• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

ATC speakers / Monitors

Scholl

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
52
Likes
133
At the price per kilo, atc is not expensive. Maybe the weight is the only objective parameter for a speaker.
I don't know if this is a joke or not, but in any case weight is not a reliable indicator of quality or higher manufacturing costs for multiple reasons.

1) As far as enclosure material is concerned, MDF is heavier than plywood or aluminium, but is cheaper. A well built MDF enclosure is not bad but, for a given panel rigidity, plywood or aluminium enclosures (like Genelec) will be lighter.

2) For a given BL, motors with ferrite magnets are much heavier than those equipped with neodymium magnets. The latter are much more expensive though. Nothing wrong with properly used ferrite magnets, but there are applications for which neodymium is more practical.

3) An active speaker equipped with class AB amps will require a heavier heatsink or cooling system compared to another speaker equipped with class D amps of the same power. One is not necessarily better or worse than the other. The heavier heatsink will however, all other things being equal, be more expensive.

4) When speakers of similar size, construction and design are compared, weights are mostly similar irrespectively of their price or quality.

- High quality plywood or MDF is not heavier than lower quality equivalents.
- High quality drivers are not heavier than lower quality drivers of similar design (application, size, type of magnet etc.)
- Same story for high quality amps vs lower quality amps of similar class, power, design etc.
 

dfuller

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
3,335
Likes
5,050
Does anyone know why the SCM110 costs less than Scm150?
Frankly I don't even know why you're looking at these if you're in a 3m x 3m room.

What do you mean by that?
My experience says that the Gens are somewhat flattering (at least, the 80x0 series) compared to other speakers - why this is I'm not quite sure (it may have to do with the more sloping sound power than other studio monitors, which tend to be a bit flatter in good designs) but I can say for a fact that mixes that sound "done" on the Gens sound not quite there yet on neumanns, atcs, etc.

What's interesting to me is that this isn't the case with the 103x series Genelecs I've used and quite enjoyed (1031, 1030).
 

807Recordings

Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2021
Messages
96
Likes
128
He goes on about how som people say the ATC are bass light, just after he bass boosted the, and how it not bass light but rather accurate:facepalm:
Again not a single measured response.
Fan boys of course lapping up and dreaming of these in the comments.

you know you want to believe there is a company all what they say they are but the one thing I have learned in this jaded world is that it most likely isn’t.
 

dfuller

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
3,335
Likes
5,050
He goes on about how som people say the ATC are bass light, just after he bass boosted the, and how it not bass light but rather accurate:facepalm:
Again not a single measured response.
Fan boys of course lapping up and dreaming of these in the comments.

you know you want to believe there is a company all what they say they are but the one thing I have learned in this jaded world is that it most likely isn’t.
The thing that frustrates me is that ATC themselves quote their speakers as being bass light. It'd be one thing if they had quoted good bass response and didn't, but considering the manufacturers themselves don't say they do...
 

richard12511

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
4,335
Likes
6,700
The thing that frustrates me is that ATC themselves quote their speakers as being bass light. It'd be one thing if they had quoted good bass response and didn't, but considering the manufacturers themselves don't say they do...

Do they do that to optimize w/subwoofer performance?
 

Spocko

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
1,621
Likes
2,999
Location
Southern California
My experience says that the Gens are somewhat flattering (at least, the 80x0 series) compared to other speakers - why this is I'm not quite sure (it may have to do with the more sloping sound power than other studio monitors, which tend to be a bit flatter in good designs) but I can say for a fact that mixes that sound "done" on the Gens sound not quite there yet on neumanns, atcs, etc.

What's interesting to me is that this isn't the case with the 103x series Genelecs I've used and quite enjoyed (1031, 1030).
Since the latest Gens with GLM can be EQ'd to your needs, they can be made to sound like any monitors you want as long as you know the frequency curve preference you need.
 

Frgirard

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 2, 2021
Messages
1,737
Likes
1,040

807Recordings

Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2021
Messages
96
Likes
128
The thing that frustrates me is that ATC themselves quote their speakers as being bass light. It'd be one thing if they had quoted good bass response and didn't, but considering the manufacturers themselves don't say they do...
Thing that gets to me about this and so many so called industry "engineers" is that they have zero actual concept of engineering practices and principles. Yet you get one semi successful client and suddenly you are an authority. I will admit when producing music there is a real art to switch off the analytical side and go all creative/art. But I feel the best is when you can switch between the artist and the producer/engineering side and be objective. Questions I always ask are does this actually sound balanced, are my monitors telling the actual truth, is this really better after mastering or just different, etc.

