Latest News
ATC LAUNCHES C4 SUB MK 2 ACTIVE SUBWOOFER SYSTEM
New proprietary 12-inch driver, optimised motor mechanics and a 300W Class AB amplifier combine to deliver exceptional levels of performance for audiophile music and film devotees.
World renowned for its signature high output, low-distortion audio engineering and trusted by musicians, studios, live sound engineers and audiophiles over five decades, The Acoustic Transducer Company (ATC) is proud to announce the production of the C4 Sub Mk 2 active subwoofer system. Designed to unite the highest standards of driver and electronics engineering in a single system, the C4 Sub Mk 2 deploys the all-new proprietary 12-inch SS75-314SC sub-bass driver, powered by a newly developed 300W class AB amplifier design, both elements hand-built and installed within a substantial cabinet at the company’s Stroud-based production HQ.
New ATC Sub-Bass Driver
The C4 Sub Mk 2 features the new SS75-314SC sub-bass driver, the first to be purpose-built for an ATC sub-bass system and developed by the R&D team to reproduce the lowest four octaves of the audio band. In order to achieve this the design exploits ATC’s signature long-gap/short-coil configuration to its natural limits with an exceptionally long 30mm magnetic gap, surrounded by a 6-inch/150mm N48M Neodymium magnet – the most powerful ever assembled by ATC and a first for the company. In support, the wholly redesigned motor system features a new rubber roll-surround for high excursion capability, a new spider for optimised compliance geometry, and high flow motor venting for low noise and compression.
As well as minimising distortion, this unprecedented short-coil long-gap configuration ensures the voice coil remains within the motor structure – even at high drive levels – maximising cooling, reducing power compression, and improving reliability. Turbulent air noise within the driver is minimised by a large, flared vent running through the centre of the motor structure, which has the added benefit of increasing voice coil and motor cooling.
Consequently, the C4 Sub Mk2 delivers an extended low-frequency response while avoiding electronic equalisation, unlike many subwoofers available today. Instead, the more elegant combination of exceptional transducer engineering and a marginally larger cabinet volume is used. The simplicity of this approach reduces phase shift and group delay, aiding the integration of the sub with the partnering loudspeakers.
New 300W ATC Amplifier
The all-new 300W class AB design is precisely optimised to the requirements of the new driver, resulting in fast, dynamic bass with minimal colouration. Two balanced line inputs provide connectivity for stereo or AV/home cinema systems while two balanced outputs are available to feed partnering ‘main’ stereo loudspeakers or to ‘daisy-chain’ multiple subs. Low-pass filters are analogue, 4th order Linkwitz-Riley, with filter frequency options ensuring optimal integration with partnering speakers. In addition, an industry-standard 80Hz low-pass filter and an ‘off’ option (for use with external processing) are joined by a polarity switch, variable 180° phase adjustment and a stepped attenuator over a 21 dB range for precise level matching.
The C4 Sub Mk 2 Cabinet
Hand-built and finished at ATC’s cabinet factory and sharing styling with the brand’s ‘Classic’ and ‘Tower’ series loudspeakers, the C4 Sub Mk 2’s 70 litre cabinet employs 25mm/1-inch thick panels and heavy bracing. It’s available in standard Cherry, Black Ash, Walnut and Oak real-wood veneers, as well as Satin Black and Satin White finishes, or in premium Rosewood, European Crown Cut Walnut, Burr Magnolia and Pippy Oak real-wood veneers, with the option of high gloss over veneers and black/white piano lacquers also available.
In-Use
The size and performance of the C4 Sub Mk 2 make it a natural complement for ATC SCM19, SCM20, SCM40, SCM50 and SCM100 active/passive systems and high performance loudspeakers of a similar size. Multiple subs can be employed to further elevate performance in larger rooms or when partnering larger loudspeakers. Buffered linkable inputs and outputs make connection of multiple subs easy.
Designed and engineered with a focus on resolution and integration, the C4 Sub Mk2 delivers a more balanced and coherent experience for the listener, extending the low-frequency response without masking details or changing the tonal character in the upper bass/lower mid-range. It provides an upgrade path to customers owning smaller loudspeakers and lacking space for larger stereo loudspeakers whilst also strengthening ATC’s options in AV applications.
For further information and photographs, please see the C4 Sub Mk2 product web page.
Pricing and Availability
ATC C4 Sub Mk 2 typical UK retail prices (each, inc. 20% VAT):
Standard finishes: £3990
Premium finishes: £4750
Add high gloss lacquer over veneers: +£1979
Piano black/white: £6140
The subwoofer is available to order immediately.
For pricing and availability outside the UK, please contact you local ATC dealer or distributor – ATC – Where to Buy
VANCE POWELL INSTALLS ATC MONITORS FOR SPUTNIK SOUNDS DOLBY ATMOS IMMERSIVE STUDIO
Nashville, Tennessee – October 2023: Vance Powell recently completed a studio makeover at Sputnik Sound, installing the popular ATC 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos monitor system to add the future of immersive surround sound to his arsenal. In 2014, Powell, an innovator in studio design, teamed up with producer Mitch Dane in a rambling house in the famed Berry Hill section of Nashville, naming it Sputnik Sound and filling it with virtually every audio tool past and present. A producer, engineer, mixer, and winner of seven Grammy awards, his credits read like a Billboard list of chart-topping artists: Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and Buddy Guy for starters. His career has spanned from working with Jars of Clay, to a chief-engineer role at Blackbird Studios, to outside work with many of Jack White’s groups. With his new Dolby Atmos room, Powell has complete control to mix immersive audio in his singular style.
As soon as Dolby Atmos Immersive Sound Systems hit the marketplace, Powell was on it. Consulting with the Dolby engineers and famed studio designer Michael Cronin, Powell tore apart his existing control room, totally rebuilt the front wall, re-installed his existing SSL 6000 console and selected ATC monitors for his 7.1.4 system. For left and right configuration, Powell chose the ATC SCM110ASL, an active three-way reference monitor with high-resolution, featuring twin nine-inch ATC “SL” bass drivers, an ATC three-inch soft dome midrange, and an ATC one-inch “S-Spec” soft dome tweeter. The center channel is handled by an ATC SCM50ASL, the company’s benchmark design for a world-class loudspeaker with a sweet-sounding, refined ATC tweeter, ATC soft dome midrange and massively engineered ATC bass driver. Four ATC SCM25A three-way active studio monitors deliver for the surrounds and four ATC SCM12i two-ways for the overhead channels, again all featuring ATC drivers. Dolby engineers worked with Powell for exact speaker placement. The LFE emanates from an ATC SCM0.1/15 Pro Sub capturing the low end with clarity and efficiency.
Dolby Atmos Immersive Sound promises to give the listener the feeling of being in the room with the musicians, noted Powell. “ATC monitors have always impressed me for their clarity and tonal balance. Same goes for the ATC Atmos system performance in immersive audio. It’s perfectly nuanced listening and meets all Dolby standards. All this technology helps me fully realize great music. I’m really happy in this room.” Powell recently completed the Atmos mix of The War and the Treaty’s Lover’s Game album and the 49 Winchester’s Fortune Favors the Bold. “The new Atmos system allowed me to give these already beautiful, organic records an added layer of depth,” said Powell.
“If you’re ready to bring your studio into Dolby Atmos, listen to an ATC system. Their sound is so musical and accurate, somewhat hard to describe,” added Brad Lunde, president and founder of TransAudio Group, ATC’s U.S. distributor. “But when you hear them, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.”
ATC products are distributed in the U.S.A. by Transaudio Group.
