Which speakers do you use before ATC

[fr.jazbec]

I will show the 2 last speakers before I owned the ATC.
2000-2019 Kef Largo. It is the DIY version of the old Kef 105 Reference or a Kef CS9 in a different cabinet.

[fr.jazbec]

2019-2020 TDL Monitor Compact, a German DIY version of the TDL Monitor in history of the great IMF Speakers. It is a excellent speaker with superb timing and a great spatiality like the ATC100. The only Problem is that they cannot build the music scene really in the high. At the ATC the singer is standing, at the TDL he is sitting and that has become the decisive high end criterion for me.

[AlastairH]

I was massively influenced by my dads Kef Ref 105s, the ones with the big 12” bass bin and moveable mid/high frequency sections- Daleks from Doctor Who!

Inevitably my first speaker was a Kef, the K160. Loved it in the shop, hugely disappointed when I got them home! I’d also spent the summer cleaning cars in order to purchase (I was 15 at the time...) cost me £270.

Next speaker was a Tannoy 603 and I was also dabbling with an Audio Innovations integrated valve amp which was obviously very low powered. Id also tried a pair of Horn loaded Lowthers, Acousticas I think, with pm6 or pm7 drivers (again one of my dads). I then switched to an early Audiolab 8000A integrated amp that I picked up second hand after trading the AI.

By this point I was at University and was getting better paid admin temping jobs so was able to buy a pair of Dynaudio Audience 5 speakers, which were pretty good. I then got lucky and inherited some money from a kind old neighbour and was able to buy a beefier AVI S2000MI integrated amp, which I recall further fuelled my interest in ATC given the historical links with the company.

I’d heard some SCM50As at a hi fi show (the old Penta show at Heathrow) and wanted the pro speaker as my next option. I took the plunge in 1996 and bought a pair of new ATC SCM20SLs with matching stands (remember those wobbly things they came with lol) and started the journey to where I am now.

It has not been straight forward and has been expensive. I’ve had active Meridian’s (DSP6000s and 5000s), PMC GB1is and Quad ESL63s but have always come back to ATC. Oh and I’ve always bought second hand in general for speakers - so I could buy big actives!!

The 20SLs were used by my dad for a bit but now are back in my system as my rear speakers. Serviced last year with the new in house tweeter added. According to Pete, they were super happy with how they measured, just the original Vifa tweeters letting the side down as the output had tailed off.

[Sedgewick]

I’ve got a pretty large room and previously used Dunlavy VI speakers, 6’3” tall weighing in at 450lbs each. But I kept destroying tweeters at realistic levels for my room. The solution was a pair of ATC scm300 towers which I’ve had for around 15 years now. Still going strong, though the P4 amps are gasping for a service! These babies just get better and better whenever the front end or cabling is upgraded. Total keepers and basically unbeatable if you want high spl levels at a more than realistic price. Replacing these with a modern high end speaker that is at home with the kind of spls I often like would probably cost in the region of 6 figures. They’re bombproof which I require since I can be a bit of a hooligan at times! Oh dear, the P4 has gone into standby, better turn down the volume a tad to 120db 😁😁

[gregmelb2]

My first speakers were Decca Kelly's with the famous ribbon driver and small bass unit
I replaced those with a set of large transmission line speakers that a local designer in Melbourne was making and selling. They featured german Braun dome tweeter and dome midrange and Kef B139 bass unit. They were great speakers but had a few cabinet resonance modes at certain frequencies.
I sold them and saved up and bought B&;W DM 70's with the 12 inch bass cabinet and the curved electrostatic midrange and tweeter driver on top of it. They were great speakers apart from the electrostatic arcing a bit.
I had the misfortune to have them stolen as well as my Phase linear preamp and power amp.

I lashed out and bought Magnepan Tympani 1D speakers which were three hinged panels and looked like room dividers standing 6 foot high and each section 18 inches wide. The Tympani were great but being a dipole lacked deep bass and needed a subwoofer. They were great for acoustic material and orchestral material but struggled with amplified instruments.

I replaced them with proac studio 2 's which did sterling service until one of the kids flicked the amp on and blew the SEAS tweeters. They did the job but I always felt the midrange was lacking.
I had the opportunity to try some Proac studio 3's which had the ATC dome midrange and maybe an 9 inch ATC bass driver and I fell in love with the sound instantly and knew one day I would be getting some ATC speakers.
I never got the Proacs Studio 2's fixed but finished up purchasing some second hand Mordaunt Short MS40i's which I still have. The Ms 40i's did sterling service but lacked the midrange I craved being a two way system.
I had to get ATC's with the ATC midrange driver and opted for the SCM40 passive and have not been disappointed.
Now that I have sorted my cables they sound amazing and I thought initially that they lacked a bit of bass but it is not the case.
Live albums, electric guitar and steely strings which were an issue on the ms 40i's sound wonderful on the ATC's. Piano strings and Brass recordings sound particularly good.
I have a number of James Morrison and Philip Jones Brass Ensemble albums that sound amazing. Keith Jarrett , Oscar Peterson piano albums are a pleasure to listen to.
The 3 tenors 1990 and 1994 live albums also sound wonderful.
The ATC's show up bad recordings and fortunately tone controls on my preamp can come to the rescue there.
I find I don't get listening fatigue with the ATC's due to the lack of distortion even at high levels.

