ATC speakers / Monitors

[robwpdx]

There is the only sure way to find if someone honestly believes in specific speaker quality or just pretend: through the money spent. Let's see who bought mid- and far-field monitors with their money: brand and model an what they replaced. I did buy SCM100A to replace B&W 802D. Who's next?

A friend's studio go-to was the ProAc 100. They supplemented them with nearfield ATC SCM25a, later updated to ATC SCM45a soffit mounted supplemented by B&W 805. Another studio uses soffit SCM110asl and SCM25a & Yamaha nearfield. Most studios have guest recorders and mixers visiting, so they need the speakers visiting engineers want. Another engineer travels with their DSP Genelecs. They all have Auratones too.

My engineer friend describes the ATCs as revealing problems in the mix.

Most people would say the ATC 3" midrange with their crossover design is very different from their speakers without it. That is why we would like someone to lend Amir a SCM25A or up in the range with that tweeter.

It would be good data to do an impulse response measurement for every transducer.

 

[Avp1]

Lack of bass extension isn’t ’taste’ is it, colouration isn’t taste, I imagine that listeners who prefer colouration simply haven’t heard an un-coloured one.
I have seen that video the panel preferred the Grimm LS1 we used to sell those, I don’t agree with their findings at all.
Keith

Full featured Grimm set is twice more expensive than a pair of scm150a.

 

[Purité Audio]

I think the LS1s we’re around £39k when we last sold , the originals were £10k per pair inc, what are ATCs 150s £26k , I would choose the D&D8Cs over both of them.
Keith

 

[Avp1]

I think the LS1s we’re around £39k when we last sold , the originals were £10k per pair inc, what are ATCs 150s £26k , I would choose the D&D8Cs over both of them.
Keith

I see price of two Grimm with subs and controller at $42500. Scm150asl are $22500 for a pair.

 

[bo_knows]

Not sure if this youtube video was shared before but it's nice to hear from the gentleman that does this for a living (I'm sure some of you guys fall in this category as well and my intent is not to put down anyone).

ATC talk starts at 2:15 mark.

 

[Deleted member 57422]

Not sure if this youtube video was shared before but it's nice to hear from the gentleman that does this for a living (I'm sure some of you guys fall in this category as well and my intent is not to put down anyone).

Keith is your alias name Streaky?

ATC talk starts at 2:15 mark.

That's what everyone at least half decent at music engineering says about the ATC's midrange. Nothing come close.

 

[bo_knows]

That's what everyone at least half decent at music engineering says about the ATC's midrange. Nothing come close.

I remember this Dynaudio speaker that I was considering purchasing a long time ago. It had a similar midrange as ATC.

 

[Deleted member 57422]

I remember this Dynaudio speaker that I was considering purchasing a long time ago. It had a similar midrange as ATC.

View attachment 277391

If that's your thing, I wouldn't hesitate. I found a few for sale at 4K$ USD on hifi shark. Not pricey if you consider them reliable.

 

[YSDR]

No, most of the time mastering is done on midfields or farfields, often flush mounted to reduce the impact of SBIR.

Then the answer is here for many audiophile questions. We need the same monitors which are flush-mounted as in the mastering studio, EQ-ed to the same response, also room reverberation is the same as the studio have and same electronics etc. At least objectively that's best we can do for classical view of hi-fi, because a hi-fi playback chain can only be loyal to the recorded material which are played back, nothing more.
But of course, subjectively the story are much different.

 

[Purité Audio]

Then the answer is here for many audiophile questions. We need the same monitors which are flush-mounted as in the mastering studio, EQ-ed to the same response, also room reverberation is the same as the studio have and same electronics etc. At least objectively that's best we can do for classical view of hi-fi, because a hi-fi playback chain can only be loyal to the recorded material which are played back, nothing more.
But of course, subjectively the story are much different.

That might be interesting if you were trying to recreate the sound of say a favourite mastering studio say in the 1960’s perhaps another set of gear that was used to master your favourite 80’s album, etc etc..
But we do have the file/record/Cd that is the only artefact. if you try and reproduce that as transparently as possible then that’s it job done.
Keith

 

[YSDR]

That might be interesting if you were trying to recreate the sound of say a favourite mastering studio say in the 1960’s perhaps another set of gear that was used to master your favourite 80’s album, etc etc..
But we do have the file/record/Cd that is the only artefact. if you try and reproduce that as transparently as possible then that’s it job done.
Keith

Yeah, recreating an old recording system would be challenging of course. Anyway, I think chasing a transparent, objectively good playback system is beneficial only if the recording are done on a system like that. Otherwise we will hear different sound that the mastering engineer heard at his job. So if the mastering engineer used an imperfect gear/system, we need the same imperfection in our systems to be able to hear the same as the engineer at his job. But at the end it's possible that we have different hearings and taste as the mastering engineer have, so...

