ATC or Audio Note (2-way)

two very very different sounding speaker lines

Definitely ATС ... model 50 - will sound great in a home system (nothing needs to be redone).
AN - it makes no sense to buy ... if level 5 with their amplifier can be made to sound (thick fat type of music), then the initial levels are quite weak ...

jjss49 is right. As an Irishman might say, thery're as different as chalk and cheese.

Sorry, no experience with Audio Note. I’ve owned two different models of ATC’s, including the ATC SCM 19’s. Maybe they are not the VERY best in resolution available, but I can assure you that there is no way that they could be modified to be "much higher" in resolution. There simply isn’t enough room in the scale of resolution above the ATC’s for there to be enough of a delta to be called "much".

~Oran

Very different? I've heard ATC but not AN. (I've used a lot of AN components in various DIY, though).

Thought both were very mid-centric?

I’ve heard both. It doesn’t seem likely you’ll get much more resolution by tinkering with the ATC and you’ll possibly compromise its sonic balance (btw most ATCs bar the big ones are bass-shy). Modding the AN will probably modify its sound -- but do you really want that? These are not exactly cheapo speakers.

I would suggest another diy challenge: purchase vintage japanese speakers and mod them to approach contemporary performance standards!

I've owned both

ATC SCM11v2s

Audio Note AN-K SPx/SPe

Two very different price points.  The ATCs are very resolving, fast transient response, can play really loud and still maintain tonal balance and soundstage w/o compression.  They do need power to wake them up - so low level listening was their weak point, imo.

GR Research did a video on these for mods - their freq response is down a bit on top (I would agree), the mod evens this out.

AN-K's are much more efficient - best way to describe the sound is natural, relaxed and tonally 'right'.  Just as resolving as the ATCs, but they play better at low to mid-high volumes.  They don't do as well loud, imo.  I've not seen any measurements on the AN-Ks, so can't comment on mods.

ymmv

Thought both were very mid-centric?

no

ATC's are not midrange centric, they are not "smiley curve" sounding as so many speakers are.  Smiley curves sell MUCH better than flat speakers so they are vastly more popular.  Manufacturers know this as most are not in the business to build the best speaker, but to sell the best selling speaker.  If you like music, bass boosted smiley curve actually reduces resolution by elevating bass unrealistically compared to "heart" of the music: voice, piano, violin, guitar.  The midrange now sounds reduced, pushed in back, not like the band or orchestra or instrument really sounds.   This is why many in the high end "accurate" camp use piano for demo.  Its easy to hear changes to EQ on piano.     

Makes my head hurt that you would consider modifying a $13,000+ two-way speaker like the Super K’s having never heard them. 

+1 @ghasley

atc and audio note are the among the last speakers i would ever consider ’modding’

but hey its a hobby so peeps gonna do what they wanna do to be happy...  who are we to judge 

Thought both were very mid-centric?

it‘s what’s called a flat frequency response

so low level listening was their weak point, imo

you‘re using the wrong amp

Maybe, but my opinion was based on side by side comparisons of the ATCs and Audio Notes using two different integrated amps

Musical Fidelity A5

Luxman L-509x

The ATCs were great speakers - make no mistake; just compared to the Audio Notes they did not sound "as good" at low levels.  

Should watch this.

Leave them alone.

I was the one that mentioned it already - good video.

I didn't have the link handy - so thanks for posting that!

Thanks for responses.

Re:modding..I’ve done extensive modding and very familiar with AN parts in particular...having talked a bunch with the Qvortrup’s who were impressed with some of my ideas. You can easily take the lower end gear if you know what you are doing, and implement a few of their higher end components to taste. Its a very flexible line.

For example, this blogger :

https://audio-at-home.com/audio-note-ax-two-stand-mount-loudspeakers

Guess I need to get to an AN dealer to hear the speakers, but they are very far from me.

@gregm 

yes, upgrading vintage Japanese speakers is on my list! Seen Kendrick Sound's channel on YT? Does crossover and tweeter upgrades. I also want to get into old Tannoys. Seems getting out and finding things to listen to is the hard part.

I bet a lot more people will buy Audio Note Speakers now that the new Audio Note Cobra Integrated amp is out now..

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeVVoVSV6uk

In ATC's case, the level of engineering expertise applied to drivers, crossover and their integration sort of tells you it's not realistically possible to "better" their design effort without equal test gear, facility and experience.  If you change it, it will be "different" which will most likely NOT be better, just different. 

I think sometimes the people that talk about driver swapping are overlooking the differences in efficiency of the driver itself in the previous driver vs new driver and overall impact of this issue on driver selection.  Small differences of 1/2 dB to 1dB in efficiency in the driver itself applied across the entire segment of the response curve allocated to that driver.  Its effectively like turning the entire midrange up or down, or the entire top end (above crossover point) up or down.  Even if you could possibly match the response of the driver itself (which is remote), the efficiency issue alone could change the entire character of the speaker.  This can have the effect of massive amount of EQ, changing a speaker's entire sound from "bright" to one that's "dark" instantly, or bass heavy to bass light, or mid forward to mid back.

Brad   

Hold my beer and watch me solder this.  I can appreciate upgrading a mid-fi speaker and you really can derive palpable benefits from minimal investment.  ATC does their homework and produces a world-class product.  I question improving their design work.

I’m biased as I’ve a pair of ATC 40As and a pair of ATC 50As.  The 50As courtesy Lone Mountain.  Best of luck finding the right pair to do surgery on.  I’ve Frankensteined a dozen pair over the years.

I believe AN has the most transparent crossover components (which are available for DIY), seasoning-to-taste not withstanding...no way a company like ATC which mass produces parts is going to have something better. If you've ever done xover or internal cabling mods, you know that drivers of every brand don't come close to unleashing their potential. I mean, having the crossovers in the cabinets alone is a huge bottleneck, if you’ve heard the before and after with something like that.

But yeah, I am very curious about the drivers with these two brands..

I looked at some ATC xovers.. they do have custom caps and inductors. Well, who knows!

I'll solve your dilemma. Jbl 4309. Best of both worlds.

Next alternative would be Living Voice OBX

The biggest difference for me is that AN speakers require symmetrical corners on the front wall to get the correct bass response. None of my music rooms allow that so AN speakers have never been an option for me.