ATC 11 versus LS50

You make me want to have a pair now. You should have never posted this. A couple months ago, I got very close to pull the trigger on a used pair of ATC 7..
Some day, some day.

 

I love my LS50's. Since my system is computer playback only, I use 3 db of boost @ 43hz with a 2 octave bandwidth. It really fulls out the bass.

 

Great thread. Love my LS50's.

 

Let us know how you like them later. My ATC SCM19v2 had a long break in time.

 

Yep, but once they break in... man oh man... Get ready to rediscover things in recordings you never noticed before.... there is depth transparency almost like you can really get into a recording..

 

If exceptional (almost scary) detail, crystal clear clarity, clean sound, tight bass, and hearing every nuance in your music is your thing, you must find a way to buy them. Just make sure to get the 2.0 version. ATC developed their own tweeter for the 2.0 line and it is stellar. Between the 7, 11 and 19 the 11 is the sweet spot if you can swing it. Music Direct had an open box pair of 11's for 2k last month, so deals do occur. Sound stage both in length and depth are on par with other good speakers, as is imaging, nothing spectacular happening in these areas, where these speakers shine are the first 5 or so adjectives I used at the beginning of this post. Good luck!

 

I've had them just about 2 months, but they have shared time with the LS50's. I believe I still have some break in

 

I've been noticing this recently, they must be nearing that sweet spot point. I don't have a turntable right now due to no phono stage (it's on order) so I've been playing all of my ripped CD's and downloads through my DAC. I'm noting things in almost every album that are new to me. I know it sounds cliche but it really is true and for me, although I didn't know it at the time, it's the reason I love this hobby so much -being able to uncover things in an album you thought you knew by heart -I love that aspect of this hobby. The best part is it can happen with a good speaker upgrade, a good phono stage upgrade, a good turntable upgrade, a good DAC upgrade, even a good cartridge upgrade. When you consider the potential there for uncovering nuances....oh baby! That said, there is a price to pay and it come literally in the form of cold hard cash.

 

I had these B&W 602 S2 speakers for years 10+ I loved them...I slowly upgraded other components in my system and the sound kept getting better and better coming though the B&Ws... I'm more into buying music and listening to music rather then listening to components... Then one day I was with my brother we stopped my MusicDirect to check out some records... I wasn't even thinking about buying speakers... My brother ends up in a conversation with a sales guy in the demo room.... I eventually come and join the conversation... We start talking about speakers and whatnot... I mention I tend to like British speakers, I 'm like you guys don't sell any British speakers that I'm aware...? He mentions this brand ATC, I was like I've never heard of them... They happened to have a pair of SCM 19 V2 set up which he points out... They looked cool, the price on the other hand was not cool... haha We eventually leave and I go home and start researching this brand, started to come across big recording and mastering studios using ATC... read a ton of reviews all glowing.. Call up a buddy of mine who has a recording studio asked him if he had heard of them...he had and said they were really well regarded in the industry... Well that that point I had to grab some of my music a range of stuff Rock, Jazz, Blues stuff and go back to hear what these things sound like.... I mean I was totally blown away I couldn't believe the sound coming from these things... I cranked the **** out of as well... Nothing short of amazing really... I almost purchased them on the spot... haha but I went home and more I thought about them the more I wanted them... Yeah the price was steep but its not something I would buy every year so I just bit the bullet and just got it done... I have ZERO regrets as I was thinking to myself why did a wait so long... haha I've had them now for 2 years and they continue to amaze.. Even crappy mastered CDs can sound good on these things... Didn't think it was possible... I could go on about them... They have an attack, at times on certain recording notes / sounds just seem to "hang" on longer then I remember on my old speakers.. its like how do they do that! You hear different layers in a recording, things just jump to the foreground and those reverb trails are nuts when you start hearing them! So much fun... I've brought over a couple of friends over and they couldn't believe it... We cranked up a just standard pressing of Ellington and Coltrane I mean its like Coltrane sax was in my living room... My brother who is a musician was in amazement had to put his ear up to the speaker... haha... Enjoy it, it just keep getting better over time..

