THEIR FLAGSHIP 2-WAY! ATC SCM 20 Speaker Review

Have been following your channel for years Tarun.
Finally was able to purchase my first stereo setup.
Thanks for all your help your videos are second to none.

I love the ethos and engineering behind ATC speakers. It is the perfect audiophile hobby speaker as it forces you to re-evaluate your entire system around them - the weight 18Kg each means your need new stands, the power & performance requirements your amplifier to drive them properly, and they will reveal your source components too. That said, they are worth it.

Good to see you back as you've not posted any video since last year. 😉

I used to have ATC SCM7, SCM11, then the SCM20 under very powerfull ATC P2. Now I have the active ATC SCM20ASL Pro and I am VERY happy. ATC for life!!!

I am a happy owner of the SCM19s and a pair of C1 subs. One of the qualities I highly appreciate is the soft dome's much wider vertical dispersion, which allows you to move around in the room without loosing too much treble. Ribbons only sound good in one spot, and this is often overlooked.

Happy New Year, Tarun. Thank you for paying special attention to low-volume listening. It’s a very important factor for me.

I appreciate you mentioning late night listening, thank you!

All thevery best to you, and your family, in 2025. I wish you continued success and happiness. I look forward to more of your content this coming year. Thank you for this review and your perspectives.

What a great way to start 2025 a review of ATC SCM20...!👍

I had not heard either ATC or Harbeth speakers until an audio show at a hotel some years ago. It was not until I heard them myself that I understood what all the fuss was about. Both brands had their larger monitors available for audition. Stunning.... both of them.

Hello Tarun. Excellent review. My 19's is helped in bass region only by the Parametric EQ inside my Eversolo DMP-A6 streamer without phase/timing issues or at least I don't feel like bass is lagging behind. I'm professional drummer so, I shoul be sensitive to timing😊. For anyone interested the EQ values as follows.(my eversolo also helped by locally made LPS which converts it in to a polished streamer)
Freq. selected: 33.6hz
Gain: +6 db
Q: 1.01

This is my first time watching your review and I love your relaxed yet professional commentary style immediately! I personally owned a pair of ATC SCM40 (Passive) speakers that comes in Piano Black. I bought directly from the UK and shipped to Taiwan in 2015. The 3 things I'd upgrade on my ATC are the crossover network, internal wires and the complete plastic binding post back panel and the binding posts. The inductors will be left untouched but the capacitors and resistors will be upgraded.

I listened to these ATC in a fairly large room. Speakers were about 12 feet into the room. They were connected to McIntosh mono blocks. 🤯 no sub required. Imagining, soundstage was better then the large speakers they had there. But the trick is the mono blocks. They are beautiful.

Happy New Year!
An informative review, as I’ve come to expect from British Audiophile! Thanks!
I’d just like to point out how important the power delivery is for an ATC loudspeaker. The drive units - predominantly the bass-midrange unit, is large-diameter voice-coil affair which is ‘immersed’ in the magnetic field completely - even while the moving assembly (diaphragm + voice-coiil) is in its maxium excursion. Furthermore, the wire that makes the voice-coil is square in cross-section, not circular, providing greater ‘packing’ of copper in the same amount of space. All of this works in tandem to provide very low distortion at very high volume levels but also, excellent voice-coil ventilation for better cooling and consequently, further decreased distortion and higher longevity.
They are notoriously difficult to drive and one indication of this is that ATC makes their own amplifiers, the one recommended for loudspeakers like these being 150 Watts into 8 Ohm, 20-20k.
The ATC sound is such that - and I’ll be frank - if you have to make a decision between quantity and quality with the amplifier, choose quantity. They will sound better with a high-powered amplifier of decent quality than a low-powered amplifier of excellent quality. The drive unit design precludes that and it must stressed.
That being said, power them properly and you shall be rewarded with uncanny ability to reveal the subtleties of the voices and instruments that reside in the midrange. They are exctremely transparent and true to the source. Spoken word sounds true to life and that’s a trick not many speakers do so well, even at that price point. The bass won’t go as deep as some but it will be forward-driving, quick and colour-less and will reveal just what a proper sealed-box/closed-system loudspeaker can do and why ported designs will never be as good.
It is also worth pointing out that a sealed box like the ATC will start to roll off in the bass sooner than a ported loudspeaker. However, the roll off is a lot more gradual than a ported loudspeaker which roll off very stiffly - basically, below the tuning frequency of the port, the response falls off a cliff and distortion rises very steeply. There are no such issues with a sealed box.
Thanks for the review and keep up the great work. Again, all the best in the New Year.
Cheers!

