ATC SCM19 Speakers and Matching Amp

[kilroy]

Anyone use ATC SCM19 speakers? I'm looking for an amp that goes well with these speakers. Solid state only. Currently using the DAC's volume control and running directly to amp. No preamp for now, that's later.

 

Thanks.

[kilroy]

I have a pair and have just ordered a Nord One UP Hypex NCore NC500DM Stereo Amplifier (black) with the Sonic Imagery 994 Op Amps. It's on route from London to Sydney so I have not yet heard them together, but I will be very surprised (disappointed) if they don't play well together. The SCM 19 are quite inefficient at 85db and with 400 watts RMS per channel into 8 ohms the Nord Hypex should play nicely.... its not expensive so check out this site and read the various forum comments:

 

Hypex Amps, Abrahamsen Audio, IPL Acoustic Speakers

 

Hi Ajax, these look interesting, did you hear them before ordering? Why did you pick these Op Amps over the others? I like that they mention a "warm...sonic signature".

 

I've never been a Class D fan but wonder if the technology has improved to the point where they can compete SQ-wise with Class A or A/B amps.

[kilroy]

I have not heard them but should have them within a week, however, I will be away all next week so hard for me to listen critically for at last a couple of weeks. Google "nord hypex" and read the various forums such as these:

 

Hypex NC500

 

Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

 

The hypex amps have been around for a while and there are references to them here at CA ... search the other threads for more info. Good luck.

 

Bit the bullet on these. Should arrive in a week or two. Monoblocks Up. The price is right. Intriguing that some forum members have given up their AR, Krell, Pass and other high-end amps for these Class Ds. Also went for the 994s but will get the Burson and Sparkos to try as well. My only concern is the potential for dry SQ given the revealing nature of the speakers. If so will sell these and keep looking. Keeping the Pass for now too. Thanks for the recommendation.

[kilroy]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[kilroy]

I also find valuable information on this forum ATC forums - ATC Forums.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Wow, the first thing I saw on the ATC forum was an SCM11 owner (next speaker just under the 19s, with same sensitivity and power reqs.) using the Nords and reporting excellent results.

 

Thanks for the link!

[kilroy]

Hi Kilroy,

 

The Nord One UP Hypex Stereo Amp with the Sonic Imagery 994 Op amp arrived today. Packaging was very good with plenty of foam protection. The unit itself is very easy on the eye and understated.

 

I hooked up the ATC SCM 19s and initial impressions are that you are going to be very pleased with the Nord's ability to drive them. I won't bore you with trying to describe the sound except that with a front end consisting of ROON/TIDAL installed on a MAC Air (exclusive mode) into a a 5 year old Benchmark HDR DAC (before the Nord) it was very revealing and neutral. Voices in particular sounded very natural and real and "in the room". Colin from Nord advises that customer feedback suggests sound improves over time, but straight out of the box it was to my ears all you would want from a power amp.

 

I spent the afternoon listening to the combination. When a friend dropped in we soon found ourselves yelling at each other to be heard. Without a hint of distortion we simply didn't realise how loud the system was playing.

 

I also connected them to a pair of Tannoy Reveal book shelf speakers, which I bought at a pawn shop for only $US70. The tweeters had been pushed in and my very pragmatic wife suggested that all we had to do was "vacuum" them out. Yeah right. Well it worked and with the Nord driving them they also sounded brilliant. Kind of confirms in my mind the theory of Ivor Tiefenbrun (founder of Linn) the importance of getting the front end right.... as an aside his marketing ploy in his early days was to visit hifi shops with his Linn LP12 turntable and hook it up to the least expensive speakers to demonstrate how good his turntable could make them sound. With a sensitivity of 90db the volume level became uncomfortable with the Tannoys, and with a recommended power handling of only 100watts I backed off for fear of damaging them.

 

The Nord is a serious piece of kit for $US2k and certainly full fills my expectations. I look forward to doing a comparison with my Devialet 200, which costs about 2-3 times the Nord + Benchmark combination. I'm travelling all next week so that will be some time away.

 

Looking forward to hearing your impressions but for me the Nord is definitely a keeper.

 

Excellent news. I was somewhat concerned after seeing the posts about current, incompatability etc. Glad you find the SQ to be such a high level. Also looking forward to more feedback about your experience on your return. My amp is due to ship before Nord's holiday shutdown so hoping it arrives maybe as soon as next week. I'll also be posting my listening impressions.

 

Are you using the cabling that Nord offers? I purchased their Balanced to RCA cable to get started but might look for something more "audiophile" in the future.

 

Thanks.

[kilroy]

Nords have arrived and are setup and turned on, but I've had no time at all to listen. Hope to get to that this weekend and will report. Took only 8 days from time of order to received in the US.