Big names do not always mean stuff as I have had my music go to world class mastering engineers with many industry accolades come back sounding horrible with lower octaves all muddy or gone. Later when finding out they used NS10s for mastering or smaller monitors and no subs. These guys I can not comment on for their production work, but what I can say is they raise a lot of red flags and spout far too much rubbish.

Another producer who had also upgraded to ATC is John Sine here in Germany. He seems to mean well also but I can't help but wonder if these really are all they are cracked up to be. His room though he seems to have done correctly but again he only shows frequency response and not decay times which I find more important.

watch
 

dfuller

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
3,335
Likes
5,050

dfuller

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
3,335
Likes
5,050
Since the the latest Gens with GLM can be EQ'd to your needs, they can be made to sound like any monitors you want as long as you know the frequency curve preference you need.
Yes, but I'm not talking about those. Note I specifically said 80 series. The 83s have that capability, the 80s do not (to my knowledge).
 

Spocko

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
1,621
Likes
2,999
Location
Southern California
Yes, but I'm not talking about those. Note I specifically said 80 series. The 83s have that capability, the 80s do not (to my knowledge).
Correct, this is just information for those unfamiliar with Genelec speakers. I didn't want people to feel that all Genelecs were somehow more innately flattering as a pro tool.
 

Spocko

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
1,621
Likes
2,999
Location
Southern California
Thing that gets to me about this and so many so called industry "engineers" is that they have zero actual concept of engineering practices and principles. Yet you get one semi successful client and suddenly you are an authority. I will admit when producing music there is a real art to switch off the analytical side and go all creative/art. But I feel the best is when you can switch between the artist and the producer/engineering side and be objective. Questions I always ask are does this actually sound balanced, are my monitors telling the actual truth, is this really better after mastering or just different, etc.

Big names do not always mean stuff as I have had my music go to world class mastering engineers with many industry accolades come back sounding horrible with lower octaves all muddy or gone. Later when finding out they used NS10s for mastering or smaller monitors and no subs. These guys I can not comment on for their production work, but what I can say is they raise a lot of red flags and spout far too much rubbish.

Another producer who had also upgraded to ATC is John Sine here in Germany. He seems to mean well also but I can't help but wonder if these really are all they are cracked up to be. His room though he seems to have done correctly but again he only shows frequency response and not decay times which I find more important.

watch
Can we talk more about this! I am of the belief that as human beings, most people who are incredibly busy and specialized follow the general rule: "To a hammer, everything is a nail." In other words mixers and mastering engineers are all accustomed to a specific workflow that they have perfected, winning them awards within their genre but this does NOT mean that said award winning workflow can be implemented into a completely different genre. If the mastering engineer rebuilds his entire workflow and toolkit and looks at every new job with fresh eyes - that's brilliant. But the likelihood is that people have affirmation bias, believing their way is the best way because "awards" so why should they change? They put everything through their "hammer" and everything comes out a flattened "nail" - great if you're building tables for Cort, terrible if you're crafting a desk for the Queen of England.
 
OP
Pearljam5000

Pearljam5000

Master Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
5,125
Likes
5,355
Correct, this is just information for those unfamiliar with Genelec speakers. I didn't want people to feel that all Genelecs were somehow more innately flattering as a pro tool.
That's the notion on GS
 

Frgirard

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 2, 2021
Messages
1,737
Likes
1,040
The time of the deity of the engineer who has no competence, would it be over?

Like Steve Wilson, I have always thought that the mastering engineer was like the conductor, a patch that had become essential through laziness and force of habit.

The speaker like a pro tool for is a myth.

 

krabapple

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
3,168
Likes
3,713
This is also for marketing their studio. Using popular, expensive equipment is one of factors that could attract new customers for small studios. But let you see how many 'popular, major, master class' engineers are using ATC... They don't select their "Main Tools" just by just marketing.


You should read what Floyd Toole has reported about the measured sound of audio production rooms.

(tl;dr answer: all over the place)

Some 'major, master class' engineers can and have made ridiculous pronouncements about sound and recording technology, unmoored from science.

And too, 'fads' exist in sound production just as they do in other fields.

Didn't we just have a thread supposedly indicating that widespread use of B&W speakers in classical music production means B&W must be good?
 
Top Bottom