Okay, I’m Active…

Deang

Deang

Semi-retired
Subscriber
…but it ain’t Klipsch. That system is in the basement sporting an amplifier upgrade.

ATC SCM20ASL. The passives were 40 lbs., these are 60 lbs. Each speaker has 250 wpc on the woofer and 50 on the tweeter. ATC uses MOSFET amplifiers. Crossovers are 12dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley. There is no DSP.

They only have balanced inputs, so I had to get a new preamp. I went with the Rotel RC-1590 MKii, which also had balanced outputs for my Panny UB9000 4K player. So, I’m active and fully balanced.

The sound is just so very clean with a tight punchy bass. They sound like the passives but don’t sound like the passives - it’s hard to explain. I do know I won’t be going back.

Hard to believe I had both Klipschorns and Jubilees in this room. I will say that when Roy says small rooms need big horns because they need the pattern control - I really have to wonder if he had my room in mind, because this works much better for me.

Very pleased/content with this sound up here.

Basement needs some LaScalas. So I’ll be working on that now.



IMG_2082.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Neat little speakers... big price! Im sure they sound great.

Theres all kinds of other brands out there besides klipsch that sound excellent, I use and have owned quite a few others, they all have their own attributes, variety is a good thing. ;)

What SVS sub is that? Do you run with the powered speakers?
 
They sound like the passives but don’t sound like the passives - it’s hard to explain.

Interesting. That's always been the hangup for me and DSP, I seem to have preferred passives, but something that sorta marries the concepts sounds noteworthy.

I have a smallish room that I shoehorned Belles into and have had flashes of "Oh, I could just put a set of ADS sounding speakers in here" but then the base instinct takes over along with the fact that my wife loves the Belles and they end up getting bigger midranges, LOL.

Good to see you posting from the "enjoyment/what I'm listening to" angle, I'll be looking forward to the re-entry of the LaScalas too.
 
Though beyond my retirement budget, I heard a pair at an audio show last year and they were very impressive. Enjoy!
 
@DEFTECHY lol, they don’t feel little. These are the pro versions, but still right at $7K. The preamp was almost $3K. So, I’m done for a while. I almost did the Forte IV and even considered Cornwall IV, but just didn’t feel like getting back on the merry-go-round, especially for this space. I mean, the recliners are 8’ back. The sub is the SB2000 sealed version. I had two, but had to unplug it/move it because I needed the receptacle.

@Audible Nectar No DSP, they’re fully discrete. They are ruler flat from 80 - 20kHz. -6dB at 55Hz, so I use the sub to fill in the bottom.
 
I wanted the a/d/s 880 but didn’t have the coin. Some time later I moved to Magnepan. Like Deftechy said, so much good stuff out there.
 
I seriously considered the Cornwall lV's but my sweet spot is 11'. From my experiences listening to others Cornwalls, they need at least that.

Don't feel like getting back on the merry-go-round either.....

Congrats on those speakers.
 
Actives always sound harder, punchier to me. Not a bad thing. More like a band in a small venue.
Have used two way and three way actives, but none in ATC’s league.
 
“Hard” as in harsh? I have not pushed them to obscene levels, so I don’t know. They have good presence and dynamics without being fatiguing. They don’t sound like your typical 2-way monitor - I don’t see these falling apart if pushed a bit.
 
@Deang Thats what I thought the sub was, I have 2 SB2000, decent little subs for the entry level SVS, the SB3000 is supposed to be the best bang for the buck. Im looking for a used pair locally to upgrade to someday. I run them with Definitive Technology speakers for home theater & some 2ch music, the Def Techs hold their own and in some ways are better against my Forte 2 or Chorus2. These are 12" powered sub/woofers with dual passive radiators with a 300w class D plate amp like most powered subs use, linkwitz riley xover also, whatever that means, and are a bi polar design. I have some non powered versions also,
TV.jpg
The chorus are powered by a 2 ch separate amp system out of view, had K horns in those corners for many years but were just too big for this room so not too sure about the big horns for small room thing.
 
Nice setup. I’m pretty familiar with those Deftechs, I bought a pair after I sold my Jubilees. I liked them. They were eventually replaced with some DIY Radian coaxial monitors I built. Anyway, the sub does good for my space, though I am temped to try something from HSU Research. I hear so many good things about them.
 
Deang said:
“Hard” as in harsh? I have not pushed them to obscene levels, so I don’t know. They have good presence and dynamics without being fatiguing. They don’t sound like your typical 2-way monitor - I don’t see these falling apart if pushed a bit.
Click to expand...
That is how I hear actives. I have owned five different ones. The cheaper ones maybe not. The good ones just hit hard. Whether drum whacks, guitar power chords, or synths. More like music in a club.
Passives sound smoother, softer, and almost filtered. Not as loud.
Worked the way up to a Blue Sky Mid Blue System. Three way with matching sub. They were M&K previously.
One day I hooked my old pair of Thiel CS-3.5 and listened a little. Put the active set back in attic.
The actives were too accurate. Sound less like a stereo system.
Hooked them up this summer for PA use in a converted old church. Seated six hundred when there were pews. Big, reflective, hard surfaces. They kicked. Live mic feed. The two big subs needed help. But the monitors were fine.
Sticking with my La Scala’s. Horns have the dynamics. They are smooth sounding like a passive set should be.
Many have “fallen” for good actives. I never expected to go back to passive speakers. Those ATC drivers are special, so is the magnet structure. They are designed for linearity at high excursions. They will play loud and soft nicely.
 
if I hadn't been prematurely retired a year ago and been incredibly ill for the last 7 months, I'd be considering a pair of Hypex plate amps for my 3-way horns, although part of me likes the clutter of amps on top of them and the glow of 4 EL-84s and a pair of 5751s on each side really give the room a nice glow.
 
Gigantic said:
if I hadn't been prematurely retired a year ago and been incredibly ill for the last 7 months, I'd be considering a pair of Hypex plate amps for my 3-way horns, although part of me likes the clutter of amps on top of them and the glow of 4 EL-84s and a pair of 5751s on each side really give the room a nice glow.
Click to expand...
would definitely have been a solid buy, great amp modules and a meaningful amount of FIR taps to use.
 
In retrospect, it would have set me back less than what I’ve got into 4 Fosi ZA3 with Burson V7 and Sparkos op amps and my DSP unit, not to mention the pair of tube amps with Mundorf Evo Oil caps and nos Soviet valves… but I’m a slow learner
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom