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Review ATC SCM20PSL monitors 50 hours listening

My wife's system under construction consists of a Rega Apollo R CD player, Luxman 509X integrated and new ATC SCM20PSL monitors!  In burr magnolia.  They are gorgeous!  All electronics sitting on an IKEA two shelf bench.  I did mention system under construction....before anyone flames. That shelf will be corrected with a Quadraspire SVT stand.  Okay?

Even in this incomplete phase with the monitors sitting on no name massed 29" stands, they are incredible.  The Luxman grabs hold of them firmly and just drives them.  All control.  The ATCs are really quick, image well without completely disappearing and have controlled slam.  Nicely extended highs, beautiful midrange and tight bass easily revealing acoustic bass timbre.  One can easily differentiate between Eddie Gomez, Edgar Meyer and Charnett Moffett.

She is having great fun with it even if Bon Jovi recordings mostly sound, well, marginal to be honest.  Heresy I say, but it's her system.

Zavfino Prima power cables, Decware ICs, Mojo Mystique 3 DAC, Duelund speaker cables, Decware ZLC power conditioner.

celtic66

Showing 5 responses by celtic66

celtic66 OP
1,651 posts
 

dz13    No.  Same interests in mentioned artists or really good equipment?  I've difficulties meshing the two.

celtic66 OP
1,651 posts
 

Distortion is an interesting thing.  Leaving transducers aside, segue to amplifiers.  It is inarguable that tube gear amplification carries far more distortion than solid state amplification.  Yet, how many swoon, defend and tout the benefits of tangible vacuum tube amplification of music?  And I've owned many quality tube pieces and loved them.

I understand your point of showing discrepancy between claimed low distortion transducers by ATC and actual measurements.  I cannot address that.  I simply know that the ATC 20 passives sound incredible to me when properly amplified and fed decent material and that I've no numbers to support or discredit that perception.  I've never heard the ATC SMC 19.

 

celtic66 OP
1,651 posts
 

Room is a decently sized bedroom, so would say 12X20.  I’m on the road currently or I would measure it.  Strongly recommend really solid high current power and respectable front end.  The ATCs will chew up weaker offerings of unstable power. Enjoy.

celtic66 OP
1,651 posts
 

That was weird.  The ATC SCM20PSL monitors now with 100 hrs.  Better.  Insert Quadraspire SVT equipment stand and quite suddenly huge improvement.  Smearing removed allowing far better instrument/vocal attack, space between the aforementioned and a defined sound stage constructed.  

Definitely a blacker background and foundational bass is better defined, extended. Cannot wait for Sound Anchor speaker stands.  Cheers

 

celtic66 OP
1,651 posts
 

ATC SCM20PSL monitors now with 200 hrs. playing time on them, evolving with further help from Sound Anchor stands (thank you Tom from The Big Ear) and Herbie's Fat Dots.  Damn they are heavy!  The stands, not the dots.  The stands and dots cleaned things up further, mostly focusing vocals.

The system is the slightest bass shy so I've invoked the bass control on the Luxman 509X and boosted it a bit.  Is that wrong?

Anyway, if someone told me this would be my endgame system I would willingly accept.  It does so much right and simply breathes life into the performance.

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