ATC SCM19 Speaker Review 

Thank you Nick, I appreciate your support 😉👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Hi Tarun I would like to first commend you on producing an excellent Chanel. Since becoming a subscriber some months back I have enjoyed the various subject matter and your insightful thoughts and viewpoints expressed in the videos. I have learnt much!! It appears that you and I both also share a fondness for the ProAc Response 1SC's. It is in this context that I reach out for a welcomed opinion. I live and work in Thailand and sadly a long way from Bangkok where the vast majority of hi-Fi dealers operate from. My ProAcs were purchased a good few years back now and in that time despite loving their sound presentation, build and aesthetic I have had to replace the main drivers on two separate occasions due to the rubber compound disintegrating (possibly a consequence of living close to the ocean?? But maybe not as other speakers that I have appear not to have suffered). As you can imagine purchasing, shipping and paying import duties adds up and becomes a costly affair. The woofers are again in need of replacing and I am loathed to spend again on the ProAcs, in fact for the past several months I have reverted to using my Quad 11L's which as you will well appreciate are not comparable despite being good speakers in their respective class. With this in mind I was intrigued to watch a recent video where you spoke eloquently of the ATC SCM19's. At around this time a dealer in Bangkok was advertising the ATC SCM19's but alas due to distances and the impact of Covid I am unable to audition them. I do not ordinarily purchase hi-Fi equipment 'blind' but may have to consider doing so on this occasion but would first, if possible, obtain your input and council as to whether the ATC's would prove to be a good replacement for the ProAcs' I live in an apartment with a listening room of circa 45 Sqm in size and as such I do have to be somewhat mindful of neighbours when not using my headphone setups. My musical tastes are varied ranging from classical to primarily blues / rock, male and female vocals and listen across all formats. I particularly like to hear details and nuance within a rythmic presentation. Given my situation and circumstances would I be making a mistake in purchasing a set of the ATC SCM19's? Would you alert me to any specific issues related to the ATC's vs the ProAcs? I have listed my equipment below in order that you will get a sense of what I am used to listening to and through which may assist in any feedback you can provide. Keep up the great work Tarun - all the best Paul. Hi-Fi Components Sources Cambridge Audio CXC V2 CD Transport Bryston BDP1 Digital Streamer CEC TL51XR Belt Driven CD Player Rega Planar 25 with Exact Cartridge SME Model 10 Turntable with Series V Tonearm & Transfiguration Axia Cartridge M1 Mac mini acting as a music server to Musical Fidelity components Amplification Bryston BP26 & MPS2 Power Supply Bryston 4BSST2 Power Amp Clearaudio Balance Plus Phono Pre-Amp Clearaudio Accu Plus Pre-AMP PSU Bryston BHA1 Balanted XLR Headphone Amp Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 Musical Fidelity V3 PSU Musical Fidelity V3 DAC Musical Fidelity X10 V3 Tube Stage Digital Processing Bryston BDA1 DAC Speakers & Headphones Quad 11L Bookshelf Speakers Pro-Ac Response 1SC’s Bookshelf Speakers with Mass Loaded Rezet Stands Subwoofer - Yamaha YST SW315 Audeze LCD3 Headphones with 2m Balanced XLR Cardas Cables & 5m Balanced Vandamme Blue Series Studio UPOFC XLR cables Grado RS1 Headphones Cables Speaker Cables - Nordost Red Dawn 3Metres Speaker Jumper Cables - Nordost CEC TL51XR CD player / Cambridge Audio CD Transport To Bryston BP26 Pre-Amp - Inakustic 110 Ohm Digital Interconnect SME 10 Turntable to Clearaudio Phono Pre-Amp - Nordost Tyr XLR Clearaudio Phono Pre-Amp To Bryston BP 26 Pre-Amp - Nordost Heimdall XLR Bryston BDP1 To Bryston BDA1 DAC - Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Interconnect Bryston BDA1 DAC To Bryston BP26 - Nordost Red Dawn XLR Bryston BP26 Pre-Amp To Bryston 4BSST2 Power Amp - Nordost Red Dawn XLR Power Cords Monster Powerlines throughout Support Furniture Rezet equipment racks with isolation spikes and additional granite shelves Ancillaries Nitty Gritty Record Cleaning Machine

