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ATC SCM50ASL Questions

P

penguin_sam

pfm Member
I am now the owner of a quite old but little used pair of these. As someone new to active ATC monitors I have a few questions that some existing owners may be able to help with.

What stands: They came without stands and I am therefore looking for something attractive, appropriate and 20 - 30 cms high?

Cables: They are to be connected to a Naim 272. What is the best way to do this? RCA or Din, what wire (mogami?) ...

Turning them on and off: As a long term Naim user I am used to leaving my kit on. Should I be turning these off each night?

Service: They are about 20 years old. Not sure if they have been serviced but were upgraded to SL and latest Amps at some point. Is it worth getting them serviced by ATC? What is the cost of this - I have no packaging and would probably need to use a courier.

New tweeters: I understand ATC have new retro-fittable tweeters. Are these available yet? If so how much, is it worth it, diy or factory fit?

Many Thanks
 
Based on owning SCM100ASLs and SCM25As for many years ..

Turn them off when not in use - the amps are class a/b and use a fair amount of power on standby - 100W or more iirc.

Phone ATC re service. When I had my 100s recapped it cost small hundreds. ATC can provide transit cases. You could also ask them about the tweeter at the same time. It would make sense to me if they replaced it.

Can't help you with cables - I always used a preamp or DAC with balanced outs. Cable from any competent manufacturer - Mogami, Canare, Van Damme - will be fine.

re stands - I found that my 100s sounded better to me on stands significantly higher than those supplied, such that the midrange unit is roughly at ear height. Towersonic make height adjustable stands for ATCs. 30cms strikes me as a bit low for 50s, unless you are small and your seat is low!
 
penguin_sam said:
I am now the owner of a quite old but little used pair of these. As someone new to active ATC monitors I have a few questions that some existing owners may be able to help with.

What stands: They came without stands and I am therefore looking for something attractive, appropriate and 20 - 30 cms high?

Cables: They are to be connected to a Naim 272. What is the best way to do this? RCA or Din, what wire (mogami?) ...

Turning them on and off: As a long term Naim user I am used to leaving my kit on. Should I be turning these off each night?

Service: They are about 20 years old. Not sure if they have been serviced but were upgraded to SL and latest Amps at some point. Is it worth getting them serviced by ATC? What is the cost of this - I have no packaging and would probably need to use a courier.

New tweeters: I understand ATC have new retro-fittable tweeters. Are these available yet? If so how much, is it worth it, diy or factory fit?

Many Thanks
Click to expand...

Try ATC themselves, they may be able to supply some stands, but `i have made my own with hefty aluminium square section.

My favourite interconnect is the VannDamme Classic XKE. Make yourself one with Neutrik XLr`s one end and RCA`s on the other end.

I leave all my source equipment switched on but the speakers need to be turned on for 1/2 hour before a listening session then off when finished as they are partly class A and run quite warm.

I recently had my speaker brought up to SL spec which included the ATC tweeter. Total was just under £2K but as you are up to SL spec you would need only the tweeters which are about £500.00 for the pair.

The jump in sound quality is quite high with the new tweeter so well worth doing.

If you need to contact ATC, use the phone as they are a bit slow with Emails ...
 
ATC standard SCM50 stands are 25cm tall.

Any screened twisted pair. I don't see that it matters if the preamp end is DIN or phono. Pin 2 of the XLR male to the centre of the phono, pin 3 to the outside, using the twisted pair. XLR Pin 1 to the screen of the cable and hence to the outside of the phono. With a DIN you might use the signal 0v connector to pin 3 and then the screen to the chassis. Never used this arrangement.

Turn them on when you want them, I think this will increase lifetime and save money.

I'd forget about service or upgrade for a year, unless there's an evident fault.

Mine were built 8/10/2007. I'm thinking about one day asking them about tweeters. There doesn't seem any need to rush.

Paul
 
I've got 25As, you want to get your mid range at ear height as mentioned. Manuals are downloadable from ATC website.

http://www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SCM25-50-100-110-150-USER-MANUAL..pdf

Call them with any questions they are amazingly helpful! Turn them off when not in use, they get quite hot. I turn them on and listen to them, warming things up is over rated in my opinion... I point mine directly at the listening zone, about a foot behind my head. They have bass boost knob on the rear too.

