ATC SCM150ASLT

@todbut

1) Yes they sound the same but there are differences in how a ASL monitor and ASLtower sound due to stands used on the ASL. If its sound anchors, the sound would be the same or better on the monitors. If its wooden stands, the towers would be better.

2). Is this room you will have some challenges in that the surfaces on the first reflection points (side walls) are different. There are many solutions but be aware that it’s the differences in surfaces that are the biggest challenge to creating a strong image off axis response (off axis is an ATC strength). Different surfaces reflect different frequencies and reflect them differently in response. In other words, getting off axis reflections to be "the same" as on axis is the way to ideal imaging.

Consider the TV wall; you would need to decrease the triangle size, the couch would need to be closer, but it could turn out better if heavily treated. It may be easier to achieve consistency in this position than that large glass surface on one side and the broken wall on the other. Be willing to try this or at least consider it (I have no idea which one will actually turn out to be better, there are so many variables, but it is important to try different approaches and listen. SO my advice is tell your acoustician to treat the room for both positions). General advice is the further from side walls the better (reducing reflections), but there are SO many other factors.

3) Everything affects sound quality. Consider the 150 a platform to work from and you will hear differences in absolutely everything- preamps, cables, cartridges, turntables, etc. It’s what makes active fun I think, as the transparency is so high that differences in things upstream are easily identifiable. What is the "right" place to start is a really big question that may have more to do with your budget. ATC favors analog, so the SCA2 is pure discrete analog. The newer CDA2 preamp/DAC/CD player could be a place to begin knowing you will move this off to a smaller system later. You will have many other issues that occupy your set up phase which could last a while. But to be fair, a zillion other preamps/DACs would also work. To begin, I would avoid a high color preamp or DAC. GO for transparent and neutral to begin. The handling of inputs properly will be something that matters over time, as it affects you in the operation of the system more than the exact listening to it. As you evolve and the industry evolves and you WILL want other devices in the future. Having more than one input, even if it’s analog, would be handy. I would start with a preamp DAC or Preamp + DAC pairing treating the computer is just one input on the system.

4) There are no changes coming to the 150 in the next year or two. Changes come slowly at ATC as between product development in consumer and pro they have a lot going on at any given time. Subwoofers are the current project, as you can see from the C4 introduction.

Have you considered the existing SE150? This uses the ATC discrete amp package and is the best audio (highest resolution) ATC offers at the moment.

5) Why not fly to ATC in England and audition there?

Brad

ATC US importer

(Consumer and Pro)

@audioslave1561 Nice writeup.

I have two friends that drive their ASLTs (50s in one case and 100s in another) directly with a Weiss DAC501 (in both cases wired ethernet directly in as I do with my 501). I agree; these clean, minimal systems like yours can sound spectacular.

"These puppies need a little room to really sing IMHO." Well said. That's why I downsized from 100s in my room. Those 100s were sold to the friend mentioned above. She has a very large room and they sound spectacular, much better than they did in my room.

"When listening to strings or vocals this set up can be quite cold and clinical when streaming." IMHO, this sounds like a network and/or AC optimization issue to me. I would optimize these (plenty of good threads on that here on Audiogon) before adding a line stage or any kind.

I had an exchange with a previous ATC importer (Keogh?) and he told me that the 50 was the most accurate.  As woofer size increases the top of the pass band is more directional and results in a less accurate frequency response.  He said this wasn't unpleasant but if you wanted the most accurate speaker go with the 50.  

I've often wondered why ATC doesn't have a consumer 110.  It's the most consumer friendly design to have.  Why have the 200 and 300 towers but not an equivalent 100/110?

Pat Keogh was a US dealer with us for ATC in the NE. He’s inactive now but was a strong supporter for many years. Its not exactly true the 50s are more accurate, but it was the founder’s favorite model and over the years one of ATC’s best sellers. Ive sold them to folks like Tom Petty, James Guthrie (pink floyd) and quite a few mastering engineers. Its our least expensive high dynamic range 3 way.

What Pat was talking about was narowing of dispersion behavior of all cone drivers as frequency increases- this is a true. H. owever, ATC crosses over from a woofer to a midrange driver at 380Hz, extremely low for a 3 way. This is well below the frequency of significant performance degrading HF narrowing. This is a more relevant criticism of a larger cone woofer 2 way, say something like a 8" or larger 2 way. 2 ways typcailly cross much higher, as dome tweeters do poorly below 2K. From 1K to 2K there is significant narrowing of a cone woofer.

In horn loaded systems, the rules are different. Now dispersion is determined by physics, throat size and horn mouth size and design. So the net result is that narrowing at HF is still present in horns/driver combos, and it can be somewhat severe in older horn designs (its why multi cells were invented to try and create lots of small dispersion lobes instead of one big one). Bob Keil did a lot of research on this for multiple audio companies a long time ago and is credited with developing the entire constant directivity design approach (which helped raise the narrowing frequency quite a bit and improve fidelity of horns a lot).

Brad

@noromance

"I think the ATC are way overkill for PC streaming electronic music...." 

Most definitely!  You don't need one of the best speakers available, unless you're wanting to reproduce the real, live sound of the best classical, jazz, blues, piano, strings, brass, vocals.  

I only wish I could justify the investment required for the ATC 150's!