I have a very power hungry pair of Revel Salon 2 speakers that are magnificently powered by a Hegel H590 integrated amp, in a moderately sized room. You have a nice large room and I would say that the extremely powerful, extremely high current, extremely high damping factor, extremely dynamic, detailed and transparent, non-fatiguing, lush, natural tone and timbre, Hegel H30 mono-blocks are a no-brainer, as they check all the boxes and meet all your requirements for driving your speakers with superb sound quality. For me, my Hegel H590 integrated amp is my end-game amplification. Happy listening.
ATC SCM150 Amp and Preamp recommendations
Just received my ATC SCM150 passive speakers last week and looking for amplifier suggestions.
I have a large, well-treated room (45' x 16' x 8') and primarily listen to large-scale classical music — symphonies, piano concertos, cello works, etc.
For me, dynamics are critical, but so are tone, instrumental timbre, and harmonic richness.
Front-end setup:
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Technics 1200G with Umami Red cartridge
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Luxman EQ-500 phono stage
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Aurender A100 streamer/DAC
So far, I’ve tried the following amplifiers:
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Classe Delta Stereo + matching preamp: very polite sound, but too soft on top, poor bass control, slow and muddy low end, recessed midrange — overall unable to properly control the speakers.
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Luxman L-595A SE: gorgeous microdynamics and a liquid, beautiful midrange; however, limited in dynamics and authority due to power constraints. No brightness !
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Auris Fortissimo (tube amp): outstanding midrange and highs with a very holographic presentation, but again lacks bass energy and authority due to lower power output.
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Luxman 507Z - way too bright for ATC, so assuming Luxman M10 will be just as bright
Given these impressions, I'm now looking for a serious amp/preamp combination that can bring out the full potential of the SCM150s — maintaining musicality and tonal beauty but with the dynamic slam and control these speakers demand.
Budget: ~$20-30k for amplification, ~$10-15k for a preamp (open to used market gear)
I'm also open to bi-amping if someone has successfully done it with the SCM150s.
Amplifiers I'm considering:
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Electrocompaniet AW800
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Simaudio Moon 861 monoblocks
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Hegel H30 monoblocks
I'm also looking for preamp recommendations to pair with the above amps — ideally something that adds a touch of tube warmth and harmonic richness, but without softening transients or slowing down the dynamics.
Would love to hear from anyone with direct experience driving SCM150s, or who can recommend synergistic combinations that deliver both the dynamic authority and tonal sophistication I'm after.
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You’re headed in the right direction if you found the Luxman was too bright. The Luxmans and other Japanese integrateds tend to share that character of an elevated upper midrange. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, it just requires the right speaker matching. Sim, Hegel and Electrocompaniet all have a warmer, more forgiving character, especially Hegel. Electrocompaniet will be closer to the Luxman sound spectrum but not quite as forward. |
@ei001h Alright then my recommend actually is gonna be left field if you don’t mind for the Monoblock.
Two of this - https://apollonaudio.com/product/hypex-nc2k-premium-monoblock-amplifier-apollon-pnc-2k/ And for the Preamp you can go for either of this:
MC2700 - https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650164797-mcintosh-c2700/ Edit: Should've told you why that Monoblock:
How about damping factor over 1000, 2000WATT @ 2 OHM, 2500WATT @ 4 OHM, 1600 WATT @ 8 OHM power delivery peaks and sustained at around 1500 for 2 and 4 ohms and 1000 for 8 Ohms |
We are an atc dealer we have been using the remarkable coda power amplifiers with them for years
the coda .8 mono blocks sound absolutely fabulous with the Atc loudspeakers the coda power amplifiers are pure current machines
the .8 monos can be ordered as either an 800 watt power amplifier or a 500 watt unit with the difference being more class A power V2: 800 Watts into 8 Ohms 1,600 Watts into 4 Ohms Class A ~8 Watts V1: 500 Watts into 8 Ohms 1000 Watts into 4 Ohms Class A ~16 Watts
CURRENT CAPABILITY 150 Amperes peak
the coda power amplifiers are very dynamic, have great bass control, throw a huge soundstage, and are slightly warm made in America and a pair if them cost s less then 14k and the matching 07 preamp makes an ideal partner to the amplifiers
dave and Troy audio intellect NJ atc and coda dealers
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- 89 posts total