@@ExpatFinancial thank you my friend. Very much appreciated. The ATC SCM19 is the only speaker that I have reviewed to date that was technically superior to my ProAc 1SCs. What I mean by “technically superior” is more revealing with a more natural tonality. However, the difference between to two wasn’t enough to justify the change in my case. The 1SCs have a warmer, richer tonality with I like. They are also more forgiving of partnering equipment and recordings. The SCM19s need big power amps to make them sing. Fortunately, your Bryston 4BSST2 should be more than capable. Decisions, decisions 👍😊👍

Thank you AMC RO, that is extremely kind of you to say. I appreciate you watching and your support 👍😉

Hi Mark, I always wait for your comment and I am never disappointed. Thank you for your support and guidance my friend. 😉👍

Thank you Oliver. Much appreciated 😉👍

Thank you Yves. I am so pleased you enjoyed it 😊👍

Thank you Chris. It is really generous of you to say. You support is greatly appreciated and does not go unnoticed 😉👍

Thank you Gary😉👍

Thank you Chris. Much appreciated 😊👍

Hi Paul, Naim and ATC have always been considered very good pairing. I would like to get the 40s in for review. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉👍

Thank you Stephen 😊👍

Thank you Jason. I appreciate your support 😉👍

Thank you. That is very kind and greatly appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Will. They have to fit in my living space as well. Thankfully I have a very supportive wife.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with them Dennis 😊👍

Thank you Divertiti. I appreciate you watching and your kind words of support 😉👍

Thank you Kareem. I have to be true to myself, otherwise what is the point? 😉

Thank you William. They make some great speakers 😉👍

Hi Sri, I really enjoyed reading your comments. Thank you or sharing. That is some secondary system that you are putting together 😉👍

Thank you Arthur. I appreciate your support 😉👍

Thank you Mark. It is extremely kind of you to say and I appreciate your support 😉👍

Thank you Dafydd. That is much appreciated. That is a very nice system you have put together 😊👍

Which REL Subwoofers did you pair with these ?

Thank you Scott. Much appreciated 😊👍

You have a great system Tom 😉😊

Do you also have a woofer with these?

@@morespinach9832 Yes I do.

Thank you brown-eyed-man. 😉👍

Thank you Mike 😉

Thank you Ryan. Great speakers and glad to know you are enjoying them 😊👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Any recommendations for stands?

@@ryanbailey112 they need to be sturdy and stable. I used my Target R4s. Something similar to them would do nicely 😊

Thank you Lukas. Great to read about your experiences with the SCM19s. I am not surprised you are very happy with them. Thank you for watching and sharing 😉👍

Thank you Jeff. Very kind. That is a very impressive combo you have put together 😊👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you. It’s been a long, fun and expensive journey. But with the guidance from a lot of people like you, finally in musical bliss. Listening right now to them. Truly a special speaker and that 390 really brings out the best in them. Is there and email I can send you pictures?

hi Jeff, what do you use for a source? Is it the Hegel too?

@@jeffadams9699 thank you Jeff. I can see how the Hegel/ATC combo will work superbly. They are natural bedfellows. I am only responding via this channel (and on Patreon of course), keeping the email for manufacturers and distributors. It is the only way I can manage my time. I hope you understand. Thank you for watching and I am delighted that I could help you in some small way along your hifi journey. Your support of this channel is very much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Stratjammer (love the name). I greatly appreciate your support 😉👍

Thank you Andy. That is great to know 😊👍👍

Thank you Greg. I really appreciate you watching and your kind words of support 😉👍

Thank you Elcordinho. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Amir. Great to read about your experiences 😉👍