 

Highlight in red: I know exactly what you mean and that is why the LS50's are in route to MD and I'm staring at the ATC's!

 

I used to own the LS50's (and sold them for a pair of R300's) and auditioned them recently against the P3ESR and the SCM11. For me the P3ESR was the clear winner, but the ATC's weren't far behind.
I found the sound of the LS50's to be fatiguing after extended listening, which is why I sold them for the R300's. I can listen to the Harbeths all day long, and not have a hint of fatigue. To me they are perfect for my setup, my room and my taste.
In any case, I'm sure you'll have lots of enjoyment from the ATC's!

 

The next speaker to enter my home will be a Harbeth. I'd like to enjoy these for a few years before that happens though. I don;t always win that battle though.

 

Yeah at some point I would like to have a small set up in my office with P3ESR's or try the ATC. i already have two listening spaces in the house though, so I am happy for now.

 

My feeling about ATC is there are nicer sounding speakers out there because they colour or soften the sound but if you want brutal honesty, well, ATC are basically a pro speaker - rugged, powerful and made to give you exactly what's in the recording. Not to everyone's taste but I learned to love them (SCM 11 v2).

 

I have an pair of ATC SCM 35. They are brutal honest and reveal any fault in the source/amp chain. But when you got everything set up right they they are both musical and reveling. I´m coming from a pair of Tannoy Arden and I feel that the ATC is better in every way (when set up right).
But it´s very, very easy to get a pair of ATC sound like crap since they are so reveling.

 

I like my speakers to be more forgiving. That way I can focus on the music, and not on every possible fault in he chain.

 

Does "Brutal Honesty" sound natural?
A speaker can sound natural, more like actual music, and come off as softening the sound but in reality may be more honest.

 

It is so difficult to draw the line in the right place between monitor like "hyper detail" and "ultra soft" forgiving.
I like a forgiving sound but not at the expense of detail. Too much forgiveness can be just as bad as too much detail.
In other words I agree with you but it isn't so easy!

 

For me, the little Harbeth P3ESR have a nice tone. They slightly beat the ATC generally in that department. Overall top to bottom, ATC.
The P3ESR leave me wanting a little more (in a good way) as a everyday speaker. I use them every night then. Some nice Jazz or classical
or mellow stuff like the Grateful Dead or earlier Rolling Stones gets played

 

back the P3s with a powerful amp and they can really rock. pro reviews that talk about this speaker being good only for soft acoustic music are dead wrong.

 

I didn't mean it that way. That is the way I use them. I play anything that comes to mind on them.
They do fine. I don't push them past 11 o'clock on my system. (Yamaha A-S2100)
Still, if I had to have just one set of speakers...

 

To my ears the P3ESR's are the most balanced. You have huge amounts of detail, but without getting analytical. And paired with my 120wpc amp they do pack more punch than you would expect from such small speakers.
They are limited in bass (I don't tink there's much below 60hz), but I'm not really a bass junkie, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on much.

 

I am interested in buying a pair of P3s but am skeptical that they put out even enough bass to be satisfying. Don't they only have a 110mm, or about 4 and a half inch driver? The new comparable Spendor A1 claims to have a 150mm, or 6 inch, driver. Based on that I would think the Spendor would have a better bass response and balance. I wish I could compare these speakers before I buy but it's not possible.

 

I haven't heard the Spendors, so I can't say much about the difference.
There isn't much deep bass with the Harbeths, but the bass that is there sounds very good. A lot of it depends on your room acoustics, size of your room, listening distance, and of course personal preference. I don't really miss the bass in my system and in my room.
There is an interesting post about how much bass you need on the HUG forum: Bass response - how deep should my speakers go for a lifelike sound at home? - Harbeth: For 40 years - the world's most natural sounding loudspeakers

 

That's fine and I get that position. But you seemed to have focused on the disadvantages the ATC's bring with them. Remember on the flip side when everything is done properly the sound is something to behold. You won't touch that with your forgiving speakers, no matter how good you think they are.