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I stumbled across an interview with Brad Lunde (TransAudio, USA), probably from some time in 2021 which illustrates what ATC is about. It's quite long but I found it fascinating (YMMV of course). He speaks very coherently. The following points are some paraphrased take-aways:
My apologies if I have mis-represented anything.
TransAudio is a distributor – an extension of the factory and factory support in USA.
ATC is science-based – not interested in spending R&D money on marketing-driven development.
Ben Lilly does work on sales but is really in engineering with Richard Newman.
It takes 5 – 7 years to develop something new. Richard Newman once had 100 different hand-built prototype models of the ATC tweeter. The engineering approach is to hear what’s wrong and fix it. Progress addresses “what does an existing product/component do wrong?” It’s a lot about materials.
What about cost constraints? No - engineering comes first and it costs what it costs for the desired performance – OEM drivers are now used commonly elsewhere in the industry but will have their cost constraints. Others makers are not wrong – they just make different products.
ATC’s goal is for the entire loudspeaker range to not differ surprisingly. Just more dynamic range (louder) and lower frequency handling as size goes up. Distortion is a blanket covering up resolution. Designing to be distortion-free on peaks preserves low level resolution. There’s still a high-output OEM tweeter in the SCM200/300 – there is work in ATC on one for super-high audio level – probably the next development to come out or perhaps a smaller subwoofer.
Turnover outside USA is about 50% hifi and 50% pro (hifi not as strong in USA).
In recent years, sales (US pro I assume) have exploded (esp. SCM25A) as people (in pro audio I assume) have worked from home; but there have been transport delays because of fewer flights – and production delays from half-staff social distancing in the factory. (But in a previous post I noted that these problems have seem now to have improved.)
ATC is science-based – not interested in spending R&D money on marketing-driven development.
Ben Lilly does work on sales but is really in engineering with Richard Newman.
It takes 5 – 7 years to develop something new. Richard Newman once had 100 different hand-built prototype models of the ATC tweeter. The engineering approach is to hear what’s wrong and fix it. Progress addresses “what does an existing product/component do wrong?” It’s a lot about materials.
What about cost constraints? No - engineering comes first and it costs what it costs for the desired performance – OEM drivers are now used commonly elsewhere in the industry but will have their cost constraints. Others makers are not wrong – they just make different products.
ATC’s goal is for the entire loudspeaker range to not differ surprisingly. Just more dynamic range (louder) and lower frequency handling as size goes up. Distortion is a blanket covering up resolution. Designing to be distortion-free on peaks preserves low level resolution. There’s still a high-output OEM tweeter in the SCM200/300 – there is work in ATC on one for super-high audio level – probably the next development to come out or perhaps a smaller subwoofer.
Turnover outside USA is about 50% hifi and 50% pro (hifi not as strong in USA).
In recent years, sales (US pro I assume) have exploded (esp. SCM25A) as people (in pro audio I assume) have worked from home; but there have been transport delays because of fewer flights – and production delays from half-staff social distancing in the factory. (But in a previous post I noted that these problems have seem now to have improved.)
My apologies if I have mis-represented anything.
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