Speakers for rock

Couldn’t have expressed it more reflectively or succinctly. :metal:t3::muscle:t3::+1:t3::sunglasses:

Dramatic’s the word but they could also cajole my ears ever so gently these fiendishly beautiful brutes.

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Hi Jonathan curious which ones you heard convey such an …… untameable combination….? I couldn’t get past the “boxy” size of the 100SE Towers though they had a remarkable tank build, and finish. Heard only the active 50T. Already so good.

Cheers

Phil P

Corry… waiting with abated breath as I hardly see them in this lovely finish. Very happy for you anyway!

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Charlie…. this is a surreptitious call out to you, Sir. Lol

With warm rgds

Phil P

Not sure if they have been mentioned but Dynaudio have some excellent speakers both old and new I have to say though what you are about to embark upon is without a doubt the most difficult thing to get right but also if you get it right the most rewarding.

As has been mentioned your room is both an enemy and a friend and with a room your size I’d go with a floor stander unfortunately because of the room aspect dealer demos like peoples opinions aren’t a massive help your going to need home demos.

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PMC are great…or try JBL L100…a classic rocker…that loves to party party + there are some sexy rossover upgrades available…

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Phil P,

I currently run passive SCM40’s at home with Naim amplification and while they lack some of the scale of the DBL’s they have many similar sonic attributes and are more effective than the NBL imho. I’ve heard the SCM 50’s and SCM100 and of course they bring a more ‘DBL-like’ scale to the proceedings.

My conclusion is that there is a peculiar synergy between naim electronics and ATC speakers and it’s certainly the case that an increasing number of people on these forums are coming to similar conclusions.

Jonathan

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Hi Jonathan

I’m not surprised.

ATCs are excellent speakers.

Love their seriousness, sound quality and build.
SE looks are softer.

Have someone here running a 500DR happily into the SCM SL50A and heard he runs rock sorties happily and loudly ……haven’t heard that combo - perhaps one day - but i heard from a reliable source, the owner is grinning from ear to ear….

I’m honestly not convinced about the active XO and amp circuitry resonating without abandon within the ATC cabinets at high play volumes and much prefer a separate Naim pre-power on Fraims……

Enjoy your music system! I am still mulling on a new set up and prefer something which can scale effortlessly and not look like a boxy coffin all the same.

Cheers

Phil P

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DBL forte……

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I confirm PMC Twenty.24 work well with NAP 250 DR for soundstage but for rock (same kind of music you mention) I prefer the punchiness and tight bass of my older ALR Entry 4 (4 ohm impedance).

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What about something from the Klipsch Heritage line? Forte IV or of Cornwall? Higher efficiency, larger drivers and horn loading - pretty much designed to bring rock music to life and now with more refined crossover to help them sound better with other genres of music.

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I just checked them but they really look too old fashioned for me haha. I can’t match this sort of vintage speakers with my interior style haha. My wife will kill me.

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Sorry, this is incorrect… 552DR to the active ATCs. My mistake.

yeah… them speakers need to pass the WAF tests… such is life. Fortunately, I trust my partner’s taste.

What about to demo some JBL L100 Century?

If you want slam, you need bigger drivers.
The larger the surface area the less excursion is needed.
The smaller the needed excursion the easier it is to make a linear driver.

I sold my PMC twenty5-24 last week and it lacks slam because it only have one 6,5" driver.

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Fair enough, not everyone likes their mid-century vibe. There are many ways to ‘skin a cat’ but large drivers and high efficiency are a recognised way to do it effortlessly. Multiple smaller drivers and a lot of power are another. ATCs might offer a good middle ground though.

The most enjoyable speakers I’ve ever owned until now are without doubt the original Linn Kans. In the right system (ie. Linn LP12/Naim amplification) they are simply magical. For rock and pop they bounce along with a forward momentum and drive that very few others can come close to. No they don’t do scale or deep bass but when you listen to them that doesn’t seem to matter - they are just so much fun and so utterly captivating. Interestlingly I arrived at my current Klipsch Forte III speakers as they really put me in mind of the classic Linn and Naim speakers of old. They have the same focus on musical enjoyment and turn their nose up at traditional hi-fi attributes. Mediocre hi-fi perhaps but music making that is simply scintillating.

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I think before tackling the speakers I’d try a 282/250 with the existing ones but before changing the amp a source upgrade would be due, at least as far as an NDX2 unless you like Chord DACs (they leave me cold but some swear by them).

For me, the critical factor with rock music is how the drums sound. In particular, if the snare drums don’t have powerful attack, look elsewhere. I too find Proac really pleasing.

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Source first. Getting the speed, drive and bass INTO the speakers is the hard part.

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