ATC or Audio Note (2-way)

Hold my beer and watch me solder this.  I can appreciate upgrading a mid-fi speaker and you really can derive palpable benefits from minimal investment.  ATC does their homework and produces a world-class product.  I question improving their design work.

I’m biased as I’ve a pair of ATC 40As and a pair of ATC 50As.  The 50As courtesy Lone Mountain.  Best of luck finding the right pair to do surgery on.  I’ve Frankensteined a dozen pair over the years.

I believe AN has the most transparent crossover components (which are available for DIY), seasoning-to-taste not withstanding...no way a company like ATC which mass produces parts is going to have something better. If you've ever done xover or internal cabling mods, you know that drivers of every brand don't come close to unleashing their potential. I mean, having the crossovers in the cabinets alone is a huge bottleneck, if you’ve heard the before and after with something like that.

But yeah, I am very curious about the drivers with these two brands..

I looked at some ATC xovers.. they do have custom caps and inductors. Well, who knows!

I'll solve your dilemma. Jbl 4309. Best of both worlds.

Next alternative would be Living Voice OBX

The biggest difference for me is that AN speakers require symmetrical corners on the front wall to get the correct bass response. None of my music rooms allow that so AN speakers have never been an option for me.