ATC SCM v3 - First impressions.......

Thanks to all here who provided their input......during the decision making process.........much appreciated!
I forgot to put it in the title , these are the SCM7 v3's.
I first want to report my Nuprime IDA - 8 is actually a very nice match for these speakers.
I can get to volumes above what I usually listen at easily and with no audible distortion or clipping, so that is cool since I really like the amp (I bought it used for $450).
I did try an older, higher current/output Yamaha I had laying around and all though it would play louder it wasn’t even close to the Nuprime in virtually every other area.

I initially set up the speakers positioned per the owners manual.
I experimented a bit and found 2 feet from the back wall and 2 feet from the side walls to be optimal in my particular room.
I primarily listened to Jeff Beck, Prince, Nas, Eminem, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, Pink Floyd and Keith Richards streamed from Tidal for the following comments.


Probably the first thing I noticed about these speakers is that they disappear from the listening equation as much as possible, more so, than any other speaker I have owned, including some very high end, powered studio monitors.
They do not get more or less dynamic when you turn the volume up, or down.
They seem to stay completely "even keeled" dynamically, regardless of volume, they don’t seem to "flinch" at all.
This is a major plus because, as a result, dynamic changes in the music shine through without being distorted in intensity one way or the other due to the speakers own characteristics.

Tonally these things are fantastic, Jeff Beck’s Stratocaster on "Live from the Hollywood Bowl" sounds wonderful, with all the cut, warmth and "squank" you would expect to hear if you were at the concert.
You can hear the attack and decay of each note and how the tone changes color as the note decays.
Eminem’s voice on "Without Me" comes alive and you can feel the sense of urgency, sarcasm and humor trade places throughout the song. The whole mix sounds like a living, breathing thing as opposed to just a drum machine and a rapper.
Listening to "The Wall" by Pink Floyd was like it was remixed........
The positioning and depth of instruments was stunning..............both side to side and front to back.
Detail was fantastic as were timing and timbre.
I could easily distinguish all of Gilmour’s different guitar sounds/layers and the emotion in Richard Wright’s playing was awesome.

I have heard many talk of this speaker’s midrange being "magical" and I would say this holds true for the entire range except the very low bass and, at some point I will probably purchase a subwoofer.
This is a very truthful speaker but don’t take that to mean it is not exciting............it is as exciting as the program material you feed it, which for me most of the time is very exciting.
But there is so much more to it than that............it manages to convey the depth, emotion, tone, timbre and timing that get’s lost in some other speakers.
It’s hard to describe this speaker as "bright" or "rolled off" or "punchy" or "dull" because if all of those things are going on in a given song..............it will let you know.
All in all I could not be happier with these speakers (I bought them from The Music Room for $999)!
I think I would be very hard pressed to come up with a system that sounds anywhere near this one for anything close to $1,500 total.
Thanks for reading!



I do not have any affiliation with ATC at all.