ATC SCM40A Speakers Review
This year has been a good year so far for me in the world of HiFi attending my first HiFi show in Bristol in just over 3 years since the pandemic. It was refreshing to see and hear exhibitors showing off all things HiFi, with some great British brands showcasing what they have to offer. It just so happens that one of the best sounding rooms of the show was from the Acoustic Transducer Company or as everyone else knows them ATC who were demonstrating the incredible SCM50A speakers partnered with the ATC CDA2 CD /DAC preamplifier and Technics turntable, this was one of the most enjoyable and natural sounding rooms of the whole show and when I got offered the chance to review a pair of their speakers I literally jumped at the chance. Having reviewed the excellent SCM19A speakers previously I was offered the bigger SCM40A speakers which are a three way tri-amplified beast that look as good as they sound.
With five decades of experience in the world of speakers they are renowned for the quality of their drive units and in particular in the PRO Audio world where they are used by some of the biggest names in the industry like Sony Music and Telarc. Most importantly all of their components are designed and made in house which makes production an easier process as you are not relying on third party components to manufacture. Active speakers has always been a bit of shy point when it comes to HiFi but in fact it makes a lot of sense as the speakers amplifiers are designed and built by ATC to get the best out of there own speakers plus you don’t have the box count and decisions on what amps to choose that usually comes when powering a three way design like the SCM40’s, instead you get carefully matched active crossovers with amplifiers built to get the best from each of the three drive units in the speaker enclosures.
Build quality and features
As expected the build quality of the SCM40A’s is exceptional with beautifully curved cabinets which also help to negate any internal standing waves and with heavily braced cabinets mean they weigh in at a hefty 36Kg per speaker therefore they arrived in there very own flight cases, although on wheels they proved extremely challenging when trying to get them into my humble abode. The amplification section of the speakers are made up of 242 watt class A/B amplifiers with 32watts dedicated to the tweeter, 60watts for the midrange unit and with the bass driver getting a healthy 150watts to drive it, so each drive unit has its very own mono block driving them, consider the cost of buying 3 x mono blocks separately to power each speaker and you soon realise what a bargain these speakers actually are.
The newly designed ATC 25mm dual suspension soft dome tweeter is housed in a precision alloy wave guide, midrange is taken care of by the ATC designed and built 75mm soft dome midrange driver which looks the business and defines the look of their speakers, then you have the 164mm bass unit with an oversized dust cap completing the package, all of the drivers have massively optimised magnet assemblies which mean they can withstand some serious abuse from the volume dial without even breaking a sweat. On the rear of the cabinets is the amplifier plate which has an XLR connection, power socket and an on off power button, nice and simple but all that is required to get them up and running.
Connecting up is a breeze and because my Cyrus amplifier does not have balanced outputs I am using a male XLR adapter plug connected with Chord Company RCA cables to the outputs on my 82 DAC Integrated amplifier, the Cyrus is a great performer and works well acting as the preamplifier. Source equipment is taken care of by the Cyrus Audio CD8SE player and my Bluesound NODE 2i streamer to play Quobuz and high-res music stored on my NAS drives, the Chord Electronics Hugo 2 is slotted in between the streamer and amplifier for DAC duties.
Half way through this review I recieved the ATC CDA2 CD player/preamplifier and DAC so I am now also running them fully balanced with XLR cables directly from the CDA2 to the speakers.
Performance and Sound Quality
As always music is the best part of any review and fortunately I have been re-exploring my CD collection since the ATC SCM40s arrived and it is quite addictive when you start listening to albums that you thought you knew and the ATCs breathe new life into them. An album that I know well is Boris Blank’s 2014 release of Electrified on the Polydor label, this version is the 2 CD with DVD which has been getting many hours of airing since the speakers arrived. Both discs are just a stunning listen and I first heard this album on a pair on Martin Logan Neolith electrostatic speakers which was quite an experience and one that I will not forget, so when I uncovered it again I got quite excited to give the CD a spin, the bass especially was a visceral experience on the Martin Logan’s so I know what could be achieved when possible. Track one as per the album name is Electrified and from the very start the SCM40’s deliver some stunning bass which is as tight and forceful as I remember but tuneful with no overhang at all, it just energises the room with waves of bass and in such a controlled fashion, they can play very loud indeed and with startling clarity leaving you in awe at what power and the capability of what a fully active speaker system can do, my room is not massive but it is certainly not small and to be honest there would be no need for a subwoofer with the amount and quality of bass on offer, the sealed design of the ATC’s also help massively here as everything is kept well under control. I have not even started to describe the midrange which is very special thanks to the beautiful 75mm soft dome driver, it has an uncanny way of throwing the sound out in a manner that can only be described as holographic, the top end is sparkly without sounding at all fatiguing, the speakers imaging is also first class with a very wide stereoscopic three dimensional image being portrayed in front of you, sound appears from all angles in the room, very impressive and most importantly enjoyable. The transition of frequencies between drivers is seamless working harmoniously and this is more apparent or should I say less with track six Big Beans which is a rollercoaster of a mix and so fast paced but the SCM40’s handle this track with aplomb. CD two is a much more relaxed affair compared to the first disc but still as enjoyable, track one A Touch of Magic is a haunting melody with superb imaging and with such a wide soundstage produced by the ATC’s, it’s one of the best I have heard in HiFi and you would swear that you have surround speakers hooked up such is the wrap around affect that they create, some of the best imaging I have heard from any system.
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