Active speaker comparison

[mevdinc]

4 hours ago, Alpha Audio said:

We wanted to compare apples to apples... the ATC doesn't have a digital input. 

I have been using ATC actives since 1998 and my current system is the top model EL 150A with the outboard P6 amp. I use a DAC with a decent preamp/volume control and XLR output.
Of course, DSP aided active models such as Kii and D6D benefit from digital corrections to better suit the listening environments, but in my personal experience I always preferred the sound of my ATC actives in my dedicated and reasonably well treated listening room.
 

FWIW, I did listen to both Kii and D&D side by side and I liked the sound of D&D more; better sound stage and bass definition and control. To me D&D sounded more like my ATCs but obviously it couldn't match it in dynamics and low end reach and quality. However, if I were to downsize my system then D&D would be my first choice.
 

[mevdinc]

I watched the entire video and agree with the majorıty of the comments expressed by the participants.
The main strength of both Grimm and D&D is the DPS processing to get rid of major room modes and they can be placed/positioned much easier in rooms. And I could see that the positioning was very close to the back wall, preferred method for D&D and most digital actives.
For me ATCs were much too close to the back wall and it adversely effected the clarity of the vocals and some of the details in the mids. In fact, ATCs are well known for their mid dome clarity and detail, that's the reason many engineers use them for mixing and mastering.
I would go for D&D over Grimm though.

[mevdinc]

2 hours ago, Alpha Audio said:

 

We explicitly asked the distributer for ATC how to place the speakers. They asked us to get close to the wall to get rid of boundart effect. So we did... 

Please don't misunderstand my comment. Noway I am implying that you did anything wrong.
I just wanted to highlight a well known factor about the ATC mid range dome and the possible problems with the close to wall placement. I am surprised that the distributor made that suggestion, you have a very well treated room and with adequate toe-in and experiment with placement you should be fine.

Like I said, I really enjoyed your video and also agreed with most of the comments and findings.
Keep up the good work.
 

[mevdinc]

34 minutes ago, Alpha Audio said:

 

I get the feeling viewers think we didn't like the ATC. We did like the ATC. I - Jaap Veenstra - just think the Grimm (and in some ways the D&D) is less colored. The ATC had a glow in the bass / mid-low for my feeling. 

I thought you all loved the ATC, especially all your reactions and facial expressions were great during the first test track. And your comments regarding the effortless big sound, dynamics, clean and accurate bass etc were all spot on.
My problem was with the comments about the mid range/vocals. In fact, mid range detail, accuracy and clarity are amongst ATC's main strengths. This is what surprised me the most and the reason I thought what you experienced was probably caused by the placement.
All the best.