Thank you Steve. Always a pleasure to hear from you 😉😂

Thank you Scott 😊👍

Thank you for watching GDW 😊👍

Thank you Jerry 😉

Thank you amusicpoem. I appreciate you watching and your support. I think the speaker grills are made of steel and are pig ugly in my opinion 🐷👍

Thank you Michael 😉

Thank you for watching and your supportive comments are very much appreciated 😊👍

One other test piece for the Drum Decan is:4) Shankar - Album " Who's to Know" piece: Ananda Nadamadum Tillai Sankara" (drum decay at time 4:09) /the music is 20 min long, good to listen from 3:30 min ) this is one of my favourite Indian classical albums for acoustic, beautiful quality production. Thanks!

Thank you Mark. That is my aim with these videos. Hopefully, give a reliable steer to people so they can decide what suits them and what doesn’t. Thank you for watching and your support 😉👍

Thank you Ralph 😉👍

Thank you uncola. I appreciate you watching and your kind words of support 😉👍

Thank you Henry 👍

Thank you Mark 👍

is there any amp you can recommend ? ;)

@@patrickf.7025 I am using a Primare Pre32 preamp with a Primare A34.2 power amp 🙂

Thank you for watching and commenting cp070476 😉👍

I get where you are coming from. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉👍

Thank you Mokta. That is very kind of you to say 😉👍

Thank you Ben 😉👍

Thank you Ian 😉

Thank you Peter 😉👍

Hi Kjeld, I am very envious, 2 great speakers to choose from. Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences 😊👍

Thank you Steve 😉

Thank you 😊👍

Thank you B Shah. Always great to hear from you 👍😉

Thank you Ross. 😊👍 Would love to review them. Sent an a couple of emails to Harman International last year about reviewing that exact speaker and never heard back 😢

Thank you Neil 👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 your the man. Hope all is well.

Thank you Nelsta77. Good hear about your experiences. Very interesting. I am hoping to get some Dynaudio’s in for review. Not sure which one yet. 😉👍

Hi SWD, I agree that you have put together a fabulous system and solved the one weakness of the SCM19s with two subwoofers. These not only extend the bass but also are a form of active bass management. I get the feeling that you already knew that. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉👍

I have a small room and the scm 11 goes very deep. I have to eq a 46Hz room mode. They can play a hearable 35Hz and still out put lower, but rolling off by then

Thank you for sharing your experiences Rennie 😉

I agree a 100 percent and I have the exact same set up; with Transparent cables. I’m not a big fan of base but agree they sound better with a sub.

Thank you for watching and sharing 😊👍

Thank you for sharing your experiences Howard. I really enjoyed reading your comments. I am curious to know, what is your 30 year old amp and what speakers did you go for in the end? Thank you for watching 😉👍

A British Audiophile my amp is currently the Rega Elicit. The dealer and I blind tested it against the Rega Aethos and Rega Osiris. I ended up purchasing the Kef R11 speakers. I was impressed with their open sound stage, good tonality at low volume and the relaxed and effortless way they reproduce music. Of course, listening at home is vastly different to listening to them in the dealers listening room. I was pleasantly surprised how low they go in my medium sized, open plan lounge. I was also surprised and the wife was happy that despite the fact that they are rear ported they perform well close to the frokt wall. I did also buy a pair of Rel T9I subs. I’m glad I didn’t buy a lesser sub. Actually it turns out the R11’s are perfectly good full range, stand alone speakers, but the T9I’s are man enough to augment the low end if required. I am thinking of upgrading my amp to something more powerful. It won’t be either of the Regas, I love the Rega sonic signature, but, I think there is better bang for your buck out there. I would to get my hands on the Hegal H590. Hegel and Kef pair well. But, that would over stretch my pocket. I’m seriously thinking about the Kinki Studio EX M1, but I’m not rushing in to anything, my old R Rega is still holding it’s own!

