ATC SCM19a and ATC C1 Sub Mk2 Review

You have two excellent speakers and want to improve further without buying new boxes. Have you ever thought about purchasing a subwoofer?

by Alexander Rose-Fehling

The letter trio ATC stands for Acoustic Transducer Company. The word “Transducer” can best be translated as “converter,” referring to the property of a component to convert one form of energy into another. One of these converters represents ATC like no other: the “bear’s nose.” This is the affectionate nickname for the dome midrange driver found in all ATC speakers that have a dedicated midrange driver, i.e., in the three-way speakers. The company, based in Gloucestershire, was founded in 1974 with the purpose of manufacturing drivers for the professional sector. For example, the bass driver PA75-314, a 12-inch chassis that could reproduce extremely high levels with very low distortion. In 1976, the “bear’s nose” SM 75-150s was developed.

In the 1980s, the English began to build complete loudspeakers. However, if you associate the brand exclusively with speakers, let yourself be corrected: Since 1996, they have also been producing electronics, which now includes preamplifiers, integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, D/A converters, and CD players. All handmade in England. All quite expensive. You can easily spend 40, 50, 60, even 80,000 dollars for a pair of ATC speakers (partly including external three-way amplifiers). But you don’t have to. There are also affordable speakers in the portfolio.

Prices for a passive hi-fi pair start at 1,600 dollars (ATC SCM7). The cheapest active hi-fi speaker is the SCM19A, a two-way floor-standing speaker that we examine more closely here (7,000 dollars). Alongside it, we have added the subwoofer C1 Sub Mk2 (2,800 dollars). And with this combination, you already get 100 percent ATC sound. By the way, the cheapest speaker with a midrange driver is the passive SCM40 (7,000 dollars per pair), the cheapest active with a midrange driver is the SCM40A (just under 12,600 dollars).

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Optics and Technology

Traces of the famous midrange driver can also be found in the 19A: If you look at the woofer/midrange driver, the dust cap stands out. It consists of the famous impregnated fabric membrane of the midrange driver. The tweeter also relies on fabric with double suspension. It handles everything down to the classic 2.5 kHz, after which a 2nd-order filter with 12 dB/octave intervenes. The drivers are housed in a real wood veneered cabinet (black ash or cherry, as well as satin matte black and satin matte white, cover black or dark gray metal grille) with ideal proportions.

This wonderfully crafted, rustic yet stylish floor-standing speaker appears confident without being bulky, and somewhat discreet without seeming petite. Just under a meter high, 37 centimeters wide, 38 centimeters deep, weighing 31 kilograms. The high weight is due to the fact that there are two amplifiers per speaker, one for the high frequencies, one for the mid/bass. Looking at the back of the speaker or removing the amplifiers shows purism. Nothing can be adjusted here. The signals, which have access exclusively via XLR, are not altered on their way to your ears, so you cannot change the levels of bass or treble, etc., as is possible with many other active speakers. Two Class A/B amplifiers work per speaker, with a hefty 150 watts for the woofer/midrange driver and 32 watts for the tweeter.

Subwoofer, Anyone?

Only one amplifier is found in the C1 Sub, but it delivers 200 watts. Enough for the 30 cm bass driver with super-linear magnet. The C1 accepts signals either via RCA or speaker cable. There’s a lot to do on the back. You can, of course, adjust the level, which is the most important thing.

Additionally, you can set the operating range via the low-pass filter. The C1 plays up to 50, 60, 80, 120, and 180 Hertz. The higher the value, the louder it plays. You should experiment a bit here to get the desired sound without the subwoofer becoming locatable as a co-player. 80 Hertz is a good guideline for the SCM19A. But of course, it depends on which speakers the subwoofer is to be combined with. If it plays with small speakers, it may make sense to relieve them earlier, say at 120 Hertz.

If two subwoofers are useful, necessary, or simply desired, a RCA output is available on the back to plug in another C1. But do yourself a favor and place the C1 so that you can reach its power switch reasonably comfortably, because unfortunately, it does not have an auto-standby feature. What we liked very much—and what is unfortunately not self-evident—was that the C1 made no noise when switching on or off, no cracking, no banging, absolutely smooth. That’s how it should be. It simply plays along or stops again without unpleasantly announcing its readiness.

