ATC have been involved in professional and later domestic loudspeakers for nigh on 50 years. Based locally near Stroud, they set up to make drive units in 1974. They were instantly successful as their 12” drive unit (PA75-314) were able to produce sound with less distortion at higher sound pressure levels than the competition.

Two years later they started to produce their very special soft dome mid-range unit which was used by many third party professional monitor manufacturers. A decade later they started making complete speaker systems, which are used widely in the professional world by engineers producers composers and artist including Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, The Killers, Lenny Kravitz, The Rolling Stones, Calvin Harris, Beck. The list goes on and is pretty much a who’s who of music industry icons.

Taken at our recent trip to the ATC factory

So why would you consider an ATC speaker? Well ATC seem to have found the right balance between what is required by the professional world, such as accuracy and reliability, and what is required from a domestic speaker which is totally beguiling sound. When listening, you can immediately get why they are so popular with musicians and engineers as the detail especially in the mids is extraordinary.

The ATC SCM7 is the smallest of the range. Small it may be but pick one up and you might raise an eyebrow as each weighs 7.5kg. Listening to them you will hear that they are very agile. They keep pace with the music really well, never tripping up and allowing, exactly what we want, musical engagement. The bass, whilst not going deep, is very accurately reproduced with no overhang whatsoever.

The next speaker in the range is the SCM11. It’s a bigger monitor than the SCM7 incorporating a 150mm bass/mid rather than 125mm of the SCM7. It is also heavier at almost 11kg. It pretty much performs the same as the SCM7 except that the scale of the music you are listening to gets larger. They will also go louder than the SCM7 (108db rather than 103db).

Up next comes the SCM19. It is the biggest stand mount in the range and weighs a hefty 17.5kg, 9kg of that comes from the bass/mid which features a short-coil/long gap motor assembly and integrated 75mm soft dome mid. The SCM19 is the only speaker in the entry range to have ATC’s coveted SL driver technology. SL stands for Super linear and drive units built to the SL standard reduces 3rd harmonic distortion between 10 and 15db. The results are obvious as the midrange gains extra clarity giving even more insight into the music.

This is the first speaker in ATC’s range of speakers where they offer a passive and active version. The active version becomes a floor stander with active filters and a class a/b 182 watt bi-amplifier and retails at £4990. Just add a pre-amp and away you go.

The final speaker in the entry range is the SCM40. It is the first passive floor stander in ATC’s range and just like the 19 is also is available as an active speaker. It is the only speaker in this range that has a dedicated soft dome mid. The hype about ATC’s mid range unit is completely justified and is evident as soon as you listen. The mid range clarity is astounding and leaves you in no doubt about the quality of ATC speakers.

We have tried all the ATC speakers with many amplifiers. As long as it is quality amplification you won’t have any issues, but as we always recommend try before you buy, so come on in and have a listen. In store now but please call us to book a demo as they are in high demand.

Thanks for reading. Martin, Max, and James - Audio T Bristol

ATC Loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Portsmouth

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