[kilroy]

+100

 

Thanks for the input but it's not clear how it relates to my original post which was about amp matching with the 19s.

[kilroy]

Hi Kilroy,

 

Amp matching for 19s (very similar to 20s) is almost certainly best done by selling your 19s and getting Active 20s - then you will have 4 poweramps tuned for each drive unit via an active crossover, for miles less than the price of buying 2 stereo or 4 mono amps and the 19s.

 

It may not have been the advice you were looking for, but it was the best advice anyone could have given you. FTR, I own 4 pairs of active ATCs: 1 x 50 ASL & 3 x 20 ASL Pro.

 

It is from 25 years experience as an ATC owner that I supported alubis's post, it was brilliant advice and an utter bargain, given what you will end up with.

 

;-)

 

Well thanks again but not what I was asking about. Whoever said anything about buying two stereo amps or 4 mono amps? Glad you enjoy yours, not what I'm looking for. Now, back on topic please.

[kilroy]

I'm also a fan of active speakers and have had the Adam A7s for about 5 years now as my desk top system - absolutely fabulous. Well designed light weight digital amps, with one per drive, after an active cross over makes a lot of sense to me and is the future IMO.

 

In any case I went for the Nord amp as like Kilroy I already had a pair of passive ATC SCM 19s and I had heard so many good things about Hypex.

 

Kilroy, my continual listening has confirmed my initial impressions that the Nord amp simply gets out of the way and just leaves you with the music. Voices in particular are very natural and "in the room". Are you happy with your Nord?

 

The Nords so far are very good. Very transparent, as are the ATCs, so it points out what is both good and bad upstream of the amp. I put the Sparkos opamps in last night and couldn't believe the change. More warmth most of all. This amp could blow the roof off if I let them. I also have a new preamp so so many changes it's a challenge to keep up. I'll be spending more time with these amps and speakers to fine tune them. There can be a spooky presence on some vocals, but I think part of that is the speakers as well, with their sometimes holographic imaging. Anyway I appreciate the pointer to Nord. I dealt with Colin a few times and their support is fantastic.

 

BTW I will be listening to the SCM 40s this weekend or next. I was told that the midrange driver in these make for a huge difference in sound over the 19s. In the US they're about $2700 more than the 19s, which isn't too bad a jump in price.

[kilroy]

Or if it is your specific hobby to mess around with outdated tech.

 

Like FireWire you mean?

[kilroy]

Good one, kilroy ;-)

 

Technology actually gets outdated in different ways.

 

Yes, Firewire in my Rig is getting dated as we now have Thunderbolt2 & USB3 offering higher transfer speeds = lower latency and more channels.

The quality of the transfers are however the same, i.e. completely lossless and up to 24/192

Converters from USB3 and Thunderbolt to Firewire will be around for a long time.

 

Would I choose Firewire today?

No, I would go with Thunderbolt2 as I'm a Mac (USB3 if I were a PC).

I don't need more channels, lower latency or more channels for now, but I'll likely upgrade the connection when I increase the channel count from 5.1 to 9.1 or 10.1 (My DDC is only 8 channels).

 

A Lynx Aurora 16 with a thunderbolt interface card would do the trick.

The future may offer a better and/or cheaper option.

 

 

Next question would be: "Why still run on AES3 cables".

Predictable & low latency, robust and cheap, lossless up to 24/192 and 100m cable runs, broadcast standard, very EMC resistant all seems good arguments for the time being.

But the WISA standard could become the wireless multichannel audiophile standard of the future.

 

 

 

Square wooden box speakers full of passive X-overs are so extremely outdated, that the above considerations are mere ripples of current technology.

These products are pushed by people ignorant of acoustic knowledge or (worse) by people who don't give a shit as long as they can extract enough money from the consumers peddling whatever crap.

 

The sad truth is:

Most audiophiles are lemmings

Most manufacturers are happy to sell the lemmings underperforming overpriced polished turdes

 

So pleasant, thanks for dropping by.

[kilroy]

You are welcome :-)

 

This is CA, where we push for the advantages of technology.

 

I'd love to hear your argument as to why I'm wrong.

 

Nobody said you were wrong. You're absolutely right. Every word. Sure.

[kilroy]

My original reason for starting this thread was finding a good amp to go with the ATCs. The tip on the Nords was great, and I found them (monoblocks) to be good amps. However, I have now put a class A Pass amp in place which better suits my own taste, albeit at several times the cost of the Nords. The Pass brings a nice organic touch to the sound, perhaps just a bit on the warm side, which the ATCs respond well to.

 

I do agree that Class D has come a long way. The ability to tune the sound by opamp rolling makes the Nords quite special. Still not sure if I'll sell them as they might fit a future system well.