Puzzling results with ATC SCM50ASLT loudspeakers vs. previous system
- Thread starter Matthew J
- Start date
Minio
Kind of Sort of Not really...
My 2 peas worth.
I've only heard ATC speakers nearly 30 years ago.
The dealer was demonstrating speakers out of my price range with kit that was in my price range.
My lasting impression was that they needed plenty of grunt because they never really got going.
I've been a source first guy ever since.
evand
Just press play
That's what ATC recommend for the product in question. In my previous room (7m x 5m) I was 2.5m forward and about 1m off the side walls. I actually use castor wheels on my speakers till I've found the optimal location.
Riotvan
Snoofer in the Woofer
Allison effect maybe?
I'll take £150 including pallet delivery
The previous year he had the smallest room in the place and those Cornwalls sounded way better than they should have!
TheFlash
Reiki Audio
Were they actives? The thread is not about all ATCs, it's about a pair of active ATCs which come with built-in grunt.
TheFlash
Reiki Audio
I remember this well: quite extraordinary. Those large speakers in a small room shouldn't have worked at all but I remember them sounding sublime. So much for theory!
Fatmarley
"It appears my intelligence circuits have melted"
Horns should work well in small rooms because there's less energy off-axis (less sound bouncing off the walls and interfering with the direct sound). Also, aren't the old school Klipsch horns known for being a bit bass light? (relative to their huge size).
camverton
pfm Member
Do you mean to say that you’ve read 16 pages when you could have been listening to music?
Sorry, couldn’t resist!
alanbeeb
pfm Member
I forced myself as punishment for having small passive speakers driven by a big brand Japanese amp in a totally untreated room.... And enjoying it! Oh, the shame.Do you mean to say that you’ve read 16 pages when you could have been listening to music?
Sorry, couldn’t resist!
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onlyconnect
pfm Member
I heard this attributed to Harold Wilson, former prime minister, but no idea really:
Reporter: Why do you answer every question with a question?
Wilson: Do I?
S-Man
StrivingON
2m from the front wall is really inconvenient and obtrusive IMO.
Also, how does this reconcile with ATC’s recommendation to soffit mount in studios
?
evand
Just press play
Inconvenience or great sound, your choice. I had a dedicated listening space, so no issue. Soffit mounted is an entirely different config to in room placement - each presents its own challenges.2m from the front wall is really inconvenient and obtrusive IMO.
Also, how does this reconcile with ATC’s recommendation to soffit mount in studios
S-Man
StrivingON
Since I don’t consider SCM50As to provide great sound, it’s not really an issue for me.
I get great sound from my system with my speakers 55cm from the front wall. They are domestically acceptable and sound wonderful.
Regarding soffit mount: are they fitting different speakers in this application? If not: then at least one of the alignments must be completely wrong!
Don't despair. It's gotten at least three objective denialists, maybe more if we include the rhetorical diversions, to publicly admit early onset ignorance of both the physics and the research. Because foo, you know.
darrenyeats
pfm Member
What I know is that Pro 50/100/... that you see flush mounted don't use the regular amp packs but different outboard ones ('pack' includes line level crossovers). So different yes, though don't ask me for details.
I remember the advice of trying to avoid the 0.6m-2m region was exposited in a Genelec article, can dig it out. ATC manual says 2m but go nearer if it's subjectively preferred (many domestic rooms are quite unlike a well sorted studio, as you know).
For the 50s, 100s and 150s you just use an amp pack rack kit with the standard amp packs. You can either retrofit your existing amps, or get them supplied with amps from the factory:
https://atc.audio/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Amp_Pack_Rack_Kit_TDS_web.pdf
The 200s and 300s get a completely separate amp, the P4:
P4 | ATC Loudspeakers
atc.audio
As to adjusting for soffit mounting, I think I’ve read somewhere on Gearspace that pro installers like Northward do this.
TheFlash
Reiki Audio
Also, how does this reconcile with ATC’s recommendation to soffit mount in studios
You seem to be confusing studio heritage with studio deployment, and seeking to constrain/guide domestic deployment based on this. ATC now has decades of domestic HiFi experience.
It’s ok not to have enjoyed your own experience of the SCM50As without seeking to rationalise it! Mind you , I hope you didn’t have the SCM50As soffit-mounted when you heard them.