[AlastairH]

I’ve got a pretty large room and previously used Dunlavy VI speakers, 6’3” tall weighing in at 450lbs each. But I kept destroying tweeters at realistic levels for my room. The solution was a pair of ATC scm300 towers which I’ve had for around 15 years now. Still going strong, though the P4 amps are gasping for a service! These babies just get better and better whenever the front end or cabling is upgraded. Total keepers and basically unbeatable if you want high spl levels at a more than realistic price. Replacing these with a modern high end speaker that is at home with the kind of spls I often like would probably cost in the region of 6 figures. They’re bombproof which I require since I can be a bit of a hooligan at times! Oh dear, the P4 has gone into standby, better turn down the volume a tad to 120db 😁😁

Are you in the UK, I’d love to hear some 300s, especially when they can stretch their legs a bit 😀

[Nopiano]

Before my SCM40s I had this Sonus faber pair for 20 years.

They are the Concerto Grand Piano model, a two-way, plus ABR.

[Mariner]

Well thats long ago...
30 years ago i was a Mission fan, and i had the Argonaut speaker with the Cyrus2 and PSX. Then i changed on the amp side to Mcintosh and the Argonaut won't fit any longer. Because my listening room was very small, it was very difficult to find the right ones.
I can't remember how much was tested in my room, but Ecouton/Rodgers/Audiophysic/Dynaudio/Tannoy and many others had their chance. So my dealer, who lived 100km away, can't believe and checked the room himself. After that he told me that he had a new line at his shop. ATC...
As i heard the SCM10 at his shop i know i had found what i like and ordered a pair of SCM20 (My dealer know that i like a little bit more bass) without testing them at home. That was a decision that i never regret until now. Some day in the future i will get some active SCM50, witch is my dream, and the size limit for my 16sqm room.
I listened to other speaker at my friends with joy, but i'm still lucky to be at home, and never thought over buying speaker from another factory.

[Dogill]

In the mid 80s I first had John Bowers Active - they were terrible ( Bextrene cone quacking problem ) , then I had Quad ESL63s. They gave in many ways the best sound I've ever had in my room but unfortunately don't go loud enough for much music. I then tried Wilson Watts/Puppies - they were fine compared to ATCs of that time ( early 90s ) which sounded wooden and boring ( when Ashley (?) was still their marketing manager ) But at some point I got ATC 150s with the discrete amp and haven't looked back since ( now using ATC 100SE )

[outfaced]

swans diva 4.2, KEF LS50, Dynaudio Special 40, KEF R3, Elac adante AS-61 ... and now SCM 40v2

[Davidr]

Linn Keilidh for 18 years, with Hiquphon tweeter upgrade.

[Davidr]

I have just upgraded to ATC SCM19 v2, currently use Van Damme HiFi 4mm cable with jumper leases, as recommended by ATC. Has anyone tried the Witch Hat Phantom, how did they sound?

Amps are Naim

Also looking at trying the diamond wiring configuration, again has anyone tried this yet, if so how how effective was it. See link.

https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.com/are-you-diamond-wiring-your-speakers.html#

Cheers Guys

[gregmelb2]

My first speakers were Decca Kelly's with the famous ribbon driver and small bass unit
I replaced those with a set of large transmission line speakers that a local designer in Melbourne was making and selling. They featured german Braun dome tweeter and dome midrange and Kef B139 bass unit. They were great speakers but had a few cabinet resonance modes at certain frequencies.
I sold them and saved up and bought B&;W DM 70's with the 12 inch bass cabinet and the curved electrostatic midrange and tweeter driver on top of it. They were great speakers apart from the electrostatic arcing a bit.
I had the misfortune to have them stolen as well as my Phase linear preamp and power amp.

I lashed out and bought Magnepan Tympani 1D speakers which were three hinged panels and looked like room dividers standing 6 foot high and each section 18 inches wide. The Tympani were great but being a dipole lacked deep bass and needed a subwoofer. They were great for acoustic material and orchestral material but struggled with amplified instruments.

I replaced them with proac studio 2 's which did sterling service until one of the kids flicked the amp on and blew the SEAS tweeters. They did the job but I always felt the midrange was lacking.
I had the opportunity to try some Proac studio 3's which had the ATC dome midrange and maybe an 9 inch ATC bass driver and I fell in love with the sound instantly and knew one day I would be getting some ATC speakers.
I never got the Proacs Studio 2's fixed but finished up purchasing some second hand Mordaunt Short MS40i's which I still have. The Ms 40i's did sterling service but lacked the midrange I craved being a two way system.
I had to get ATC's with the ATC midrange driver and opted for the SCM40 passive and have not been disappointed.
Now that I have sorted my cables they sound amazing and I thought initially that they lacked a bit of bass but it is not the case.
Live albums, electric guitar and steely strings which were an issue on the ms 40i's sound wonderful on the ATC's. Piano strings and Brass recordings sound particularly good.
I have a number of James Morrison and Philip Jones Brass Ensemble albums that sound amazing. Keith Jarrett , Oscar Peterson piano albums are a pleasure to listen to.
The 3 tenors 1990 and 1994 live albums also sound wonderful.
The ATC's show up bad recordings and fortunately tone controls on my preamp can come to the rescue there.
I find I don't get listening fatigue with the ATC's due to the lack of distortion even at high levels.