Thanks for posting the picture of the ATC amp/crossover. I am curious to if anyone more experienced than me can identify the function of various parts/boards.
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A search engine - such as Google - is your friend.
Use search terms " ATC SCM40A amp packs " and such variations.
Check those on Pinterest, including images with notations
There is also a nice photo set with " US Audio Mart ", of 40’s with internals removed and lots of close up details
Enjoy.
R
After SCM20ASLT, SCM50ASL/T’s are already so close… 
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Ha ha ha.
Stop it. That’s so naughty 
How did the ATC20 actives stand up against the 40 actives?
Regards
Gary
I had a demo of the SCM50ASL’s this afternoon, arriving next week for a home demo.
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Enjoy! I’ve had mine since 2021 and haven’t looked back.
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Only person on here, who has totally got the plot 
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Thanks R. I had assumed such photos must be very rare but I did indeed find a few as you suggested.
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Before turning to ATC in 2014, I owned two pairs of PMC’s, GB1i and after those, Twenty.23. I then compared Twenty.23 against SCM40 (passive) with the Naim-setup I used back then (nDAC → SN2 + HCDR). Unfortunately PMC’s were outperformed in pretty much every possible way and here I am, ten years and running with ATC and third pair from them.
When I owned the passive 40’s for five years, during that time I borrowed PMC Twenty.26 for home demo, since they were so praised back then. I lived in a smaller apartment back then and the listening room was also smaller and the .26’s were slightly too big for that space. They played good but not better than SCM40’s so I returned them to dealer. I’ve also heard the much bigger BB5SE and IB2SE in exhibitions and usually have liked their sound very much. These bigger models have been the best PMC I’ve heard.
Not sure what to think about transmission line. It worked back then but it’s not magic IMO. The PMC’s I had were so small that obviously they played well in smaller room. They didn’t play deep enough bass to actually wake up room modes and the bass sounded tight and snappy because of that. The real magic trick is to make almost full range speaker to play deep, punchy and fast bass in a regular living room conditions. I’ve never heard as fast, punchy and high resolution bass out of speakers than with the active ATC’s. And this is where the actives outperform passives by a margin IMO. The downside is that the powerfull bass can wake up the room modes. I have a nasty room mode at around 36hz which I take care of with an advanced DSP filter used with HQPlayer through Roon.
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Curious too about that
Just got the active 23i’s set up. Listening to Fire! Orchestra - Echoes. First impressions straight out of the box - absolutely excellent, I couldn’t be happier. The clarity and the way they ride the rhythm is wonderful. I’ll post further thoughts after I’ve had a proper listen.
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Fantastic. That’s something I could live with.
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Yes, that’s a rather nice setup.
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Interestingly, the first commercial speakers I bought (after auditioning most of the similar price level competitors), IMF TLS50ii, which whilst far from small (something like 36" x 15" x114" IIRC), were the smallest TLs in the IMF range, the manufacturer, at that time the primary developer and manufacturer of TL speakers saying TL couldn’t be implemented properly smaller, so their two smaller speakers weren’t TL (though one was a hybrid, with an ABR at the end of the line). Presumably with the benefit of more R&D, PMC have managed to shoehorn into smaller speakers, even the miniscule DB1, but I presume the compromises are greater than in bigger cabinets,
As for PMC vs ATC, from the SCM40 upwards (numerically) ATCs all use the same sublime 3" dome mid driver (though the 40 may be a lower output version). In their top ranges PMC also used to use that same ATC mid, until, anecdotally, ATC ceased supplying to competitors after expanding more into the domestic market themselves. PMC then developed the current dome driver they use in their top models (IB2 and up), which I gather is in effect a clone of the ATC, design and implementation as well as by appearance, with sound quality on a par. However, although I have a pair of the ATC mid drivers, I haven’t compared PMC and ATC like for like, though based on experience, from IB2 upwards I would expect the PMCs’ bass to be better with their TL approach, and mids to be similar.
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In a report on youtube ATC made it clear that the mids and highs were all the same, only the magnet was bigger to take the extra power…
Yes, the S version has a bigger, more powerful magnet, increasing sensitivity by 3dB, but all other aspects of design and specifications are the same.
Hi @Farthings-cat and @Hifi_Naim_CNNL
Preferred the active 20 towers.
They do many of the same things as the 40’s, but play nicely at lower listening levels and do bass notes differently, which I prefer.
As an aside, find them very accurate, maybe unforgiving with some material. (Which probably reflects their studio monitor heritage). Do you find same with the active 40’s ?
It’s a two way design, different driver technology, with more energy available ( higher output, matched amp pack).
Gary, having lived with your active 40’s, you might find differently.
If you you are considering the 50’s anyway, maybe ask Tony to let you try both and compare with your existing 40’s. Satisfy your curiosity and draw your own conclusions.
Hope that helps…
Best wishes
R
p.s. sorry for slow reply, been away with work for a few days.
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Thanks for the useful feedback on the active 20s. The active 20s, 50s and Kudos 606 are on my radar in the next few years.
I guess the 40s are excellent but its that grill, its a big no no for me.
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Like the Titan 606’s a lot.
You probably know they work best with a good power amplifier. When you consider the additional cost of a decent amp, then the active 50’s are a contender too.
ATC also do a tower version of the 50’s, which I prefer, ( to look at, in a domestic environment).
Good luck with your own journey.
R
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