That was a great pitch for ATC. well done sir.
My speaker upgrade journey - and a few questions
So I have been running Linn Majik 140 speakers since 2015. Started with a Rotel integrated, then Hegel 160 and currently the Hegel 390. I like the Linn speakers as they have great presence and clarity, but (like most of us) wondered if I could find new speakers that provide a significant upgrade in sound. Over the last three years I have listened to many, many speakers - Spendor, Vandersteen, Boenicke, Wilson, Sonus Faber, Focal, B&W, Borresen, Klipsch, Golden Ear, etc. Just for fun I listened to some that are well over six figures. Most were very good, but I just did not notice enough of an improvement over my current speakers. I even found a dealer with my Linns on the floor, so I was able to do a direct A/B comparison. Again, nothing justified an upgrade. Last year I took a shot on some Tekton Double Impact speakers I had never heard as many on these forums love them. I cancelled my order after about 2 months and no communication or speakers from Tekton.
I figured I would never upgrade and perhaps my hearing is just not that good - why don't $100k Wilson speakers sound dramatically better than my $4k Linn speakers??
Until today. I was sitting with John Rutan at Audio Connection listening to the Vandersteen Quatros and again had the same feeling - nice, but not worth it. Then John sat me down in front of a pair of ATC SCM40A (the active version) and I was stunned. These speakers are so much better in almost every way than everything I had heard before! And since they don't need an external amp, the sale price of my Hegel 390 will just about cover the difference between the active and passive versions. I hope they sound as good in my home as they do in the store.
Finally, here is my question. To keep things as simple as possible, I would like to use my Yamaha RX-A6A (AVR) as the preamp for these speakers and connect the speakers via XLR cables to the pre-outs on the AVR. Both the AVR and speakers have XLR terminals. This means using the pre-amp section and DAC of the Yamaha. The DAC in the Yamaha is the ESS SABRE ES9026PRO Ultra. Would I be compromising these awesome speakers with the Yamaha electronics? Thanks for your input.
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@jcs01 What would you say are the characteristics of sound from the ATC’s that you like? And, what are the characteristics of sound that you heard from the ATC’s that you didn’t hear from the other brands you mentioned? I ask because I may be having an experience similar to yours. I was at an audio event recently and got to hear some of the recent 800 series B&W towers. I currently use run B&W CM9S2’s, and I feel like the 800 towers are more of what I’m already getting--big soundstadge, great imaging and space between the instruments, high resolution and transparency, great tamber especially with percussion. I talked to one of the other attendees who didn’t like the B&W sound because he felt the B&W’s didn’t have enough "impact," and this attendee runs ATC active speakers. I’ve also listened to some of the speaker brands you mentioned in your post and have largely walked away thinking they sounded so similar to what I’m already hearing and that I wanted to hear something different. I haven’t heard any ATC speakers yet, but I recently heard the Macintosh ML1 Mk 2s, and I was smitten by their sound. The ML1’s prioritize mid range and upper bass frequencies, and they have lots of impact. And, I didn’t understand how important impact was to me until I heard the ML1’s. I would say that the ML1’s are imperfectly great. I immediately realized that they didn’t provide the insight into the music that B&W, Focal, Wilson, Sonus Faber, et al provided. But the ML1’s provided a fun factor that I hadn’t heard before, and that’s a compromise I’m willing to make. Also, the ML1’s are a sealed enclosure, which I attribute to the bass qualities that I love in Magico’s. I heard the ML1’s with a guy who owns Zu’s, and he greatly preferred the ML1 sound to his Zu’s. Another guy recommended that I look into some models by Harbeth, Spendor, and Tannoy to hear some other variations on the ML1 sound. But, I believe ATC is a brand I have to hear before I make a purchase decision. |
So here is an update. I am a bargain/cheap/value oriented audiophile (pick one) and just could not get there on the cost of the ATCs and the associated equipment John recommended. I have heard such great things about the Arendal speakers that I am going to give them a shot. They are mail order only and you get a 60 day in-house trial and a 10 year warranty. I have ordered the 1723 Monitor S speakers. If I like them I will order the center channel to go with them. If not, they will go back. I also ordered the Wiim Pro Plus (another value pick) to stream Qobuz . Not sure if I will use the DAC in the Wiim or the Hegel as they appear to be comparable. I have two Wiim Minis on other systems so wanted to stay with the same app. I also have a Rhythmik sub that is hooked to the Hegel and helps fill in the low end. And the Hegel is hooked to my Yamaha AVR via XLR cables and serves as power for the front channel in HT bypass mode when watching movies. I love the flexibility of being able to watch movies in surround or have high quality 2 channel with the same system. Regarding the sound of the ATCs, I thought they did it all - nice refined tweeter, very present mid-range and fantastic low-end. I think the actives sound better than the passive version, perhaps due to the three built in amps (one for each driver) that are perfectly matched to the drivers. However, I have been very excited about speakers before after auditioning in the store and then disappointed after getting them home. I bought and returned a pair of Gershman Acoustic Studio IIs a few year ago. I will report back on the Arendals after I spend some time with them. |
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