Thanks Howard. You have put together a very nice system. I am not surprised the old Elicit holds it’s own. The R11s are an 8 ohm load but according to hifi news drop down to 3.5 ohms at 17.3Khz (see lab report below). They are 90 dB efficient so you don’t need a lot of Watts to play them to reasonable levels but they would benefit with amps that have stiff power supplies and decent current capabilities. If you like the Hegel H590 but want something for less money I would considered the Hegel H390. Thank you for watching and sharing 😉👍

A British Audiophile your welcome.

Thank you martin 😉👍

Thank you Ross. I appreciate your kind words of support. I would love to review the Spendors at some point 😊👍

Thank you Believe Hifi. I hope you enjoy them 😉

Thank you Stewart. I appreciate your support. I will probably do more speakers reviews than electronic reviews for the reasons you state. I do intend to do amplifier and source components as well. In the end it is important to know what good amplifiers and source components are out there to match with loudspeakers. Thank you for watching 😉👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 I don't disagree with you there, but I just think that you have the best grasp of the physics and aforementioned disciplines of anyone out there. I would find it very interesting if you decided to tackle the subject matter of speaker cables and interconnects if you so dare. It is fraught with much pseudoscience and wild claims that are not scientifically backed especially not supported by valid subjective testing. Personally I do not doubt that there are differences in cables but whether they are audible in practice is of great debate. But it is not really debated that resistance is the key property that can make an audible difference. Do you dare take the plunge into the quagmire?

Thank you Stewart. I did that a coupe of months ago. Here is a link to my video on cables... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nx4CAwSLXkY.html

Thank you Alberto. I appreciate you watching and your support 😉👍

Thank you. That is a good one 😂👍

Thank you Christopher. Would love to 😉👍

Thank you for watching and commenting Christian 😊👍

Thank you PW😉👍

Thank you for sharing your experiences musicenthiousiast. I really enjoyed reading your comments. Just a thought, have you tried the SCM 40s with the ATC P1 amplifier? Might be worth a go 🤔

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you Johan. I appreciate your support 😉👍

Thank you fish fingers

Thank you Charles. I appreciate your support and perfect spelling of my name 😉👍

Thank you for sharing your experiences with these speakers D Les 😉

Cool 😎 please let me know how you get on. They need an amplifier with lost of power and refinement to shine 😊

@@abritishaudiophile7314 after a day of listening, I'm very impressed. They're quite different to the modern, BBC style speakers I'm used to. The most obvious one being the highs, which are slightly more crispy and explicit. Sibilance isn't too much of an issue, but it does crop up at times. Voices don't have quite the same natural body. Tonally, I think I just need to get more used to them. On the other hand, acoustic guitars sound stunning. Funk and soul tracks suit them incredibly well, with the ATC's tight bass driving the music along. Most electronica sounds great too. On the whole, I'd say the bass depth / impact (for my tastes) is just about right for my room, which is a relief. No needing to bung ports, or agonising over positioning etc on bass heavy tracks. I'm not sure they're any more 'detailed' than modern Spendor and Harbeth stand mount speakers I've heard, but they dissect and highlight those details in a more forthright way. I love their speed, punch and control, along with (relatively) headache free ease of placement. Driven by an Arcam SA30 by the way. It seems up to the job. Going to give them another day or two to be sure, but they're certainly right up there with the v best I've had in my room...just a pity they're so massive!

Thank you Rob 😉👍

I am hoping to get the Special Fourty in to review next year. Thank you for watching 😉👍

Thank you Richard. Would love to get some Harbeth in for review. 😉

Thank you spyingpoodle. It very kind of you to say and very much appreciated. I am hoping to get them or the Evoke 20s in for review. 😉👍

Would be great indeed to have you review these S40’s.

Thank you Stelios 😊👍

I am planing to get more ATC speakers in for review. A family member had a pair of ATC SCM11 and they sounded great. I agree with you, they need a subwoofer to sound full.

