ATC SCM 7 or something else?

Hi all,

For quite a while I have had my eye on a pair of SCM 7 as an upgrade to my Rega R1’s. I see they are ~£1k new with used ones coming up on ebay quite often. Is there any consensus on the best version of these? I can recall having seen 3 different revisions in the past. The MK1 being the most visually pleasing to my taste (the modern ones look a bit too much like a PA speaker with those grills!)

Also, with the above price range in mind I would be interested to receive recommendations for equivalent options from other brands if considered on par or better than the ATC’s.

Many thanks

The latest version of ATC’s entry range (with the metal grilles) also includes the relatively new in-house-built tweeter. Previously, ATC used bought-in tweeters (from Vifa and Seas, I think) and the consensus view is strongly in favour of the the new one, though I’m only familiar with the latest version, myself. That’s what I would go for and just leave the metal grilles off if you prefer them that way.

But ATC speakers do thrive on more power and I wonder if a NAP 140 would be “enough” for the SCM7s. There are folk on the forum driving them with a similarly powered Atom, but if it were possible to try them at home first that is what I would do. Incidentally, the slightly larger SCM11s are generally considered easier to drive.

Roger

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Although different to the ATCs, Proac Tablette 10s get a lot of love around here. Great speakers and very room friendly, being able to work close to a back wall. @GraemeH and @carruthersesq seem to rather like theirs.

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For whats it’s worth.

I had A7 many years ago and back then they were difficult to drive. Perhaps you need more power than the 140 can deliver? I used a Nait3 on mine. The tonal matching were good, but the speakers didn’t came to life before I used a much more powerful amp.

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I had Linn 109s and changed in August 2022 to ATC SCM7s, latest version. I tried some small Sonus Fabers, but just loved the SCM7’s. They are beautiful to look at and to listen to.

Since having them I’ve listened to much more music than I did.

When I got them I initially had a Unitilite and my dealer was surprised at how well it drove the 7s. Subsequently I’ve change to a Roksan Attessa Streaming amp with more power.

Originally I wanted small speakers that could be listened to at low levels and feel that I wasn’t losing anything in detail. Also wanted something that could go louder when able to without everything falling apart. The Roksan/SCM7 does it all for me.

I am really smitten with the 7s, they constantly amaze me. Yes bass is limited but for my room it’s fine.

Strange to say, but if I were to change the 7s I think I would only look at ATC as I love what they do. The only reason I would change is if I had more space. For my room 16ft x 11ft they are great.

I would suggest a demo including home.

For me the £950 I paid was money well spent…my wife really enjoys them as well and prefers them to the many speakers that have gone before. I use them on q acoustic concept 20 stands.

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Scm7 all day long and the new ones are easier to drive but if you can run to 11’s then the extra bass is worth it.

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But the newer ATCs you describe are far less power hungry and easy to drive compared to the older versions. I drove my scm 19s via a little Nait for a short time, and they sounded wonderful, with a musical bounce.

Bass can be reinforced with good stands. The bassiness and warmth of a sound lies in the 100 to 400 Hz range… and these little speakers can portray this range well as long as you are not trying to fill a large room. Yes it’s sub bass … ie what you tend to feel as well as hear that will be severely limited to none existent… typically you won’t get any bloat over hang with these speakers that some equate to bass

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The SCM 7 is a cracking speaker. I auditioned these against Kef LS50 Meta last year. I ended up buying the SCM 11 as I could accommodate a slightly bigger speaker but it wasn’t until I was won over by the SCM 7 that I decided to try the 11s. Theres not much to tell them apart tbh

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My son had SCM7s as an upgrade for some tiny Neat speaks and was delighted with them. He used a NAP100 then and now has a NAP250DR which I gave him. He was skeptical that it would make much difference, I wasn’t. It did, but the NAP100 was certainly fine too.

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Thanks for all the responses. I think you’ve confirmed by bias!

They will be positioned as per my existing setup below - will prob drop the ATC’s down several inches (the Rega’s have the tweeter under the woofer). You can really notice the corner loading on the bottom end. Also have a sub for the lower harmonics.

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Great speakers - very different to R1 - but probably need more than 140/72 tbh.
Homedemo if possible.

Besides the SCM7, ProAC Tablettes 10 and Spendor 4/5 would shine in this set up, but I think both more expensive than the SCM7; another alternative I would consider been Dali Meuet, with the SE version improved.

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Nevertheless, ATC still recommend 75-300 watts and that ties in with my experience, admittedly with the bigger models in the entry range. Hence my suggestion for auditioning first if possible.

Roger

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I have a pair of ATC SCM 7’s that I bought a couple years ago and used in my system for several months and just loved them. In the US the retail prices have dropped 30% for the SCM line. The 7’s are fabulous but if you can stretch to the 11’s price wise I would take a look at them as well. Home demo and compare if you can.

Good luck with your search and decision.

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7s in their latest iteration are fabulous. May work better in a small space with the less generous LF response. I power mine off a Nait 5si in a small listening room and they are the most lucid and musical boxes going.

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Check out Linn Kan 1 or Linn Kan 2,I think they are more musical.

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Having just gone back to mk1 Kans from a pair of SCM7 I would have to agree.

The ATC have a surprising amount of bass for something so small but the Linns are way better to my ears

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What options do nearby dealers present you with? We can throw 100 suggestions on the table but if you’ve got just 4 realistic brands available to you it might narrow down the discussion and be more useful.

don’t disagree about auditioning… however amplifier power recommendations really are so general as it really does depend on the amplifier design to a considerable extent.

Another endorsement of the glorious ATC SCM7s from me. If this means anything to you, imo they offer something of Naim SBLs and Quad electrostatics in their presentation.

I use mine without the (aesthetically questionable) grilles.

You know you want a pair. Do the right thing!

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