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ATC IMPROVES PERFORMANCE OF THEIR FLAGSHIP HI-FI SPEAKER SYSTEMS WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPANY’S NEW ENHANCED ‘S-SPEC’ TWEETER

Building on the success of its hand-built standard tweeter, ATC has developed and manufactured an ENHANCED ‘S-SPEC’ VERSION for its flagship models.

After considerable development time the “S-SPEC’ tweeter completes the rollout of proprietary drivers across every ATC loudspeaker system. Six years in the making, the new SH25-76S design is a significant technical advance for ATC and a proud achievement for Managing Director Billy Woodman and R&D Manager Richard Newman. The Woodman/Newman collaboration has ensured that both the standard SH25-76 (as fitted to the Company’s SCM7/11/19/40/40A models) and ‘S-Spec’ SH25-76S tweeters exceed the exceptionally high levels of performance and consistency expected of an ATC driver.

The advent of the SH25-76S means that for the first time in a distinguished forty-year history, every ATC speaker system is able to benefit from complete ATC driver configurations, wholly designed and hand-built at the company’s UK development and production facility at Stroud, Gloucestershire. Now introduced on the Tower Series (SCM20/50/100/150), Anniversary Series (SCM50/100/150) and Classic Series (SCM20/50/100/150), the SH25-76S is ATC’s premium 25mm soft dome tweeter, developed with a no-compromise engineering approach in order to complement the renowned SM75-150S Super Dome mid-range driver.

In common with the standard SH25-76 (but unlike almost any other 25mm tweeter on the market) the SH25-76S is a dual suspension design, employing both an upper and lower suspension.

The key benefits are:

• Suppression of enharmonic diaphragm/coil ‘rocking’ modes

• Assured pistonic motion

• A very narrow magnetic gap for unparalleled linearity and low distortion throughout its wide operating band.

Further Key Design Features are as follows:
Improved Off-Axis Response: the complex geometry of the tweeter’s soft dome diaphragm and precision-machined, low-resonance alloy waveguide produces a smooth on-axis and improved off-axis response, which now extends beyond ATC ‘s previous benchmark of 22kHz to reach 25kHz (-6dB).

Stronger Magnetic Field: a massive neodymium motor complete with heat-treated top plate is FEA optimised to provide 20,000 Gauss (2.0 Tesla) in the magnetic gap (up from 15,000 Gauss in the standard SH25-76 unit).

Higher Sensitivity: higher sensitivity of 91.5 (±0.5 dB/W @1m) is achieved for the SH25-76S, despite the use of robust, well-damped mechanical structures.

Higher Power Handling, Lower Power Compression: shared by both standard and ‘S-Spec’ tweeter models, the short coil/long gap motor design and narrow magnetic gap perform the secondary function of dissipating heat away from the coil, ensuring high power handling and low power compression while liberating the structure from a reliance on ferro-fluid, which can dry out over time, compromising performance.

Commenting, R&D Manager, Richard Newman said, “We feel the new tweeter lifts the capability of our systems to new levels and reinforces our belief that exceptional system performance can only be achieved through exceptional transducer performance”.

For owners of certain older models wishing to upgrade, ATC tweeter upgrade kits are expected to roll out later this summer.

SCM19 Receives 5-Star Review from What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision Magazine

The SCM19 has been reviewed in the June 2015 edition of What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision Magazine and found to be deserving of a 5-Star rating.

What Hi-Fi had to say, “These ATCs are highly analytical, but never clinical or passionless, and are transparent to the original recording and system electronics…lf you value insight and honesty above all else these speakers are a terrific buy.”

The magazine is available to purchase in the UK now.  For further information please visit the What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision Website.

New Review: CA2 and P1 Pre/Power Combination

ATC CA2 & P1 Review, Hi-Fi Choice, April 2015

ATC MONITORS CLEARLY DEFINE JOE SATRIANI AND JOHN CUNIBERTI’S NEW “SHOCKWAVE SUPERNOVA” RECORDING

Joe Satriani with ATC SCM25A Loudspeakers

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 2015:  Engineer John Cuniberti’s first professional highlight was a gig mixing monitors for Stevie Wonder in the late 1970s. After that, he pivoted to the studio and has since recorded, mixed, and mastered hundreds of major- and indie-label artists, including The Dead Kennedys, Tracy Chapman, Thomas Dolby, and the Grateful Dead. Cuniberti worked with legendary guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani to record his first professional studio album, Not Of This Earth, in 1986, and the two have been a productive team ever since. Most recently, they traveled to Skywalker Sound and 25th Street Recording (Oakland, California) to cut tracks for Satriani’s forthcoming album, Shockwave Supernova. Given the tremendous success they had had with ATC SCM25A three-way active monitors in Satriani’s home studio, they rented a pair at both Skywalker and 25th Street.