@@abritishaudiophile7314 The 11s vs 19s would be a good vid. While I have no complaints about the 11's, I'm terribly tempted to get the 19s now.

I compare the 19s to the 11s with a shoutout to you for the 19 reviews: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n_pXcZKHhw8.html

@@willbrink Your review convinced me I need the 19's despite the price hike, I guess you could say "no regrets" drove me to that decision. Thanks for the comparison!

@@BrianGarside I'm glad I was able to cost you all that extra $! :)

Thank you. Much appreciated. I hope to find out myself 😊👍

Thank you Richard 😉

Thank you buddy 😊👍

Hi William, I am on a staycation visiting my parents at the moment. My hifi journey started when I was about 12 or 13. My father bought our first decent hifi system. A Marantz PM40SE amp, Nakamichi CD Player, Aiwa cassette deck and Tannoy DC2000 speakers. Highly regarded speakers at the time. Some thirty five years later they are still going strong. In fact, I am looking at them now. Thank you for the trip down memory lane 😉👍

A British Audiophile You obviously had a good start with your hifi journey. Still remember my first setup, marantz Cd63MK2, Arcam Alpha 9 and Mission 751. It’s kinda sad to see good British hifi companies like Arcam and Mission slowly fading away from the world stage.

Hi William, I feel your pain. Arcam are now part of Harman International and seem to have more and more of a home theatre bias as time goes on.

Thank you glen 😉👍

Thank you Greg 😉👍

Thank you Madds66. Always good to hear from you. Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into it 😉👍

Thank you Randy 😉👍

Hi Andrew, I haven’t spoken to Spendor as yet. I am sure I will at some point. Thank you for the suggestion. Looks like you are putting together a very capable system. Thank you for watching. I appreciate your support 😉😂

Thank you M Slaw. I really enjoyed reading your comments and thank you for sharing your experiences 😉👍

What were your new speakers and did you get back to ATC 19?

Thank you my friend. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you for watching and commenting 😉

Hi N.K. thank you for watching and your support. I have no interest in doing these videos if I can’t remain objective and impartial. I haven’t had any bad experiences with manufacturers to date. The ones I have contacted have all agreed to send me gear and leave me to it. If any try to expert any influence I will just send the product back. I have problems with the mic working through an USB C adapter on my iPad Pro which causes the sound issue on my videos. The room is actually not too bad. Thank you for your support 😉👍

Thank you Mark. I value your professional opinion and your kind words of support are much appreciated. I am planning to get more ATC products in for review. The next one might be the SCM7 as it is the entry to the range and at £875, much more accessible. I am curious as to how much of the SCM19s strengths are retained. I will definitely like to review their electronics at some point as well. Thank you for the suggestion. 😉👍

Thank you Sound Ideas. I very much appreciate your support. ATC do factory tours. You may be able to arrange to have a look around when things get back to normal. 😉👍

A British Audiophile I did a factory tour of Meridian with my Norwich dealer Martins and they have an amazing screening room there. I did feel their speakers are over priced when you factor in their sound and R&D compared to the likes of B&W and Focal which are akin to visiting NASA headquarters. I look forward to seeing many more of your videos and I’d love to see what you think of the new Australian brigadier stand mounts compared to ATC and Buchart. They use top scanspeak drivers and are really special

I have always felt that Meridian have made some superb electronics over the years. Probably down to Bob Stuart’s expertise. Never enjoyed their speakers. Always found them cold and clinical. Having said that, I haven’t listened to a pair in years so it may be very different now. If I a chance, I will take a look into the speakers from Aus.

A British Audiophile I listened to all the new ones and to my ears they lacked definition and agility. Sort of homogenised sound similar to what I’ve experienced with B&O. Pleasant - but not for critical listening IMHO. I don’t like to name bash but for a quarter of the price B&W ATC, Focal and PMC will show them a clean pair of heels and are much more engaging.

I get where you are coming from.

Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion 👍