ATC SCM19 Bookshelf Speaker Review

[Liya]

But for small spaces and used close to walls, they haven't at all! The overbuild in engineering is an ATC 'thing' and that won't change...

Define 'small space' please

 

[dfuller]

This. ATCs are super common and have kind of a halo of quality among lots of studio folks. One room I’ve worked in swapped out ADAMs for ATC, and another was feeling tempted to replace Focals. It changes things to have better info.

The pro ones are generally pretty good, if rather short on low end sans subs. The SCM25s with the ports closed and crossed with subs is pretty great, to be honest.

 

[Barter]

The pro ones are generally pretty good, if rather short on low end sans subs. The SCM25s with the ports closed and crossed with subs is pretty great, to be honest.

Yeah, I just actually had deleted my post moments after posting it when I noticed how old the thread was and that I was replying to a years earlier phase of discussion!

 

[Liya]

Yeah, I just actually had deleted my post moments after posting it when I noticed how old the thread was and that I was replying to a years earlier phase of discussion!

Well, it doesnt matter how old the thread is. The content is still relevant.

 

[DSJR]

Define 'small space' please

The room I used the 20's passive in (19 not so different) was around 15' x 10' with speakers a hand's breadth from the wall behind. The 20 ASL Pro's with definite similar upper mid rise (bit a bass lift control to partly counteract it in mine) were used firing down a 24' x 11' room.

 

[crappypanther]

This frequency response of the ATC 19 is almost the same as that of the Yamaha NS10m. NS10m also has the sealed box and 7 inch woofer. According to Stereophile measurements, ATC 11 and ATC 7 are noticeably smoother

 

[Liya]

The room I used the 20's passive in (19 not so different) was around 15' x 10' with speakers a hand's breadth from the wall behind. The 20 ASL Pro's with definite similar upper mid rise (bit a bass lift control to partly counteract it in mine) were used firing down a 24' x 11' room.

I used passive 19s v2 (with ATC SIA2 integrated) in 10' x 20' akward English living room (chimney breast, patio door, bay window, heavily furnished - two sofas, dinning table, four chairs, pictures on the walls, curtains, rugs, coffee table... we just had to fit it all in that small space casue kitchen was tiny) the mids were shouty and bass (as close to back wall as I could) boomy (but never as much boomy as any other speaker in the same position: passive Dali, Kef passive and active, active Yamaha), if I would move the speakers out of the back wall the bass was gone.
My second pair of ATC, the SCM40A were way more balanced but the bass was overwhelming in the same spot (close to back wall) and I could not really moved them forward. If I only had RME dac back then I would eq them and never look back.

 

[DSJR]

Sticking what's left of my dealer hat on for a sec, I wonder what the 19A's might have done (probably not much, but who knows...).

Six months ago, I'd have had no qualms at all going to 40A's if budget allowed (and if I could be persuaded to get rid of my stash of old gear - it's coming...), but for me now, I reckon it's unnecessary.

Have you heard SCM11's? I think they're rather more neutrally balanced but still with a tighter bass...

 

[Liya]

Have you heard SCM11's? I think they're rather more neutrally balanced but still with a tighter bass...

Yes. Can we trust UMIK microphone? Can I trust my ears? UMIK and my ears tell me SCM11s are mids heavy.
Avi DM10 are very similar. DM12 are same with just a little more bass and big lift in the mids.
Man, I cannot escape the mids heavy loudspeakers.
But now I have the RME so I applied -3.5db at 890kHz Q 0.5, some loundness compensation and +2db bass shelf from 150Hz and the DM12 sound ok.

 

[DSJR]

Yes. Can we trust UMIK microphone? Can I trust my ears? UMIK and my ears tell me SCM11s are mids heavy.
Avi DM10 are very similar. DM12 are same with just a little more bass and big lift in the mids.
Man, I cannot escape the mids heavy loudspeakers.
But now I have the RME so I applied -3.5db at 890kHz Q 0.5, some loundness compensation and +2db bass shelf from 150Hz and the DM12 sound ok.

I've only heard the ATC 11's in one room sadly and this room can have bass problems with the floor-standing 'other brands' they sell. I thought they sounded fine with a well judged bass to mid balance (more than the 19A I heard in that room on another occasion). if you have the power available to deliver the +2db bass, why not if it suits your room and your hearing It's one reason why I got kind-of excited by the great overall results of the Linton Heritage as a more widely available alternative.

