ATC SCM's with Spectral Components

Things I've read seem to suggest they require more than modest power (i.e., 100 W RMS might not be enough power), and that they sound best when played loud (in not-so-small rooms).

They are leaner in the bass then most other designs (flat with no bass hump and a gentle roll-off). You will need some bass boost (tone control) if you listen at low levels. When you get up to live music levels then they sound most balanced (other speakers may tend to sound boomy or bloated at higher levels). Horses for courses - if you listen at low levels then ATC might not be ideal for you.

agreed with shardorne. If you listen to ATC on low levels, it feels as though the speaker is holding back, and the bass is quite lean. However, once it gets from moderate to loud levels, you be surprise how dynamic and full the sound is.

I listen to low levels often, and the only way it worked for me was to get it a full class A power amp, and a bit of bass boost. Still sounds quite good.

NOTE: With my old parasound 2200II class a/b amp, at low volumes the sound was very very thin.

Thanks, Shadorne and Kinn for your input. I listened last weekend to my local dealer's demo ATC SCM11's at my house powered by my system. I was extremely impressed by these small speakers for many reasons. And it was as you suggested: Their sound fills out nicely, especially the bass, as they are played at higher SPL's, though they left me wishing they could play an octave lower. I will probably ask the dealer to acquire a demo pair of SCM19's so that I can audition them, too, to see if the low end I'm missing in the 11's, is there in the 19's. Meanwhile, I'm continuing to look for other solutions as well.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

My local dealer had a pair of SCM19's shipped in last week. They were supposed to have been brand new, but they turned out to be demos, seemingly reasonably broken in. They spent Thursday afternoon through the entire weekend with me. Briefly, they are amazing when paired with my little Spectral gear! In fact they produced significantly better sound (I thought) than the already amazing SCM11's. In my lightly furnished 12x22x8-feet (WxLxH) rectangular listening space (plaster walls and ceiling, and wall-to-wall carpet over a hardwood floor), sitting on sand-filled 21-inch Solid Steel speaker stands placed 4 feet from the narrow back wall and 3 feet in from the long side walls, these speakers simply excelled. I couldn't have been more pleased. And I was quite unprepared for how they demanded to be played at higher and higher SPL's! Absolutely astonishing! One thing, though: When I placed my hands on the tops and sides of these speakers while they were playing at moderately loud volumes, I could feel significant cabinet vibrations, a real surprise. I'm now wondering if the stouter SCM20's, at 50 lbs, might not be a better choice than the 35 lb SCM19's for this reason alone. Any opinions?