ATC SCM's with Spectral Components

My local dealer had a pair of SCM19's shipped in last week. They were supposed to have been brand new, but they turned out to be demos, seemingly reasonably broken in. They spent Thursday afternoon through the entire weekend with me. Briefly, they are amazing when paired with my little Spectral gear! In fact they produced significantly better sound (I thought) than the already amazing SCM11's. In my lightly furnished 12x22x8-feet (WxLxH) rectangular listening space (plaster walls and ceiling, and wall-to-wall carpet over a hardwood floor), sitting on sand-filled 21-inch Solid Steel speaker stands placed 4 feet from the narrow back wall and 3 feet in from the long side walls, these speakers simply excelled. I couldn't have been more pleased. And I was quite unprepared for how they demanded to be played at higher and higher SPL's! Absolutely astonishing! One thing, though: When I placed my hands on the tops and sides of these speakers while they were playing at moderately loud volumes, I could feel significant cabinet vibrations, a real surprise. I'm now wondering if the stouter SCM20's, at 50 lbs, might not be a better choice than the 35 lb SCM19's for this reason alone. Any opinions?

Thanks, Shadorne and Kinn for your input. I listened last weekend to my local dealer's demo ATC SCM11's at my house powered by my system. I was extremely impressed by these small speakers for many reasons. And it was as you suggested: Their sound fills out nicely, especially the bass, as they are played at higher SPL's, though they left me wishing they could play an octave lower. I will probably ask the dealer to acquire a demo pair of SCM19's so that I can audition them, too, to see if the low end I'm missing in the 11's, is there in the 19's. Meanwhile, I'm continuing to look for other solutions as well.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

agreed with shardorne. If you listen to ATC on low levels, it feels as though the speaker is holding back, and the bass is quite lean. However, once it gets from moderate to loud levels, you be surprise how dynamic and full the sound is.

I listen to low levels often, and the only way it worked for me was to get it a full class A power amp, and a bit of bass boost. Still sounds quite good.

NOTE: With my old parasound 2200II class a/b amp, at low volumes the sound was very very thin.

Things I've read seem to suggest they require more than modest power (i.e., 100 W RMS might not be enough power), and that they sound best when played loud (in not-so-small rooms).

They are leaner in the bass then most other designs (flat with no bass hump and a gentle roll-off). You will need some bass boost (tone control) if you listen at low levels. When you get up to live music levels then they sound most balanced (other speakers may tend to sound boomy or bloated at higher levels). Horses for courses - if you listen at low levels then ATC might not be ideal for you.

Thanks, Shadorne and Kinn. I actually was wondering whether my power amp (100 W RMS into 8 Ohms) would be adequate for the SCM11's or SCM19's. I also was wondering whether these speakers would provide accurate sound when played through my Spectral gear in the smaller rooms and at the moderate SPL's I would have them playing.

Things I've read seem to suggest they require more than modest power (i.e., 100 W RMS might not be enough power), and that they sound best when played loud (in not-so-small rooms).

i've demoed the SCM7 with the new enclosure in a store to see how the new tweeter and drivers sound. I have the original SCM20, and the difference was quite apparent. What shardorne said is exactly correct. I also want to add that the midrange on vocals do not sound as "whole" or "full" that their 6" driver provides. I'm no engineer, but I believe that the 20's and 19's spectacular midrange is largely due to that 3" dome built in. The 7's seem to work its best at nearfield listening, and the musical scale starts to slim down as you sit farther. I say go for the 19's as well.

The tweeter on the SCM7,11 19 are more or less a home version of their studio tweeters made by Vifa and Seas. The new tweeter are not as revealing making a sound a bit easier on the ears if your electronics is not up to par. Nonetheless, the tweeter is still amazing for any speaker below the 5K mark.

As for Spectral, I have only seen them but never got the desire to demo them. For my 20s, i give them about 300 watts per channel, and it seems like it can take it all. Make sure the amp is stable in its current deliver-ability. In my opinion, for passive ATC, class A amps work the best.

If your lucky, you may find a pair of ATC SCM35's for below 2K on Agon. They have a dedicated 3" dome and a 8" woofer, and are quite efficient to drive.

I'd tend to go for the SCM19. ATC's all sound similar - but there is more transparency, SPL and bass extension as you go up the line. The 19 has the same mid bass driver as the pro models but with a simpler modern cabinet construction and different tweeter (so it is great value and has been road-tested through years of home and studio use - think Toyota Land Cruiser). It is a bit early to tell if the 11 will be equal to the legacy of the driver in the 19.

I can't say how it will sound - no experience with Spectral. All I can say is that 90 watts is just enough to drive them and ideally most people want 200+ watts. They are not hard to drive but the sensitivity is low and the pro driver can take darn near everything you can throw at them without flinching - so they sound good when driven hard and loud.