Another great ATC review. As always, very accurate description of the ATC sound and capabilities, well done. I can't wait for you to review one of ATC's bigger active speakers such as the SMC 50As. Happy New Year!

I bought the 20ASL special edition active stand mounts. Took a good while to bed in, a good two or three months as running in the drivers and amplifiers and active crossovers, now sounding exceptional and never run out of steam.

A great way to start the new year Tarun. Great review as always. Thanks!

I always enjoy your reviews, especially this one. Since relocating back to
the city (N.Van🇨🇦) I now have a much better environment relevant to audio.
I recently purchased a Schiit Ragnarok and it suits my needs perfectly. I am
just an enthusiast not an audiophile, however, my Elac speakers really need
to be upgraded to something more along the line of (perhaps) the ATC SCM 19s
or 11s. I am retired so budget is to be considered. The other speakers I am
considering are the Canadian Totem brand. Both speaker brands are carried
in actual retail shops nearby so I can take my amp in to assess partnering.
Thanks for this Tarun. May you and your family have a very happy and healthy
2025!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got these speakers a few months ago ex-demo and for a great price. Very happy with them and have paired with a Rel sub - even their smallest sub adds a lot to the low and mids and really warms up the sound. essential in my view.
I currently have them paired with Naim Unity Atom, but aware they need a looot more power to sound at their best. Currently considering 2 Quad 303s or Audiolab 9000P.
Thanks for the great review!

I once auditioned a classic pair of SCM20’s about 20 years ago, and especially their clean sound and full bodied vocals and bass guitar reproduction struck me. And the looks by the way, drivers and cabinet really look stunning in the flesh. My current SMGC SE Magnepans remind me of that lively fret less bass sound I once heard. Actually I think maggies are being underrated and deserve more attention from reviewers like you. But thank you, I value your work.

Tarun, I'm proud to say I've worked out why time appears to go faster as you age: it's all relative. At ten years old a year is 10% of the life you've experienced. At sixty years old a year is only 1.66% of your life, therefore I'm experiencing my life at about six times the speed of a child. That explains why those summer holidays went on forever.

Happy New Years! Thanks for everything you do.

Happy New Year From NYC. I have the ATC sm40's and I love them.

Hope your holiday season was great. This brand has always been high on my list. My brother has the active 50s…..very impressive. Nice review and captured the strengths of the ATC brand.

I’d probably enjoy watching your videos even if I wasn’t that interested in HiFi….really appreciate this channel. Happy New Year!

Happy new year Tarun... Lovely loudspeakers, always have been!... Looking forward to your superb content throughout 2025.

ATC did make a SCM 20 SLT passive version years ago. Excellent review! Cheers

thanks great review, i used atc scm 7, scm 11, scm 19, scm 20, scm 40 models very good speakers

Great review! I'm using the SCM20PSL (so the professional version) with a Spectral power amp and two Rel subs in my recording studio on a daily basis. Amazing, very communicative and (something that's important for any recording engineer) non-fatiguing monitors, that translate perfectly to other speakers. The closed-box configuration gives truly predictable low frequency information due to the gradual roll off. The subs in my studio are only there to support the true frequency fundamentals of instruments and the recorded room acoustic. Feels like they are built to last forever too. Lovely brand!

