Atc scm11 vs spendor9/1/2023 ![]() ![]() Its very wide and shallow cabinet is reminiscent of Sonus Faber's Stradivari or Elipsa. The EL150 is ATC's "statement" model, at $47,770/pair passive and $84,999/pair active, in the standard veneer of burr magnolia. One Consumer speaker appears to be in a class of its own. There are also Pro models with double woofers that lack exact Consumer twins, in that the Pro versions are stand-mounted while the Consumer versions are towers. Those two aluminum cabinets are unique to the Pro line. The entry-level SCM16A Pro and SCM20ASL Pro active monitors (both about to be replaced, though old stock may still be available) have distinctive aluminum cabinets with curved sidewalls and radiused front panels and edges, built-in front-panel tilt-back, and no grilles. However, such design twinship is not always the case. The passive pro model uses a Speakon connector for its amplifier input. The Professional SCM50 is available (as active or passive) in black paint, and has a blanked-off cutout on the front panel to enable relocation of the tweeter above the midrange driver if the cabinet is to be positioned horizontally rather than vertically. The Consumer SCM50 is available (as active or passive) in a choice of Black Ash, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pippy Oak, Rosewood, and Walnut, or (by special order) in a veneer of any legally available hardwood. One such pair of twins is the SCM50, with ATC's 1" soft-dome tweeter, 3" dome midrange, and 9" woofer. In many instances, ATC constructs pretty much identical speaker designs for both markets. With two exceptions, the pro models are offered in a finish of semigloss black paint. All of ATC's Professional speakers are active, with some also available in passive form. The four models in their Consumer Entry Series, including the entry-level Entry SCM7, are passive only. Gordon Holt purchased were ATCs.ĪTC offers both Professional and Consumer lines of speakers, the latter in wood veneers and, usually, in both passive and active versions. The last pair of loudspeakers Stereophile founder J. Celebrity owners of ATC speakers include T Bone Burnett, Coldplay, Enya, Diana Krall, Lenny Kravitz, Ziggy Marley, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, the late Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones, Paul Reed Smith, Sting, and Roger Waters. The company remains independently owned, and their productswhich include preamplifiers, power and integrated amplifiers, a CD player≭AC, and a new CD receiver with USB inputare made in England. In an effort to rectify that, ATC is updating their loudspeaker designs and changing their US distribution arrangements.ĪTC developed the first soft-dome midrange driver, and pioneered self-contained active ( ie, powered) speakers. It does seem that ATC has gotten less attention in the US than its older and younger British siblings. When I mentioned all that to a quick-witted audio buddy, he immediately came back with "Middle Child Syndrome!" That makes ATC a few years younger than Spendor (1969) and a few years older than Harbeth (1977). (ATC) as a maker of loudspeaker drive-units. Usually, just some minor work needed like replacing the surrounds on the woofers.In 1974, in England, Australian Reverse-Pommy pianist and recording engineer Billy Woodman founded the Acoustic Transducer Co. No reason not to go second hand here - you will get a much better speaker for your budget and speakers last decades. There is a recent review of the AN K at 6 moons - it's funny that this speaker has been selling since 1992 and it seems like only recently have they been getting any kind of coverage.Īnd of course, the 5/9 has been around even longer so there is probably more likelihood of finding them. Ie you can buy amplifiers based on how they sound versus buying them based on whether they can drive 2 ohms or not. Still the advantage of the easy-to-drive speaker which is unusual for sealed cabinets is that should you decide to upgrade from SS to a good tube amplifier in the lower watt range ~8-20 watts you can do that without having to replace your speakers. Both speakers harken back decades and are still obviously holding up. I was happy to review both in my system as the K/SPe won speaker of the year in 2010 and the Rogers LS 5/9 won in 2020. But the speakers are considerably more expensive than the K/SPe. I am currently reviewing the Rogers LS 5/9 which are also sealed and can also be placed near walls. I am not allowed to direct link to my review but they easily replaced my KEF LS-50s. I run 8-watt SET amps on them and also run 250 watts (430 Class D Wyred4Sound mAmps). I would take this over the speakers you listed.Īnd they only need 7 watts per channel so you have more than enough. They currently make 4 versions of the speaker - but you should be able to find a used pair in your budget (AN K/Lx is copper wired so is less money). I recently reviewed the Audio Note K/SPe standmount - these are sealed cabinets and are designed to be placed in corners or up against the wall. ![]()
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