ATC SCM-35

how abut ATCs own SIA-150? im actually thinking on purchasing one soon

well, i was considering several really strong amplifiers, but here enters the cost factor - im thinking about a most cost effective solution for these passive speakers. right now i have a very good and strong poweramp, but no preamp. with getting ATC integrated i was thinking about killing two birds at once and not going into serious sosts. ATC amp should be guaranteed to be a good match for these speakers...
and - with a solid 150W these speakers can go really loud and clean, and natural, thats one of the reasons i like ATC so much.
(and i think i'll stick to this company for a long time)

as far as stonger amps go - well, i thing more cost effective way to go would be to get an active SCM50ASL some time in the future, not spend money and play aroung with half measures.
would i really be so much better off with some 300-400w behemoth? mebbe two poweramps from atc? anyways, i welcome any more power suggestions

as far as the sub goes - this is another matter and im thinking about it. im more interested in a av setup based on a good stereo to be honest, dont feel any need (as of now) for more channels. a good screen nd a good stereo system would suffice for me.

>Shadorne - one more issue: how about cables, what do you think and what expiriences do you have regarding atc and speaker cables? i tried PAD Venustas and the change was really positive...

>Shadorne as far as cables go... you see, im an engineer myself (architect), so i understand the "if you coannot measure it it does not exist" approach for e.g. ATC engineers have.
but - i was really, really surprised with this whole Venustas deal. theres lots of changes i hear but most easily distinguishable are: much tighter bass, all around cleaner sound. so this particular experience is the only reason im thinking of actually getting these cables.
they're not that expensive anyway...
you write amongst other things “wrong components, wrong ears ". well – as far as i can tell from my short but enjoyable experience with ATC gear, these speakers are not overly detailed, not flashy in sound, but if a listener wants - most anything can be heard, in a sort of natural, not oppressive way. these speakers do reveal quite a lot about the rest of the system and the recording (which i guess comes from their studio origins), at the same time allowing for hours and hours of easy listening without getting tired of their sound.
So – im planning on performing a double blind test, with a cheap OFC cable and PAD Venustas, right now im sure i’l be able to differentiate what is plugged in. but ill see.
up until now i had those cables two times and every time the difference was ...staggering. the system came to live literally, with el cheapo Straight Wire cables all sounded dull and muted in comparison, with bloated bass.
and to be honest – looking at the economic side of the whole game – i’d prefer not to be able to hear a difference and be happy with regular ofc cables :) i think my particular combination of poweramp, speakers and these cables gives such easily noticeable effect. but to be honest – i cannot wait to switch to something you enjoy, that is active ATC monitors. no worries about speaker cables, about matching amplifier, just a decent source, preamp, room and the music flows :)

as far as ATC goes – i really like their solid engineering, their no nonsense, no fuss products. I also like their cost effective approach one can go into with active speakers. it would be difficult to match active speakers performance with separate components at a reasonable price... wouldn't you agree? having active scm100s.
while i was looking for some new gear i auditioned quite a lot of things and was really tired of all flashy, pretending to be original sounding things, appealing to some perceived audiophile fancy while sounding in some respects great, but unnatural, too flashy or plain strange (jmlab, bw, thiel, phonar, zoller etc etc....). Zoller Evolution – what a great performer...but in many ways unnatural. i hope you know what i mean. ATC sounds just right, backed with great engineering, giving all one wants to hear and at the same time sounding natural.

in other words we could say that ATC merely reproduces the musical event, while some other products try to fancy up what we eventually hear. some designs do everything to sound "impressive", "original" etc...

as far as the bass goes - i don't feel theres any shortages in this department. of course, just after i changed my previous speakers for atc, i was like: where the hell is all that bass. but it turns out the previous product had a lot of boomy, slow, puddingy kinda bass, while atc is much faster, to the point and much more varied. i hear active speakers are even faster - thats great. this is quality bass, that goes down as well, not quantity and unneeded volume. not to mention coloration.

ATC seems to be a very transparent speaker, with phenomenal midrange and the bass performance to suit, not flashy highs. it differentiates good and bad records, but its not a poor recorded cd killer, i find i can listen to most of my cds without getting tired. thats a great combination of transparency and... musicality or sth?

and the ability to play high spl is just excellent, no matter how loud i go the sound remains the same, pure, only louder. it lets you have at least an impression of hearing a live performance.

as far as the cables go, how about this:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html :)

your SCM20s are passive and SCM100s are active.
so theres some reasons for differences in performance in addition to their different sizes i think.
as far as i gather, we can easily talk about two worlds or sides of ATC designs. passive and active.
passive designs tend to be warmer, their bass is rounder, not quite as fast as from active, but still quite lively and not sloppy at all. on the other hand - active speakers tend to be less forgiving for the source material, they are much faster (especially as far as bass goes), someone once told me that his active scm50s, when first arrived, fired away like a machine gun (describing the speed of their bass).
and the small monitors - well, the're meant to play in small rooms, the bass response is not artificially extended to give impression (cheat if you will) of a bigger speaker. im fine with that approach.

i wish in a year or two i myself will be able to enjoy my own active scm50s or even scm100s :). in the meantime, scm35s will do just fine. great speakers considering their price.

btw how does a double bass or bass guitar sound on the active 100? i suppose quite nicely. not to mention percussion...

>Jrmanders
if i may. take a listen to the SCM35s, they're not
too big a speaker but can play with a really big sound,
they're a three way design which does perform admirably,
especially considering their price.
they are just standing in your room, looking plain and not drawing
attention to themselves, but when they play its a different deal.
their sound is quite something. of course a really strong amp is a
must, and good room acoustics to boot.
the only thing one could wish for with these speakers - if the highs could
match the quality of the bass and the midrange. the highs
on this speaker are not your flashy audiophile thing,
the just are there and thats it. but hey - its fine with
me, this is kinda more natural that many designs with a really
sophisticated tweeter.
and one more downside of SCM35 - terrible speaker terminals, especially,
if you have a cable terminated with large spades...
to sum up - this time your dealer is saying how it is, many people are surprised when they hear what these speakers can do. sorry for jumping in not called for.