This unit is also used in other ATC models, and mounted on a bespoke ATC faceplate.Īmplification and crossover electronics are integrated into the rear of the cabinet and are, again, a variation on the familiar design employed in ATC's larger three-way professional monitors. The 25mm (one-inch) neodymium and ferrofluid-cooled tweeter uses a silk dome and is made by Vifa. The inevitable reduction in sensitivity doesn't matter, though, as it is still 6dB more sensitive than the bass driver used here, and well within the matching capability of the active crossover. ![]() The mid-range unit is a variation of ATC's well-known three-inch soft-dome driver, this version having a smaller magnet/motor system than those employed in the larger monitors. ![]() It does still use ATC's preferred 'underhung' voice-coil design, however, which means that the coil winding is shorter than the magnetic gap in which it moves, to ensure that it always remains within a linear magnetic field throughout its normal excursion range. The 164mm carbon-paper bass driver is a proprietary ATC design, and it is unique in ATC's professional monitor range in using a two-inch, rather than three-inch, voice coil. A large, flared port vent is located on the side panel adjacent to the woofer, which helps to keep the front baffle as small as possible, and a dense foam bung is provided to allow the cabinet to be transformed into a sealed design, if required (see 'Pass The Port' box). Moving these speakers around can be done single-handed, unlike the larger designs, but only with care and a straight back if you want to avoid a visit to the chiropractor. The SCM25A's cabinet dimensions are a modest and manageable 264 x 430 x 264mm (WxHxD), but the cabinets weigh in at a surprising 30kg each. The back panel is a sparse affair: the only sockets are a single XLR input and the IEC mains inlet, and the only controls are for bass fine-tuning and input sensitivity (accessed via the two small holes above the heat sink). The resulting configuration, with the tweeter mounted above the mid-range dome and the bass driver positioned alongside, is already familiar from the popular Neumann/KH O300 monitor, although the SCM25A Pro is a little larger and a lot heavier than the O300! Unlike the KH's sealed cabinet design, though, this ATC monitor is ported, using the same low-Q, low-frequency tuning approach employed in its siblings. One specific additional constraint on the size was that the cabinet had to be suitable for rackmounting (via an optional kit) for OB truck applications, as well as usable on console meter bridges - the latter requirement leading to this being the first ATC 'landscape' cabinet. However, it had to deliver the same quality as the larger three-way monitors and be usable in nearfield and midfield situations, which meant using a similar driver configuration. The design aim for the SCM25A was to fill the obvious gap in the range between the small two-way SCM20ASL Pro and the large three-way SCM 50/100/150ASL Pro models. The SCM25A is ATC's first ever compact three-way active studio monitor, and we've been trying to get hold of a pair to review ever since its launch in 2009! Frustratingly for us, every pair made until now has had several paying customers arguing over who should get the next set, so it's not difficult to see why it's taken a while for a demo pair to be released to us! The majority of ATC's professional monitoring products are fairly large three-way designs - and, having manhandled more than a few SCM50A and SCM100ASL monitors in my time, I can also add that they're heavy! However, the most recent product to be added to the professional portfolio is considerably smaller than its three-way siblings (although it is still surprisingly heavy). The company's first product was a 12-inch bass driver that out-performed everything else available at that time in terms of high power handling and low distortion, and the now famous 75mm soft-dome mid-range driver, introduced two years later, has formed the centrepiece of most of the company's professional monitor range ever since. ![]() These compact speakers from venerable UK manufacturers ATC aren't cheap - but does the quality on offer justify the asking price?īritish manufacturers ATC - the Acoustic Transducer Company - will be celebrating their 40th year of building world-class loudspeakers (and drive units) next year, having been formed by Billy Woodman in 1974.
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