I was deeply suspicious of the AVI's as the original ADM 9 had an albeit gentle upper-mid bump (the measurements were disputed at the time although others found similar) and later models used custom SB bass-mid drivers that couldn't be replaced now unless you ordered something like 500 pairs or so. Ash also played silly games with his version of the active amp outputs as well, yet had he been straight down the line, the measured (third party) outputs of each amp would have been accepted and not criticised, the supply sag possibly protecting the drivers a bit as a kind of limiter... (certainly no hiss from the tweeters I believe).

I certainly can't trust my ears now at all (they've completely 'gone home' now) and haven't been able to for three years or so when it all kicked off for me. I'm hoping to visit an old dear friend who's a small dealer and try to listen to some things again to see how different they are to me now. My current gear at home has never sounded better though as with the 'aids, I'm hearing more reflected sounds in this well damped room than before and have got all the hf back I thought was missing in the system.

 

[crappypanther]

Guys, I had ATС SCM12Pro for a while, I really liked their sound, except for a small amount of bass, but it was fast and focus. I thought they sounded great with the pumped up lows (EQ)

 

[goat76]

One thing that seems to be overlooked when it comes to speakers is the dynamic capability, that's something my ATC SCM40 does better than any other similar-sized speakers I've heard or owned. When listening to something like Stravinsky's "The Firebird" suite it's almost brutal how these speakers go from the quiet parts to the sudden "attack bursts", seemingly without a breath.

Other things I have noticed with these speakers are how pure piano notes sound and how natural voices sound. Instruments are "meatier" with a more three-dimensional body to them than what I've noticed with other speakers I've heard. AC/DC's guitars and good drum recordings have never sounded better.

Sorry for the above audiophile type of descriptions.

 

[LTig]

One thing that seems to be overlooked when it comes to speakers is the dynamic capability, that's something my ATC SCM40 does better than any other similar-sized speakers I've heard or owned. When listening to something like Stravinsky's "The Firebird" suite it's almost brutal how these speakers go from the quiet parts to the sudden "attack bursts", seemingly without a breath.

Other things I have noticed with these speakers are how pure piano notes sound and how natural voices sound. Instruments are "meatier" with a more three-dimensional body to them than what I've noticed with other speakers I've heard. AC/DC's guitars and good drum recordings have never sounded better.

Sorry for the above audiophile type of descriptions.

I could say exactly the same about my K&H O300D.

 

[goat76]

I could say exactly the same about my K&H O300D.

Nice!

Just by looking at your speakers, they seem to share some similarities with ATC speakers. Especially the midrange dome driver.

 

[LTig]

Yep, but the midrange dome is made by Dynaudio I've heard. I think the bigger models (O400, O500C) used ATC midrange domes.

 

[Dirk]

I just found measurements for the ATC SCM19v2.

ATC SCM19 | Review Lab Evaluation - AVMENTOR.net

ATC SCM19, Review Lab Evaluation, Read Interesting Stories and Reviews about Audio, Hi-Fi, 2-channel, stereo, and multichannel technologies

www.avmentor.net

It looks like that it measures better than v1. There are no exaggerated mids anymore.
What do you think?

 

[YSC]

I just found measurements for the ATC SCM19v2.

ATC SCM19 | Review Lab Evaluation - AVMENTOR.net

ATC SCM19, Review Lab Evaluation, Read Interesting Stories and Reviews about Audio, Hi-Fi, 2-channel, stereo, and multichannel technologies

www.avmentor.net

It looks like that it measures better than v1. There are no exaggerated mids anymore.
What do you think?

If I didn’t misread it changed to a v shaped curve instead?

 

[Liya]

Seems they are undecided which way to go.

 

[Rednaxela]

Re. AVI - my ADM9.1s show a remarkably similar mid range bump.

FWIW.

 

[Liya]

Re. AVI - my ADM9.1s show a remarkably similar mid range bump.

FWIW.

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Ashley James was simply copying ATC all the way but never stopped moaning how bad ATC was and how great Avi is. Thing is, Avi sound is extremely similar to ATC.