To be more on-topic, I'm still more of an objectivist (measurements etc) in hi-fi, but I heard a pair of ATC SCM150ASL Pro monitors at a friends of mine not so long ago and wow, one of the best if not the best (or just fun?) sound that I ever heard. Wondering how these speakers would sound if they would fix the midrange dome and tweeter baffle diffraction problems (there is), the directivity mismatch between the mid-dome and the tweeter and the T/S specs of the 15" woofer, because this latter is far from objectively optimal for a bass-reflex box (and for the box size they use).

 

[subframe]

Just to be clear, pretty much nobody here will ever hear it the way the mastering engineer did. And definitely not the way the mix engineer did, or the recording engineer, or the band. That’s just never going to happen. It’s fine to pursue transparent playback, but let’s not pretend you’re ‘hearing it like I was in the control room!’.

Now, if all those people did their jobs, you’ll still hear an enjoyable representation of some music you like, which might even let you imagine what it *might have been like* to hear the original performance. And if the artist was good, it may not even matter if the engineers did a good job or not, you still might enjoy it.

(Of course this ignores many of the realities of music production for the past 60 years, such as comping, overdubbing, processing etc - all of which mean that often there was no ‘original performance’ in the way people seem to think)

 

[ahofer]

Just to be clear, pretty much nobody here will ever hear it the way the mastering engineer did. And definitely not the way the mix engineer did, or the recording engineer, or the band. That’s just never going to happen. It’s fine to pursue transparent playback, but let’s not pretend you’re ‘hearing it like I was in the control room!’.

Now, if all those people did their jobs, you’ll still hear an enjoyable representation of some music you like, which might even let you imagine what it *might have been like* to hear the original performance. And if the artist was good, it may not even matter if the engineers did a good job or not, you still might enjoy it.

(Of course this ignores many of the realities of music production for the past 60 years, such as comping, overdubbing, processing etc - all of which mean that often there was no ‘original performance’ in the way people seem to think)

And just to bring this discourse full circle, using ATCs because some studios had (active, pro, EQ'd, in-wall) models isn't a slam dunk argument for all their consumer speakers. The one measured above certainly has an extremely wide hump in the FR that would very clearly affect the listener's perceptions of midrange.

 

[Deleted member 57422]

consumer speakers.

 

[Chrise36]

To be more on-topic, I'm still more of an objectivist (measurements etc) in hi-fi, but I heard a pair of ATC SCM150ASL Pro monitors at a friends of mine not so long ago and wow, one of the best if not the best (or just fun?) sound that I ever heard. Wondering how these speakers would sound if they would fix the midrange dome and tweeter baffle diffraction problems (there is), the directivity mismatch between the mid-dome and the tweeter and the T/S specs of the 15" woofer, because this latter is far from objectively optimal for a bass-reflex box (and for the box size they use).

Welcome to the world of ATC

 

[Avp1]

And just to bring this discourse full circle, using ATCs because some studios had (active, pro, EQ'd, in-wall) models isn't a slam dunk argument for all their consumer speakers. The one measured above certainly has an extremely wide hump in the FR that would very clearly affect the listener's perceptions of midrange.

Only "in-wall" is missing from "consumer" line of ATC speakers. Otherwise they are active, same technology as pro, can be equalized with Dirac or Trinnov.

 

[ahofer]

Only "in-wall" is missing from "consumer" line of ATC speakers. Otherwise they are active, same technology as pro, can be equalized with Dirac or Trinnov.

Hi-Fi, Home Cinema and Custom Install | ATC Loudspeakers

Exceptional hand made loudspeakers, active loudspeakers, pre-amplifiers, amplifiers and source components for the discerning music lover and audiophile.

atc.audio

See the consumer section. I’ve auditioned two different SCM *passive* models.

 

[Avp1]

See the consumer section. I’ve auditioned two different SCM *passive* models.

Well, you made the wrong decision. ATC is not responsible for that, they stated multiple times that passive models are compromised. A do not believe you could not find their pro line dealer in NYC vicinity.

I write this while listening music through a pair of ATC SCM100ASL

 

[ahofer]

This trend of fanboy stanning for brands in threads has gotta stop.

 

[goat76]

This trend of fanboy stanning for brands in threads has gotta stop.

I see it differently than you. I see a lot of comments in here from people who clearly have very limited experience with ATC speakers but still feel the need to share their strong opinions about them. This thread is in need of some counterweight to all that bullshit and I’m happy that people with some actual long-term experience share their view on the matter.