ATC active speakers, owners please give input

I have used ATC for 20 years and own the 20s. They are fantastic in precisely recreating music, warts and all. They work well with all genres and come alive with more robust 200 watt plus power amps behind them--I prefer their actives over their passives.

I would highly recommend solid state pre-amps like Bryston to pair with these over most tube amps. You will get a clean and neutral sound. They work well with moving coil cartridges. The new Wadia 170 iPod transport works very well, as well as Rega or Bryston CD players.

As far as finishes, I love the Yew wood.

Had a pair of the 20-2's for about 6 months now. No problems that I can note. Not the most friendly of speakers to power off and on, as I get a bit of line noise as the amps power down. I leave them on all the time so its nothing I would worry about.

I had them first installed in the office system. Small room with a good deal of clutter. While a great sounding speaker, with a good bit of bass, I simply found them wanting a bit in the small office system. Bass is present, and very well done, on par with the old Celestion Sl-600 or SL-700's with an overall better mid range if memory is correct.

I later moved the full range speakers up to the office and put the monitors into the main room with a sub. (revel B-15a) and much larger room roughly 17x22. While the full rangers are more complete if not a tad congested in the little office, the trade off was well worth it in terms of the ATC's. With a bit of room to breath and bottom end help they are truly magical.

I like the powered option as it gives me less to worry about day in day out, fewer moving parts, cables, etc to mess about with and I can just sit and listen. I would agree that you need to go with the best pre and front end you can afford to get the best out of them. The difference between a decent mid range cd and a high-end transport and dac was not minor. Nor was the difference between a low end table and my Rega/Van den Hul setup.

Overall I have had no problems if you like monitors and can live without the very bottom end (as with any monitor) and I think a bit less so via the 20's then they are really a great speaker, and should be on your short list.

My ownership experience is with the (4ea.) SCM20ASL-Pro's and the (2ea.) SCM100ASL Pro's, both active versions. In the 10+ years of ownership the performance has been flawless, read high quality. Bring money, as you may already understand if your casting around in this monitors league. Cheers, Mike

I have owned active ATC's for 8 years - never a problem so far. They run Class A until 2/3 power. If you are not familiar with actives be prepared for a level of detail that some may describe as tiring or too forward. Also the bass response will be a shock...unlike most designs the dome mid range keeps balance with the bass...so this will be perceived as being bass light compared to what you are probably more familiar with.

Not everyone's cup of tea. Not at all impressive at thunderous boomy bass (disappointing if you expect that kind of thing) but impressive in transients and drums, which sound convincingly accurate. Mid detail is the distinguishing feature compared to others.

I would say the 20's can fill a modest sized room easily....heeps of SPL...large rooms (25 foot dimensions or more) may need something a bit bigger, depending on your tastes.

I've owned the ATC 20-2's for 2 1/2 years. Very nice monitors and absolutely trouble-free. You should use the best preamp you can afford on these monitors. The sound is extremely neutral meaning very little coloration. You will hear the music as it was recorded; sometime very good and sometimes bad. The bass is tight and articulate; midrange and treble are excellent as well.

Jim