ATC SCM-35

>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.

I have not heard the 35's myself, all I can say is that the specs and the reviews are impressive...it looks like great value. Since I have the space, my best option was to go for a second hand pair of 100A's...excellent value for sound performance but sadly scores low in esthetics...if cost was not a constraint I would probably go for the 50's in steinway black with the plinths - only very slightly less performance than the 100's but so much nicer esthetically.

The only reservation I might have on the 35's is

1) The performance improvement might not be that significant compared to your towers - you may want to side by side audition in a similar size room to what you have at home.
2) The tweeter looks different from the vifa they use in the 20's and the older line of professional monitors and, as far as I can tell, it is not the excel millenium (it would be truely amazing at that price point for that is what they use in all the newer 50's and up).....on a photo it looks more like the tweeter they use in the T16's. You may want to carefully check the tweeter sound in case it is less to your liking than what you already have.
3) You are going from active to passive...the extra performance you gain in the larger cone/cabinet in the 35's might be offset by the dis-advantages of passive speakers and passive crossovers...I suspect passives will suffer from slightly less sharply controlled crossover, slight phase issues, slightly more IMD and slightly more crossover drift as coils heat up with temperature. I cannot begin to guess whether these pasive design differences will be audible enough to offset the advantages of a larger cabinet and wooofer ...it may boil down to a question of personal taste or what is best for a given room size.

I would be interested in your findings on a straight comparison...the relative merits/trade offs of cabinet/woofer design versus active design against cost. (Especially since the SCM 35's with a 250 WPC amplifier would roughly be equivalent in cost to active 20's.)

I cannot say what would be the very best match for your ATC 35's, but my Perreaux 2150 amplifier and SM-2 preamp work splendidly with these speakers. I have had the 35's in my system for well over one year, and I couldn't be happier. The Perreaux amplifier, while old (manufactured in 1984), packs a tremendous, tight punch and it is known for its warm, tube-like sound. Whatever amplifier you decide to get, remember that the 35's require a lot of power. If you can find a 2150 to drive your 35's I think you'll be very happy. I certainly am. 'Hope this helps.