Lovely speakers - actually preferred them to the SCM 40s but was not allowed stand mounts at home again for some reason…
I can understand that and was surprised that I managed to persuade my other half to accept mine as she loved the Proac DT8s!
Hi there,
It would be great to hear more of your thoughts re how the 20s compare to the 19s. I prefer the look of the 20s and have considered swapping out my 19s for a pair, but if the sonic improvement is minimal, not sure I could justify the move based on just looks.
Cheers
OA
Hi OA,
Firstly I have to make it clear that I have only compared them at the dealers. I thought that the 20s had a slightly cleaner and better integrated treble. Aside from this I couldn’t detect a great difference between them and as was very torn between the two.
However my other half made it quite clear that the 19s were not going to be on display in our living room because they had to be oak and she hated the grilles.
A longer listen at home may well highlight more significant differences. The conclusion is that the 19s are a stonking sonic bargain and I am not sure I would change them for 20s on sound quality alone however as a piece of high quality sonic furniture …?
I am delighted with mine.
I would say 20s are a better option but they require more on the electronics side, both amp and source
Thank you for the follow-up. I agree with you on multiple counts: the 20s cabinets and grilles are more aesthetically pleasing to me too, and the 19s are a sonic delight and veritable bargain! 
As to the electronics, my personal feeling is that Naim electronics are certainly up to pushing well up - indeed all the way up if one goes into Statement territory - the ATC ladder. I wouldn’t hesitate to put my system on the new passive 20 standmounters. Alas, demoing ATC here in the states with Naim electronics is a bit like finding a unicorn.
Why not buy assets, so the problem of amplification is solved!
Went for it at the rainy day today, although they are still under warranty, but didn’t regret it, again thanks for the tip!
There is an interesting review by Jason Kennedy in the April edition of “The Ear” of the SCM40A’s which he uses in conjunction with the NC333/332 at the behest of TomTom James.
I think it is pretty amazing that a 10-year-old speaker is still getting Best Buy recommendations.
I also find it impressive the £/performance/value for money they offer, and have limited their price increases to boot.
Very interested in the Ear test, we can go very far in electronics with ATC! By cons I see that the price is 7750 pounds in the UK, it is 9800 pounds (11500 euros) in France… the ratio/ quality/ price is not the same!
That price/value equation shifts globally: ask forum members in the Antipodes how much the NC series costs there compared to Europe (or the UK in particular).
Provided you like the ATC sound, and can accommodate them ( whatever the model), I am sold on the active speaker with onboard amplification concept.
I have the ATC 40A for 1 month (see the posts above) and I am very happy…
I’m fast reaching ATC fan boy status. I have 11’s and 40A’s and they sound wonderful with Naim
Now plotting how I could accommodate 50A’s!
Gary
I’m also considering the 50A’s, got an ATC demo evening coming up next month at my dealer.
I was offered ex dem 50ASLT on Pippy Oak with full manufacturer warranty for a decent price when I was demoing the 40A’s. I had to decline as realistically my room is too small and even the ex dem price was too much for me at the time.
I am occasionally surprised that no-one on the forum has gone higher than the 100ASLT. Even the 150ASLT is a relative bargain for a big active speaker with 350wpc going into it, whilst retaining the convenience of inbuilt amplification.
My room is 4.8m by 3.3m firing down the length of the room. I have some acoustic treatment so the 50’s maybe a possibility.
Hopefully, your ATC dealer will lend you a pair: I had a pair in my room for 2 weeks before I confirmed my purchase. To be fair, I was 90% sold once I left their dem room, but I couldn’t tell them that 