ATC at the 2023 return of "Audio Show East" in Ipswich

[jophill]

FYI I see that ATC is listed as being represented at Audio Show East 2003 later this month in Ipswich (April 28-29).

At the last show in 2018 there was an ATC room with SCM100A classics fronted by a CDA2 Mk2 and a very classy (looking and sounding) vinyl system whose components I knew at the time but cannot recall now. There were other non-playing exhibits. Ben Lilly was there with at least one other ATC colleague. I briefly talked to both. They have the same room again according to the web site floor plan so I expect the presence this time will be similar.

And in the 2018 Chord Electronics room they had SCM40 passives driven by a big Chord power amplifier for demonstrating their DACs.

I found the 2018 show to be a small very well organized event with nice touches such as scheduled audio demo times alternating between adjacent rooms to avoid interference. It allowed for a nice relaxed pace to listen to all of the rooms and talk to the room hosts. I very much enjoyed it and I think I will go again.

[Bulldog]

Thanks, jophill. I haven't been to a audio show for years. I will look forward to your review should you decide to go again.

[jophill]

I think I have been well-and-truly volunteered 😀. I am planning to go on day 1 (Friday) but there's a chance of that plan not working. It depends on what happens at another event the day before the show starts.

I do wonder about writing show reports. I was there in 2018 and one of the rooms had too much influence on the sound for my taste (not the ATC room, BTW). I couldn't really evaluate the product but others seemed to be happy. Another of the rooms had a comparative demonstration that did nothing for me but others have reported online a significant benefit from the product.

For information, the ATC presence is listed as follows:

"Ben Lilly and Dave Spiers from ATC will be your guides along with Richard Bates from Auralic.

The equipment line-up is ATC SCM 150 active loudspeakers fed by ATC SIA-2 pre-amplifier and Auralic Aries 2.1 Streaming Transporter and Vega 2.1 DAC.

For analogue, there is a Vertere MG-1 ‘Magic Groove’ turntable with Phono One phono stage."

[jophill]

OK. Here's a report (which has already appeared on pink fish media so ignore this copy if you have seen it there before. The comments are in no particular order, just on things that came high on my radar. Don't read anything into the omissions.

Vinyl/digital: Not too much vinyl as a source (Rega of course and in the ATC room). Even where available most demos were from high-end streamers and high-end digital / network / power add-ons, controlled by a tablet. People did occasionally ask for the vinyl to be demonstrated. There was a static Melco server / streamer / networking / power display in the bar area.

Headphones: I don't do these but some were on demonstration.

Default demo material: This was well chosen in the ATC room to cater for broader musical tastes than usually assumed. Some rooms (Dynaudio, Audioquest / Golden Ear) actively asked listeners to choose from local or online digital libraries. The Chord demonstrators also chose fairly well (as always in past experience). However I think only the ATC room had enough range in practice to show what the system could do for my musical tastes. I refused the Dynaudio offer as it was busy and IME my tastes don't coincide well with most others' musical tastes.

Naim/Focal room: Focal Sopra N2 'speakers were rather good and seemed to be nicely neutral (only on a short listen though). Definitely not what I expected from reading generic online comment about Focal. However, they were certainly better than the 2018 show's Kanta 3 (slightly tubby bass and a strange treble I can't describe from memory - which does correspond more to online comments).

Kudos room: Titan 808 was played too loud and the bass level was often too elevated for my comfort. Certainly some of this was the demo material but I think the 808 'speakers and the approx. 10 metre square big room contributed. Sometimes the Titan 808 sounded good (and the Titan 707s used in the Chord room made a positive impression). I don't think I got to understand the Titan 808s on that demo.

Chord room: good but different sound from both Titan 707 and SCM50P driven by the latest Ultima amplifiers. The M Scaler demo of in-path / bypassed of was not so convincing but others heard things I didn't.

Audioquest/Golden Ear room: The not quite released new 'speakers didn't do anything wrong on my short stay there (that's not faint praise in my way of evaluating 'speakers) but I didn't hear enough varied material to get a full understanding of whether they might depart from experience in matters that matter to me.

Dynaudio room: Confidence 30 'speakers were played at a nice level in one of the smaller rooms and sounded very promising to me. If in that market I would audition them properly.

Rega and Accuphase rooms: I wasn't there at the scheduled demo times.

Talk zone: When I was there Russel Kauffman was expounding (with demonstrations) his way of selecting drivers, making cabinets, not using cabinet stuffing etc. in his Russel K 'speakers.

ATC room: The ATC ACM150A were played too loud to be realistic, but the level never went beyond my comfort zone, and bass was very well and believably controlled. The rest of the spectrum was all there and was just right. Some classical music was played, definitely louder than I would experience in the concert hall (e.g. the drums on Copland's "Fanfare for the common man" - the RR recording I suspect - sounded as though sitting with the conductor), but was never uncomfortable and never sounded wrong. Certainly the best sound of the show (I own SCM50As so perhaps this is as expected).

[Bulldog]

Thanks for the report. I'm not surprised that there was a paucity of vinyl. It's easier for some to resort to steaming. it's a shame ATC's demo was a bit loud. Perhaps the sound levels were preset for a particular number of attendee's (?)

I haven't attended a hi-fi show for some time. I found most manufacturers were more comfortable demonstrating smaller speakers in the typical hotel/motel room. It's not until these manufacturers tried to demo larger speakers that their respective skill sets were called into question. It's one way to sort the wheat from the chaff vis a vis engineering competency.

[jophill]

I think that shows are about showing off equipment to the maker's average buyer, including making sure you take account of their preferences and prejudices. I am sure all experienced exhibitors, ATC included, know that and pitch their show presence accordingly. Probably, as a mainly classical music listener, I am not close to the average. So I never expect shows to work according to my preferences.

The ATC room was much larger than usual for many shows. It handled the volume perfectly, and the equipment did so too. The room had excellent sound other than the stereo image which, on music I knew, did not correspond to what I expected from concert hall experience. Peter Walker of Quad once wrote that a volume control is what you use to bring the stereo image into focus. Nevertheless, I actually spent more time enjoying the ATC room than any other, but IME the best use of shows is to identify kit for a more individual audition.

The Kudos room, as large as the ATC room, went beyond my tolerance for continuous visceral impact ("slam") so I couldn't clearly evaluate the Titan 808 'speakers. I thought my experience was worse at the 2018 show in the same room where PMC demonstrated the Fact Fenestria. I walked in and sat down but walked out almost immediately. Thinking I must have made a mistake I went back later and stayed. However on one piece of music the stereo image of a cello was enormous and sounded like my ears were right next to the instrument. I cannot believe this was accidental. The PMC people presumably knew their likely buyers and did what they expected. It's just that I was clearly not amongst that group.

[Bulldog]

I guess we can't blame the manufacturers for giving the buyers what they want. The realities of keeping the order book full must drive many manufacturers to compromise their vision of how they want to present their product. Buyers can be fickle.

[jophill]

Here's a report from the show: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/ind...pswich-england.

ATC kit was in the Chord and ATC rooms, both positively reviewed. The review of the ATC room concludes:

"Live music almost always sounds unconstrained and uncompressed. Without doubt, ATC’s active loudspeakers come the closest I have ever heard to reproducing this ideal. Sure, big Wilsons sound amazing, but their dynamics pale into insignificance compared to ATC. This was the best and most accurate sound of the show."

I agree. And it's interesting to compare Jonathan Gorse's views of other rooms with my own impressions.