ATC SCM19A Specs

• Model: ATC SCM19A
• List Price: 6,700 EUR (per pair)
• Warranty: 6 years upon registration
• Dimensions (W × H × D): 37 × 98 × 38 cm
• Weight: 31 kg
• Finish: Veneer / Foil / Lacquer = • / – / •
• Available Colors: Ash, Cherry, Black, White
• Design Principle: Active
• Room Adjustment Features: –
• Special Features: Real-wood veneer

Pros & Cons

• (+) Cleanly tuned monitor with studio-level qualities
• (+) Sharp, focused imaging
• (+) Excellent workmanship
• (–) Mild in terms of bass and overall sound level
• (–) Only XLR connection

Test Results

Each category is originally scored out of 20. Below is a rough 10-point-scale conversion in parentheses:

• Neutrality: 19 points (9.5 / 10)
• Resolution: 18 points (9.0 / 10)
• Imaging: 19 points (9.5 / 10)
• Dynamics: 17 points (8.5 / 10)
• Bass: 17 points (8.5 / 10)

Sound Rating (max. 100): 90 → ≈ 9.0 / 10
Lab Analysis (max. 50): 39 → ≈ 7.8 / 10
Product Quality (max. 50): 39 → ≈ 7.8 / 10

Overall Verdict: 168 points (out of 200) → approx. 8.4 / 10
Price/Performance: “gut” → “good”

Listening Test

In the listening room, we first paired the ATC floor-standing speakers without a subwoofer with a preamplifier that also comes from the distributor Audiotrade: Rotel’s fine, and considering its sound and features, only describable as a bargain, RC-1572 MkII (1,400 dollars) delivered the signals, which it received from the Exposure 3510 CD player (2,650 dollars). So we had a dream combination in the listening room for under 11,000 dollars. The first tones immediately showed a strength of the ATC SCM19A: They reproduce voices very naturally and with fine resolution, reminiscent of an enjoyable studio monitor. The bass came through deep and cleanly delineated. The character is an almost perfect mix of resolution and good-naturedness, always combined with a believable, tendentially large soundstage. Alice Cooper’s “Luney Tune” (in the 2022 remaster) retained the gritty ’70s sound but didn’t strain the ears despite high detail density even at elevated levels. That was really, really good! However, a few principles need to be observed. You can indeed describe the speakers as monitors, which includes that they are not intended for large rooms or large listening distances—and not for party levels either. One should not make the stereo base width and listening distance too large; rather, listen in the near field or at a medium distance—let’s say anything between one and a half and two and a half meters is ideal. Then the SCMs thank you with a coherent, perfectly layered soundstage and play out the advantages of active technology with impressive self-evidence by combining the precision of a studio monitor with the superb transparency of a true connoisseur’s speaker.

Time for a Classic:

“We Get Requests” by the Oscar Peterson Trio is not a live album in terms of audience presence and applause. Before I knew the record, I always assumed that based on the cover and the title. But the music and sound are excellent; the record was not without reason a demo album at hi-fi fairs for many years. “You Look Good To Me” was reproduced by the ATC with a lot of sensitivity. The three musicians or their instruments sounded enormously believable and natural, were precisely positioned—you felt like you were in the recording room. Anyone who tries to be musically entertained while doomscrolling on their smartphone will quickly give it up. The SCM19A immediately makes it clear: Now is music time.

Even solo, the two ATCs play wonderfully naturally and with a large soundstage—but the sub adds even more.

With Friendly Support The Moment of Truth:

When you switch on the subwoofer, you experience an astonishing increase in spatiality. The stage gains in width and depth. With the C1 Sub as a sparring partner, we liked the SCM19A even better, although the speakers are already great and informative on their own. I don’t know exactly why, but the advantage you get by adding a subwoofer is rarely as clearly perceptible as with the three ATCs. In the test, the SCM19A ran in combination with the C1, by the way, in full-range, i.e., they also reproduced bass. When we switched off the sub again, the speaker sounded a bit more boring in this direct comparison—of course, only in this with/without subwoofer comparison, because the SCM19A is by no means a boring speaker. A-ha’s “Take On Me” finally once again showed the two decisive findings from the listening test. 1. The SCM has a slightly gentle, balanced, and wonderfully informative character. Even pop of the 1980s can still be enjoyed at high levels. 2. If you add the C1 Sub, the playback gains in authority and spatiality. In addition, the fun factor increases by a notch.