ATC SCM150ASL PRO or Genelec 1238A

[HairyEars]

The high cut-off means you're much less likely to have catastrophic room interactions in the deep bass so you can place your mains where they image best. You can fill in the missing deep bass with a sub. It's a good compromise.

Thanks. Allow me to press a bit further: will embedding the monitors ("softit") eliminate the bass response issue altogether?
I believe that should take care of cancellations and nulls in the lower region. But I might be wrong.

 

[Joe852]

Thanks. Allow me to press a bit further: will embedding the monitors ("softit") eliminate the bass response issue altogether?
I believe that should take care of cancellations and nulls in the lower region. But I might be wrong.

I'm just an experienced enthusiast, that question is beyond me.

 

[dshreter]

Thanks. Allow me to press a bit further: will embedding the monitors ("softit") eliminate the bass response issue altogether?
I believe that should take care of cancellations and nulls in the lower region. But I might be wrong.

It does not. It removes the first reflection from the front wall, but not the side walls, ceiling, or rear wall and their associated modes.

Edit: I should say it does help a lot, I don’t mean to imply it is not useful. The front wall first reflection is the strongest. This is a helpful read in the subject.

Monitor Placement - Genelec.com

To create the ideal listening experience, several aspects need to be taken into account when placing the monitors within the listening space. First, you need to identify the listening area within the space and consider where the listener will be placed in relation to the space as well as the...

www.genelec.com

The relatively high cut-off is a blessing few appreciate. It means greatly reduced deep bass room problems without losing the benefit of big bass drivers. Adding a sub is easy. Placing speakers that are flat to 30 hz is impossible. You have to choose between imaging and bass response. One will almost always be terrible no matter where you put them.

I’m not sure I agree with this. At this level of speaker for its intended application, any user should be qualified to implement a high pass to the mains. If the lower frequencies are undesirable, they can be filtered. If they are desirable, they can help to contribute to smoothing overall response with subs.

 

[Vinyl Rules!]

Can someone tell me how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s sound at low levels (say around 60dB or so)?

I know they are superb at higher volumes (80dB to 100dB), but some excellent speakers sound dull and boring at lower levels.

So I’m wondering how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s fare at low listening levels?

TIA

 

[dfuller]

Can someone tell me how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s sound at low levels (say around 60dB or so)?

I know they are superb at higher volumes (80dB to 100dB), but some excellent speakers sound dull and boring at lower levels.

So I’m wondering how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s fare at low listening levels?

TIA

Odd choice to bump this thread, but...

My experience says they sound pretty good.

 

[DSJR]

I have only heard them at low volumes and they were absolutely fine to me.

 

[LTig]

Can someone tell me how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s sound at low levels (say around 60dB or so)?

I know they are superb at higher volumes (80dB to 100dB), but some excellent speakers sound dull and boring at lower levels.

See Fletcher-Munson. That's why every amplifier should have a loudness control.

 

[Avp1]

Can someone tell me how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s sound at low levels (say around 60dB or so)?

I know they are superb at higher volumes (80dB to 100dB), but some excellent speakers sound dull and boring at lower levels.

So I’m wondering how the ATC SCM150ASL PRO’s fare at low listening levels?

TIA

I have SCM100A, they do sound good at low volume, but you will need to apply tone correction accordingly for lower levels. They will sound bad if something like DRC is applied. They are not speakers for background listening.

 

[Vinyl Rules!]

See Fletcher-Munson. That's why every amplifier should have a loudness control.

LTig, I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I use a vintage McIntosh C30 pre-amp in my system instead of a newer preamp. It has a rotary variable loudness control that can be set independent of the volume. I prefer the C30 as it is quieter than Mac’s C31/C32/C33/C34, it has less distortion than these preamps and it doesn’t have the DBX-like compressor/expander of the 32/33/34.

IMHO variable loudness is much more useful than the multiple tone controls found on some of Mac’s newer preamps.

As alway, YMMV.