“A little while back, Joe expressed growing frustration with the nearfields he had in his studio at the time,” said Cuniberti. “He felt like the mid-range was too forward and aggressive, and that led him to make decisions that didn’t translate outside of the studio. I recommended the ATC SCM25As, and he immediately fell in love with their musicality and the way the decisions he made in the studio translated elsewhere.” When Cuniberti arrived at Skywalker, he didn’t find any nearfields that he felt comfortable using, so he arranged to rent a pair of ATC SCM25As for the two weeks they had booked. Then the same thing happened at 25th Street Recording. “25th Street had massive ATC SCM300ASL and SCM150ASL soffit-mounted loudspeakers, which sounded great, but again… no nearfields I wanted to use,” he said. “Again, we rented SCM25As. Finally Joe decided to buy a pair from Sweetwater for himself.”

“Working with the ATC SCM25As at Skywalker Sound, at 25th Street Recording, and at my home studio has been a wonderful experience,” said Satriani. “In all three environments, the sessions stayed accurate with imaging I could trust, and the individual tracks always came up clear, punchy, and transparent. The SCM25As are powerful yet precise sounding speakers, without the ear fatigue. Most importantly, it’s fun to create music on them!”

Cuniberti agreed: “We were able to spend time between the SCM25As all day, day after day, without getting stressed out. They sound great loud and have an impressive low-frequency response. Importantly, now that we’re listening back at home, everything we tracked at Skywalker and 25th Street sounds like I expected it to sound. There are no surprises. I think that’s the mark of an effective studio monitor. I think the industry has evolved to this point. You can go back to the NS-10 craze, which I think happened because everyone was so hungry for a stable reference point. Then some more truly transparent models started emerging, but the evolution of those modeled tended toward hype on the high end and hype on the low end. Sure, that makes a mix sound ‘good,’ but it burns the engineer out and leads to mixes that are flat and lifeless on other systems. In contrast, ATC’s professional division has remained committed to building monitors that will allow an engineer to work long hours without fatigue and with the confidence that the music will sound right everywhere else.”

For further information on ATC Professional Products in the U.S. contact Transaudio Group.

www.transaudiogroup.com

SCM40A Review – What Hi-Fi

Our new SCM40A 3-way active loudspeakers have been reviewed in the April edition of What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine and received a glowing 5 star rating.

Here’s just a little of what the reviewers had to say:

“these ATCs… take all in their stride, revealing a lovely cohesion throughout the frequency range. Resolution, timing and dynamics are all spot-on… factor in the built-in amplification, exotically engineered in-house drive units and the resultant exceptional sound quality, and the SCM4OAs emerge as something of a high-end bargain.  Consider us smitten.”

The magazine is available now or you can read the online version here on the What Hi-Fi website.

SCM11 Review – Hi-Fi Pig

This month, Hi-Fi Pig have reviewed the SCM11, finding it to offer outstanding performance and it has achieved ‘Outstanding Product’ status.  This is a very special award which requires the verdict of two Hi-Fi Pig reviewers.

Here are their conclusions from the review:

Dan Worth

You could argue that the ATC’s don’t have the luxury and flair of aesthetics as say a Sonus Faber but then it was Italian engineering that built the leaning tower of Pisa and British engineering that built Buckingham Palace and The Houses of Parliament.

The ATC’s are a solidly built real wood veneered ‘stylishly classic’ speaker which embodies a solid listen. Their strongly braced infinite baffle construction allows for their representation of the music to be truly outstanding, they give insight into the most intricate of tracks or can relaxingly and effortlessly flow with less busier material.

Although the previous model was thoroughly enjoyable they could sometimes bite back when fed with less than adequate recordings, as we say ‘rubbish in, rubbish out’. However now in their prime and more mature manner the ATC new in-house designed and built tweeter has the experience to tackle events with a second nature and never be phased or rocked of its confidence giving it the hallmark of a truly outstanding achievement by the company.

For the money and putting my experience and word on the line the ATC SCM11 are at the absolute top of their class and you really would have to spend much more to even be able to stand up confidently against these awesome little speakers let alone better them. If I had the room for another pair of speakers I would have a pair in a heartbeat.

Dominic Marsh

The ATC SCM 11’s are not perfect by any means – no speakers are, so it’s all down to compromises that we either can or can’t live with. I could easily live with the lithe dynamics, the outright faithful treble resolution, the midrange tonal accuracy of these speakers and oddly enough, I could easily live with that roll off in the lower bass registers as well, because the fast, taut, communicative and powerful bass that they do produce, more than compensates in that area. The most compelling reason of all is of course that £1,200 price tag and I would really struggle to name a single speaker that can get anywhere near such a stunning level of performance in that price range. As you read this review dear readers, I am polishing up my busking skills to be able to afford a pair for myself.

Read the review in full at the Hi-Fi Pig website

Billy Woodman Interview – Hi-Fi Choice Magazine

The latest February 2015 edition of Hi-Fi Choice Magazine (available now) features an interview with ATC’s founder and Managing Director, Billy Woodman.  You can download the PDF or, read via the graphics below (click to enlarge).

