ATC, especially 19 . i guess scm40 would be too much for the room, and would require EVEN better amplifications .. which are not in my plans right now )

please, tell me what your opinions about all this .

Hi indietronic

With SCM7 and SCM11 monitors ATC give an exceedingly good taste of what they are capable of however starting with SCM19's ATC well and truly push the button and significantly raise the game of their monitors. Even though SCM19 monitors use the same dimension (150mm) Mid/LF drive unit as SCM11's however this Mid/LF drive unit (the first in ATC's range of monitors) incorporates ATC's state of the art ultra low distortion SLMT (Super Linear Magnet Technology) in a massively engineered and built assembly (which is also used in SCM20ASL Professional monitors). To put this into perpective the SLMT drive unit weighs more then a complete SCM11! There is no difference in HF performance between any Entry Series monitors as all use the same HF unit. However in practically every area below HF SCM19's more or less show SCM11's a clean pair of heels.

Last week i listened to Naim's superb SuperUniti (partly based on the the Supernait amplifier) using SCM11's and SCM19's. A track i used was Tere Bina Zindagi Se (Lata Mangeshkar). Even with this simple and old recording as good as SCM11's are however the SCM11's didn't have the same scale, depth, weight, dynamics, resolution, precision, focus etc. and overall sounded veiled in comparision to SCM19's. After hearing SCM19's there is no going back to SCM11's. Simple

A Supernait with its higher quality of amplification will ultimately help unlock the performance potential of SCM19 monitors even further however you don't have to jump ship straightaway. Put it this way if a Uniti is deemed adequate for SCM40's then in comparison the Nait XS will take SCM19's in its stride.

Fwiw, i feel SCM19 monitors are probably the finest VFM bookshelf speakers currently available on the market regardless of price.

Anyway looking at this from another perspective another option to also worth considering is adding ATC's C1 sub. The C1's clean, tight response enables easy integration with ATC's main monitors. The C1 sub will also give you the ability to dial in the output level in relation to your room.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

If its a bit more bass you're after then as Rick says the ATC C1 could well be the answer.

It made a world of difference when added to my 11s. Not only was the bass deeper and full but i noticed subtle improvements throughout the whole range.

If its set properly you wont even hear it but you'd certainly notice if it were gone.

I wouldn't be without it so its still here, very quietly filling out the bottom for the 40's

 

[indietronic]

Rick's answers and notes are very precise and always in the right direction. however, use of a sub is contrary to my beliefs and the way i want music to be reproduced. consider it to be wrong or whatever, i do not like using subwoofers.

at the moment i'm growing money and i hope in the next month or so to be ready to upgrade to either scm19 or 40. along with this change there will be a possible amp upgrade.. two things to consider, money, room dimensions. the critical being the former...

 

[hoopsontoast]

The 19's are a step up from the 11's IMO, and I actually prefer them to the 40's. You may however find that they will demand a better amp than the XS. I was never a massive fan of Naim/ATC, and prefer something like the Audiolabs. Although, there is some odd ball kit, like older Sony ES amps that might be worth a go. Plenty of power, and a very refined presentation that suits ATC's well.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Well said

 

[indietronic]

The 19's are a step up from the 11's IMO, and I actually prefer them to the 40's. You may however find that they will demand a better amp than the XS. I was never a massive fan of Naim/ATC, and prefer something like the Audiolabs. Although, there is some odd ball kit, like older Sony ES amps that might be worth a go. Plenty of power, and a very refined presentation that suits ATC's well.

can you suggest two or three SPECIFIC models (currently on market), that in your own opinion suit the 19s best ?

 

[hoopsontoast]

Is there any reason they have to be current models?

For example, the TA-F770ES I had previously was brilliant, not had a chance to test my current 670ES with harder to drive speakers yet.

I really liked the SCM19/Audiolab 8200MB combo with the 8200 Pre amp (8200Q was it?) and prefered that to the XS pre-power combo, and actually the ATC pre/power.

Bryston is epic with the 19's, (Bass depth, power attack, dynamics and sheer headroom without distortion) but I found it bought out the limitations of the tweeter in the Entry range. You could probably find a second hand 4B power amp for around £2k I think, and with the 20 year warranty, it keeps used prices high but they are very very good.

One combo I wanted to try was Rega Exons/SCM19, or with the 7's I had previously. They are said to be very good, and under-rated monoblocks.

I also tried a Behringer A500, which was ok, nothing special, but I was running it straight from the CDP. Its been said that using a dedicated pre helps a lot, as the volume pots in the A500 are not very good. Its a cheap way of getting some decent power for the ATC's.

Other stuff I did not like with the ATC's was Roksan, some reason I did not get on with it, like the Naim. I think it was a slight graininess in the upper midrange, that gave a slightly fuzzy quality to vocals. Both have good bass control though but I think there are better suited amps.

 

[indietronic]

thank you hoopsontoast for your suggestions.

actually i have heard and read good opinions about the synergy between scm19 + yamaha 2000 integrated.

any others (preferably owners of atc scm19) suggestions for a great amp-match to atc-scm19?

 

[BenLaw]

Well said

Does Hoops still work with you?

 

[Anonymous]

thank you hoopsontoast for your suggestions.

actually i have heard and read good opinions about the synergy between scm19 + yamaha 2000 integrated.

any others (preferably owners of atc scm19) suggestions for a great amp-match to atc-scm19?

Can't comment on the atc 19's, but can recommend the Yamaha 2000 very highly.

 

[hoopsontoast]

Nope, not been in the hifi business for about a year now :roll:

I know its not a very good business model to recommend a cheaper alternative :rofl: You would be best to go for the SCM40's then.

I dont think David sells Sony ES amps though. :shame: He should, they are very good! :twisted:

Back on topic, I have not heard the Yamaha amps, heard some good noises about them, the A-S2000 certainly look nice in a clean/retro kind of way. Bit of a sucker for 'Jap Crap' Integrated Amps.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Well said

Does Hoops still work with you?

Do they have to be unkown to me for me to agree with them? And before it's asked, no, I didn't teach hime everything he knows. He's old enough (just) to have his own opinion

 

[BenLaw]

Well said

Does Hoops still work with you?

Do they have to be unkown to me for me to agree with them?

In my view it would be relevant if he worked with you (which is what I asked, not if he knew you). Given the house rules, I think WHF agrees with me. He doesn't, question answered.

 

[hoopsontoast]

There was a reason I did not post here until I joined late last year. :type:

 

[BenLaw]

There was a reason I did not post here until I joined late last year. :type:

Well done on avoiding saying anything inflammatory :type:

 

[hoopsontoast]

I try

 

[MUSICRAFT]

actually i have heard and read good opinions about the synergy between scm19 + yamaha 2000 integrated.

any others (preferably owners of atc scm19) suggestions for a great amp-match to atc-scm19?

Hi indietronic

Other then the A-S2000, probably the safest bet and one which forms an excellent match with SCM19 monitors is ATC's own SIA2-150 MK2.

As for used/discontinued amplification then Krell's KAV-400xi is also worth consideration.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft