Help/advice from ATC SCM40 owners past and present,please

The world has not ended, since I replaced a 272 with 555 DR PS with the Atom. Also, running 9 metre length XLR cable to speakers.

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If acoustics are an issue then this can be nullified by the effective use of digital room correction.

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They are pseudo which btw, perform to a higher level than some products with true fully balanced outputs :slightly_smiling_face:

Could you tell me a little more please. I had to go down the acoustic panel route - corners, first reflection points etc. but never did proper analysis….


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Thanks @Musicraft. Good to know. Have the Musicraft peeps tried the Atom HE into ATC actives yet? Be keen to know your thoughts if you’ve got the time…

I agree Steve the ATC SCM20PSLT (or Active version) looks like an interesting product even though the model has been around for a few years, with a cloth grill they also look attractive against the ugly 40 grill.

Most important for me close boundary placement.

I’ve had my eye on the SCM20PSLT for a while now they are on my short list as a future replacement for the SL2.

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I had the passive 40’s before. tbh in satin black finish the black grills actually looked quite cool. However, prior to purchase we demoed a pair in wood finish and the grills looked horrible.

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How was the difference between 272 and Atom HE? I’ve auditioned 272 with 3rd party PSU + 19A’s back when I searched for a dac/preamp to front the active ATC’s. I wasn’t that impressed.

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I will respectfully say that it’s not appropriate for me to discuss this further on here.

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You’re welcome. Yes, and overall the Uniti Atom HE is preferable to the NAC-N 272.

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Well, let’s put this into perspective. The current/last prices of 272 and 555 is over 4 times the cost of a Atom HE. I’am not going to come on here and tell everyone, that to my ears, the Atom HE outperforms that combination, for pure sound quality. However, neither would I say that is worth over 4 times the cost, when feeding ATC SCM40A, active speakers. Also what is fact, is that Atom HE does things that 272/555 cannot do. It also performs certain operations in a superior way to the 273/555, in my opinion.
So down to the nitty gritty, which is the audio output of both devices. In a black and white world, the 272/555 wins outright, but not by a furlong. However, in most HiFi purchase options, we come down to the law of diminishing returns. In this respect, when considering the sound quality, features, operation and cost of the Atom HE, the comparison with the 272/555 considerably narrows. Please remember that these comments are made with reference to the ATC active speakers.
So the $64,000 dollar question? All things being equal would I buy the 272/555 DR PS over the Atom HE, for use with ATC SCM40A speakers. In a simple word - No, there I have said it. If people now wish to class me as a heretic, then feel free. This is after all, just my opinion, which only applies in conjunction with the use of ATC SCM40A speakers. I do not make this decision, purely on the cost differential between the two setups, but when you look at the overall picture, of the two products. As always, you pays your money, you take your choice. :blush:

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The first two sentences of your last paragraph don’t make sense. Would I buy X or Y? No. Do you mean would I buy X in preference to Y?

Thank you, HH for pointing out my error. I was rushing for my hard hat. :blush:

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Would I buy X or Y , no….doesn’t make sense also because Y was already bought. :grin:

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Would I buy X over Y. Sorry for the error, Hungry Halibut pointed out the error. I have now corrected this. :blush:

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Actually Y is not bought, but that is a story for another time. :blush:

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Ah sorry, i thought because your profile mentions Atom HE and active ATC.

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You are correct, that I currently have a Atom HE and SCM40A’s.

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‘would I buy the 272/555 DR PS over the Atom HE, for use with ATC SCM40A […] - No, there I have said it […]’

Blimey @Musicraft and @NoNaim. I was not expecting that. Hmmm… this is very interesting! Thanks both.

It may be interesting or it may not. As always, the proof is in the listening. Can something that costs under £3,000 be better than something for over £10,000? Does the extra £7,000 justify the expenditure? How much reliance can you put on comments from a dealer who makes a living selling new things rather than discontinued things? Emperor’s new clothes? Who knows?