Hi-Fi Choice Magazine

ATC MONITORS ARE THE CHOICE OF MULTIPLE GRAMMY WINNERS

With three Grammy wins and one Latin Grammy win already to his name, renowned mastering engineer Gavin Lurssen has been nominated for yet another Grammy Award this year in the category Best Engineered Album for mastering The Way I’m Livin’ by country music singer Lee Ann Womack (which is also up for Best Country Album). He shares the nomination with fellow Grammy-winner Chuck Ainlay, who recorded and mixed the album using ATC SCM25A active three-way near-field monitors. When the project moved to Lurssen’s L.A.-based studio, his beefy ATC SCM150ASL active three-way mid-field monitors took over and guaranteed that Lurssen’s practiced ears would direct the tweaks and tucks so that Womack’s beautiful melodies would entrance listeners on everything from ear buds to expensive home theaters.

Ainlay installed ATC’s biggest soffit-mounted professional monitors, the SCM300ASLs, at his BackStage Studio around the turn of the century. “ATCs possess tremendous accuracy throughout the vocal range, and the levels I get on ATCs always seem to translate to any other environment” he said. “Since Lee Ann Womack is among the greatest female country music singers ever, I obviously had to make sure that her vocals shined on the new album. It’s also a very dynamic album that comes from the heart; it’s not just about radio hits.” Though happily accustomed to his SCM300ASLs, Ainlay had long been at the mercy of whatever loudspeakers were present whenever he worked away from BackStage. “I heard the relatively new ATC SCM25As at AES a while back and I knew I had to have them,” he said. “I bought the floor models!” Thanks to that purchase, Ainlay was able to record and mix The Way I’m Livin’ at Sound Stage Studios and still rely on his ATC SCM25As’ honesty.

“Chuck gave me some direction, but mainly he wanted me to do what I do,” said Lurssen, who is well known for delivering masters that retain an organic “chunkiness” that conveys life and dimension even on today’s ubiquitous, and often lossy, digital formats. “I strive to retain and accentuate the depth of field and lower midrange support that ultimately supports the high-end image. The clarity of ATC’s midrange is exceptional and allows me to really hear exactly what I’m doing. Of course, Chuck wanted me to produce a competitive master, but we were both in agreement that it should not be over-slammed or over-cooked.” In part to help ground his vision for the recording with Ainlay’s, Lurssen often flipped back and forth between his larger ATC SCM150ASLs to his pair of smaller ATC SCM25As – the same model that Ainlay had used. “You can never have too much information in these matters,” he laughed.

Although much of Lurssen’s magic is beyond the ability of words to describe, he was able to articulate a few of the critical components that he listened for on The Way I’m Livin’ and why their success helped the recording as a whole. “Lee Ann’s melodic structures simply had to shine,” he said. “In each instance, I had to make sure that the song was really ‘let out,’ and the vocals were usually the critical leverage point. When that melodic structure is presenting itself, it’s important to hear two aspects of the mid range. The first is the upper part, where the song is really going to jump out of the speakers. The second is the lower part that supports that upper part. Determining exactly where those two parts meet is critical for getting the right depth of field, balance, and support. The ATC’s let me zero in on that aspect so that I was sure everything was perfect. Because that balance is correct, Lee Ann’s voice and melody seem to leap from the loudspeakers.”

To get everything sounding just so, Lurssen employs an unusually large number of hardware compressors, limiters, and equalizers. “I’m trying to do as little as possible while still having the greatest impact possible,” he said. “I use a lot of gear, but I use each piece very subtly. A bit of each of the best works way better than a lot of any single piece, no matter how good it is. When everything is said and done, it needs to sound like I was never there – there can be no veil between the artist and the listener.”

Lurssen first heard ATC monitors years ago when a fellow engineer insisted that their team use a pair of ATC SCM50ASLs for a Pink Floyd project. “The rest of us made a fuss because we all had some other speakers that we were already used to,” he said. “But he set them up and within literally three seconds, I knew that I had to have my own pair. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind, which is a rare thing for anyone, I think. That certainty never went away, and so when I set out on my own a few years later, I started with ATC monitors and then built everything else around them. I’ve found that when I get a master sounding right on my ATCs, the master will successfully translate to any other system, pro or consumer.”

Chuck Ainlay

Lurssen Mastering

SCM45A Pro – A new professional monitoring solution from ATC

ATC are excited to announce the release of a brand new professional monitor, the SCM45A Pro.

The SCM45A Pro is a completely new design, yet shares many features with its smaller sibling, the highly-successful SCM25A Pro three-way, compact active loudspeaker. As a mid-size, three-way design that can be used in near- or mid-field positions, the SCM45A Pro perfectly fills a gap in ATC’s high-performance, professional active studio monitoring loudspeaker range. It has high output and delivers extended low frequency for its size — and all without compromising the overall balance for which ATC is so well known.

The product will start shipping on February 16th.

Check out the product page here for more info.

New SCM40A Wins 2015 What Hi-Fi ‘Stars of CES’ Award

8th January 2015.  Las Vegas, Nevada.

The new ATC SCM40A loudspeaker has won one of ten, What Hi-Fi ‘Stars of CES’ awards.

What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision Magazine seemed particularly taken with the SCM40A’s active tri-amplified system design and picked the SCM40A’s as winners out of many possible contenders on show at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show.

The show marked the official launch of ATC’s most affordable and compact 3-way, active, Hi-Fi loudspeaker. The SCM40A will be available from the beginning of September.

SCM40A