ATC SCM 50A active towers review

Lucky guy! Would love a pair of those! Amps, drivers, box matched. So going dac direct, no preamp? 

SPLs are there without the shriek or compression.  Nothing sounds overwhelming nor head severing.  This being their consumer line, may be tuned differently.  I've no experience with ATC Pro products.

Apart from the cosmetic differences like omission of grilles and cutouts to change speaker orientation etc, the Pro line use the same cabinet volumes, drivers and amplifiers.

I have no idea why there is a perception (by some) of ATC speakers being ruthless or fatiguing. Maybe it dates back to previous tweeter implementations or lack of care in setup or ancillary matching? I came from 12 years of Harbeth ownership (3 models) and find the ATC sound to be wonderfully balanced and eminently suitable to long fatigue free listening sessions. They are truthful to source and wonderful music reproducers - congrats on your active 50's. 

I agree. In my experience they are one of the finest lines of speakers on the market. Truthful without being at all ruthless, and boldly dynamic. That dome midrange is just about magic.

mofojo    Correct, Weiss 501 DAC directly into ATCs with Wireworld Silver Eclipse 8  interconnects XLR both ends.  DAC is the preamp.  Have NOT messed with DSP yet.  Waiting for full break-in of both pieces first.  Cheers

Congrats on the active 50’s!  Brad, The owner of Lone Mountain Audio, keeps trying to get me into active 50’s.  The WAF isn’t as high as my SCM19v2’s (or active 40’s), so I likely won’t be as lucky as you are with the 50’s.  

First priority is to get a new streamer DAC and the Weiss is a contender.  I may have to settle for a LUMIN T2 if I want active 40s, but that’s a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. 

admranger   At this very moment I am listening to my ‘old’ ATC 40As at my friend’s house in Port Angeles, WA.  I hauled them over and gifted them as I’ve the 50As now.  The ATC 40As replaced his ATC 19As which he admits are nice, but really no competition, especially in midrange and the bottom.  Simply more balance.  Again, have fun with the journey.  You are on the right track.  Ciao

My brief experience between the 40 and 50 is the is generally the same in that the 50 are much more ambitious and deliver an impressive experience unique to ATC , while the 40 is a competitive speaker amongst a large number of competitive models made by other companies. Big congratulations to you, sir. Very generous gift for your friend.

@celtic66

Thanks! The wife acceptance factor is much higher on the 40A than the 50A.

A generous gift to your friend. I run a sub with my 19’s to help make up for their lack of a lower end, but I’m sure the 40’s are better.

My first experience with the 40 passives was at the Palm Hotel and Casino recording studio (which has the Neve board from Abby Road, btw). Lone Mountain Audio demo’d them using the ATC integrated amp and cd player. Simply stunning. Everyone was blown away. I knew right then what my next speaker brand was. I was surprised b/c I’ve heard everything from Oligarch only priced Wilsons and Rockports to more pedestrian Sonus Faber Olympica III’s (and I’s driven by a 300w/ch McIntosh amp!) and Focal Sopra 3s. All are spectacular in their own right, but I prefer the ATC house sound.

Now at approximately 200 hrs. break-in time on both the ATC 50s and Weiss 501 DAC, everything has settled in nicely.  The improvements while palpable are not monumental in scale.  It was never cold, muffled and/or thin.

Great recordings are superlative in reproduction while lesser qualitative material is rendered listenable and therefore enjoyable, but certainly not 'fixed'.

This combination will remain for years.

I am so happy you are digging your ATC's.  You are in good stead with some of the best artists in the world who swear by them!

Brad

Good to hear others enjoying ATC.

I have the ATC SCM19v2. Well worth the price. End game speakers for me.