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ATC SCM150 Amp and Preamp recommendations

Just received my ATC SCM150 passive speakers last week and looking for amplifier suggestions.

I have a large, well-treated room (45' x 16' x 8') and primarily listen to large-scale classical music — symphonies, piano concertos, cello works, etc.
For me, dynamics are critical, but so are tone, instrumental timbre, and harmonic richness.

Front-end setup:

  • Technics 1200G with Umami Red cartridge

  • Luxman EQ-500 phono stage

  • Aurender A100 streamer/DAC

So far, I’ve tried the following amplifiers:

  • Classe Delta Stereo + matching preamp: very polite sound, but too soft on top, poor bass control, slow and muddy low end, recessed midrange — overall unable to properly control the speakers.

  • Luxman L-595A SE: gorgeous microdynamics and a liquid, beautiful midrange; however, limited in dynamics and authority due to power constraints. No brightness !

  • Auris Fortissimo (tube amp): outstanding midrange and highs with a very holographic presentation, but again lacks bass energy and authority due to lower power output.

  • Luxman 507Z - way too bright for ATC, so assuming Luxman M10 will be just as bright 

Given these impressions, I'm now looking for a serious amp/preamp combination that can bring out the full potential of the SCM150s — maintaining musicality and tonal beauty but with the dynamic slam and control these speakers demand. 

Budget: ~$20-30k for amplification, ~$10-15k for a preamp (open to used market gear)
I'm also open to bi-amping if someone has successfully done it with the SCM150s.

Amplifiers I'm considering:

  • Electrocompaniet AW800

  • Simaudio Moon 861 monoblocks

  • Hegel H30 monoblocks

I'm also looking for preamp recommendations to pair with the above amps — ideally something that adds a touch of tube warmth and harmonic richness, but without softening transients or slowing down the dynamics.

Would love to hear from anyone with direct experience driving SCM150s, or who can recommend synergistic combinations that deliver both the dynamic authority and tonal sophistication I'm after. 

ei001h

Showing 3 responses by yyzsantabarbara

yyzsantabarbara
5,049 posts
 

My 2 amps are very powerful. The incredible CODA #16 and the shockingly good $2k Schitt Wotan (needs a lot of break-in).

The CODA has some serious current because the 150 watts of power are way more powerful than some other higher watt amps I have heard. It has 100 watts of Class A. I use the #16 on the Yamaha NS5000 which has a 12-inch Zylon driver.

The Wotan is not as refined as the #16 but I think it is playing in the same league as $8k amps I have owned. It is not better, but it may be as good and cost $2k. The Wotan has some serious power.

@dpac996 You should try the $3k streamer that PBD sells for the Dream DAC. I had the older one called the STREAM-IF and compared it to the Lumin X1, which seems identical to your Lumin U2. Both were great and sounded rather different. Using Plink on the Dream was my intention. Though I changed plans on the PBD gear. I sold my STREAM-IF to someone who owned a Dream DAC.

 

yyzsantabarbara
5,049 posts
 

Rotel Mitchi M8 is a nuclear weapon when it comes to power. Stereophile has a review on these monos. I have heard the stereo version of the M8.

yyzsantabarbara
5,049 posts
 

@dpac996 I was reading a post by someone who got the $3k streamer from PBD and also owned the more expensive PBD one. The person said they kept the cheaper one and sold the uber streamer.

BTW - Nagra licensees the streamer tech from the PBD USB-X4 and sells it for $5k. They do something similar with their $50k DAC which uses the 3rd-tier PBF FGPA  boards.

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