Agreed with you, the 30.1 have some excellent mid and play better at lower volume and have a colored appealing and seductive sound. More lushness will emanate from the sound but you will lose some dynamic, speed and accuracy.
The 40 accept more current and will make more dynamic and will be more neutral sound but will play less well at lower volume, they are designed to be played at a higher volume than the Harbeth. It is a choice of design. A. Shaw explain this somewere in an interview.
The sweet spot of the harbeth is lower.
Wich one is better is a matter of taste for sure !
The 30.1 is the sweet spot in the Harbeth range imo.
To a point, remember the scm19 and scm20 has the famous combined bass and mid dome driver, so the bass and mid frequencies are icombined in a single driver producing very low distortion in those sensitive miss.
That driver is considered one of the best ATC make.
Yes, they are effectively the same ATC tweeter design, though the ‘S’ version is the professional version built to higher tolerances and better able to maintain performance consistency through longer periods of high power usage.
It’s a bit more than that. The ATC combined hybrid soft dome mid and bass driver uses ATC’s Super Linear Magnet technology that reduces the magnetic field eddy currents through the bass and mid frequencies (100 Hz to 3kHz, although the 19 has the crossover frequency at 2.5kHz) reducing third harmonic distortion whilst presenting a relatively benign load to the amp at these sensitive frequencies. This probably accounts for the natural and accurate feel of the 19 and 20 speakers, especially at frequencies our ears are sensitive to… and really important for near or relatively near field usage where the 19 and 20 are more appropriate than the 40s. I would use the 40s where higher power is required to fill a larger room where one is sitting some way from the speakers.
ATC told me that the biggest reason for the price difference in the 20ASLT and the 40A is the cabinet. The 40 cabinet is bought in bulk from an overseas manufacturer, whereas the 20 cabinet is hand made here in the U.K.
That’s one heck of a price difference, too. I would have thought the 20 was more comparable to the 19 being a 2-way design, but it costs twice as much.
Chris the 20 is the professional version of the 19, in terms of cabinet crossover and HF driver. I have previously understood from ATC one of the main differences of the pro range to domestic is increased tolerances and consistency under high power usage which is more typical in commercial setups. I understand many hifi speakers performance profiles will drift more under sustained higher power usage.
The 19 is aimed at the domestic hifi/audiophile market. Yes I understand that the domestic hifi series cabinets are made in China, and the electronics and drivers are manufactured and assembled at their factory at Stroud, England.
Thanks Simon, I’ve been mulling over the idea of ATC actives, as they have a balanced XLR input which might work well from the balanced output on Dave. Much as I like my 250, it seems like a neat solution.
I once enquired about the 20ASLT and received a reply of “Why would you ?” . Make of that what you will but it didn’t seem that many had been sold or even seen .
I’ve heard the 20 Pro and think they’re a bargain if you can agree with their looks which I quite like .
I’m not sure I understand what you mean here? The SCM20A is double the price of the SCM19A, how do reduced tolerances relate to higher prices?
Looking at the tech specs of the two models, there seem to be quite a few differences.
Just so. Prior to my recent system change I auditioned 19s and 40s in both active and passive (with 250DR) forms, at the dealer’s and, eventually, at home. I paid no attention to whether the drive units were “super” or anything else and concentrated solely on finding the speakers which gave the most satisfying experience for the music I enjoy. I am very happy with the result, but also content that others might have made another choice – different ears, different rooms, different tastes in music. We are so fortunate in the UK that higher end hifi dealers support demos, often at home. I would hate to have to rely only on reviews and specs.
I’m not suggesting that tech specs should be used to choose anything, it was just an observation that the SCM19 is not just an SCM20 in a cheaper cabinet, there are a number of differences.
I wasn’t focussing so much on the active aspects, but on the passive elements. I believe they share the same driver layout and the same famous SL driver mid bass hybrid driver.
With ATC speakers for me, it is about their drivers, and a major benefit of the 19 is the use of the pro hybrid mid bass SL driver, which makes the 19 in my opinion a great bargain… mind you they don’t half weigh a lot. If you are really concerned about the exact differences, then contact ATC…and they have a good forum as well, although I think independent from the company.
For a smaller environment, the ATC SCM12 Pro do not have a hybrid SL mid bass but if you consider the drivers quality, they seem aggressively priced compared to similar sized studio monitors, such as the ProAc SM100s among others.