The tweeters are available now, and I think they fit straight into yours with no mods (maybe not if you have the old front baffle). Send them to ATC and they'll service/check the whole lot. But if I were you I'd not bother straight away as Paul said.
 
Thanks Chaps. Stands are the biggest issue as they are currently plonked on some Argos bedside tables! They don't need to be more than 30cm - I am small and so is my sofa! Sound Anchors look perfect but huge cost to import from U.S.

I will give ATC a ring. If I upgrade tweeters its probably worth getting amps serviced etc. I have heard ATC charge £300 for packaging! Anyone near Brighton got some they could lend me?
 
penguin_sam said:
Thanks Chaps. Stands are the biggest issue as they are currently plonked on some Argos bedside tables! They don't need to be more than 30cm - I am small and so is my sofa! Sound Anchors look perfect but huge cost to import from U.S.

I will give ATC a ring. If I upgrade tweeters its probably worth getting amps serviced etc. I have heard ATC charge £300 for packaging! Anyone near Brighton got some they could lend me?
Click to expand...

ATC make stands specifically for the 50s, you could ask them how much a pair would be.
 
Re packaging, can you fit them in your car? Or borrow one in which you can? If you can get them in safely on their backs using blankets to protect etc. then maybe finding the time to take them yourself would be a good option.

But ask ATC for advice, I've found them to be very helpful.
 
I'll second the take them yourself route. My 100A's fitted in a Ford Focus, with the seats down, laid on their back, with lots of old cushion and carpet packing. There will be people at the works to help you get them out. Call ATC and ask for Pete, service manager. I dunno if they are letting many of the "S" versions of the new tweeter out yet, but if you are having your speakers serviced, they will put them in. The new tweeter is incredible, a perfect match for the classic ATC mid. If your amps have not be serviced for 10 years, it will be worth the small caps recap, not an expensive option. They prefer to do this before they re-align and reset the bias. When I picked mine up, they had even polished up the cabinets and replaced some burred head allen key bolts! Richard gave us a tour of the factory, lasting well over an hour, then allowed us to demo some 40A's vs my serviced 100A's. Incredible service from a passionate workforce that cares.
 
Re: leaving them on - mine are on 24/7, mostly because I can't be bothered to go round the back to find the switches.
But when I called to ask about recapping, the first question was 'do you leave them on?'. When I confirmed, they said 'well, it's unlikely they'll need recapping for a while yet', implying that power cycling reduces the lifetime.
Must get myself organised to fit the new tweeters - very curious to hear them.
 
Nero, I think they meant they won't need capping for a while despite them being left on (rather than because of them being left on). When I told them mine are off more than on, they said they won't need recapping for a very very long time.
 
When my 50s were up graded to a few years ago I brought some stands for £150.00 they also made up some balanced cables as well and threw them in free gratis.

ATC are incredibly helpful a bit like Naim were in the days of Sheila and Mark.

If you can find them apparently Mana made some stands for the 100s and 50s and they were supposed to be the dogs proverbials
 
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I don't drive and am not having much luck persuading friends to drive a 300 mile round trip (twice) to a loudspeaker factory. So still looking for packaging to buy/borrow (ATC charge £300) or any other ideas.
 
With a Naim Source / Pre I would definitely use a Chord IC. I have an 82 into SCM10a-2s and use a Chord Cobra with Din on the Preamp into XLRs on the ATCs.

Naim>>Chord>>ATCs are a magical combination.
 
penguin_sam said:
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I don't drive and am not having much luck persuading friends to drive a 300 mile round trip (twice) to a loudspeaker factory. So still looking for packaging to buy/borrow (ATC charge £300) or any other ideas.
Click to expand...

When I had my 100's serviced, re-capped, and upgraded to SL spec drivers they did the job in a day. I dropped them off in the morning and they had them ready for collection by 4. Cirencester is nearby and is a good place to have a wander around while you are waiting. Ben Lilley gave me a great factory tour and they also have a demo room where you can listen to some of their range of kit.
 
If you just want the amps serviced you can send them to atc.
I was lucky that I was able to get atc to collect
 
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