Happy new year, Tarun! Hope you had a great Christmas.
I haven't watched this yet but I've been watching a lot of your reviews (going back to 2020) over the last few days as I put together a shortlist for an amp and speakers upgrade. They've been very helpful so I just wanted to say thank you. (I have the Amphion Argon 1, Cambridge Audio CXA81, Music Fidelity A1 and some others shortlisted).
I'll watch the vid now.

A great review to start 2025. Thanks Tarun.

Happy New Year Chap, good to see you on top form with the ATC review. Cheers

I’m currently using SCM40A’s and I can confidently say they’re the best speakers I’ve had. They’re absolutely incredible.

Thank you Tarun for the informative review of the atc speakers. I wish you a good new year and keep healthy. Greetings to you 😊

I own a pair of ATC20ies and feed them with the danish Copland CSA150. I added an ATC C1 MK2 sub.
All in all a wonderful setup for my small listening room (15sqm)

Happy New Year, Tarun. Such a detailed review without a hint of dryness. Very few reviewers manage that.
Those are speakers which look so much better without the grill.
If I could tweak a component, it would be to add a screen to my Teminator Plus DAC. God, I hate that LED/button interface even if I love the sound it makes.

Happy new year Tarun. I'm looking forward to your reviews again in 2025. Good luck.

Happy new year Tarun.
If I could tweak one of my components it would be my Exposure 3510 integrated. I would add a proper monitor function to the tape loop, that would allow me to add a DSP or equaliser should I feel the need.
I would also tweak the speaker sockets on the exposure to make it easier to add a sub via high level inputs. Most subwoofer high level cables require the use of proper binding posts, so the banana only sockets on the Exposure are somewhat limiting in that regard. I know I can use a low level signal via the pre-out, but many deem the high level option to be best for sub integration

Thank you for putting the lb conversion in!

Happy New Year to you and yours Tarun !
I'm fairly satisfied with my current system, and have other components that I substitute when I want a little bit of a change.
I do continue to have a wandering eye when it comes to stand mount speakers. Currently have Harbeth 30.2s on the stands, but I'd love to try something from ATC or Proac. 😎
All the best for 2025.

I've been using the previous version version of SCM20SLs with Seas tweeter for ove 5 years, now coupled with two sealed 12" subs and powered with 500w monoblocks. IMO these are one of the best standmounts and I agree with your findings: they need lots of power, a sub or two, good positioning away from walls and... they have can't be listened to quiet.

Happy New Year good to see you, Thanks again for your very informative reviews

Welcome to 2025 Tarun 🙂 I know it looks a lot like 2024 at this point, but it is a work in progress. Thanks for the ATC review !

Another excellent review! Happy New Year.

Great insight into ATC, I am in the process of auditioning ATC, Apertura and Acelec swapping a pair of Sonia Faber Olympia Novas, to better suit my system which uses a Vinius passive pre amp and Audionet mono amp. Thanks for your video on the ATCs.

Happy new year!! I use old ATC SCM40's and love em.

I’ve been following your channel for about 4 years. My family is originally from England in a town called Titherington. My last name is Titterington which is a variation. My son and I are traveling to England and Scotland in August. Would love to meet you in person and share a pint or a meal. Keep up the great work.

Hello Tarun, Jolly good review and as I have had mine approximately a month I concur with your findings except the need for a subwoofer, Unless you’re into dub reggae etc. I am fortunate to have a dedicated listening room and the need for low listening levels is a moot point. They are extremely revealing of your recordings. Mine are all ripped AAD early pressings and sound wonderful. Cheers

Happy New Year and thanks for another great video.
Just to add into this for general info -
I recently upgraded from ATC SCM11's and was fortunate enough to audition the ATC19's, 20s and Alta Audio Alyssa's in my living room at the same time (Hegel 190 and Rega p8/Aria). For me, the 19's were great but dynamically more laid back than the 11's. It was only when listening very carefully that I realised there was a lot more information coming through. They were tempting but maybe not enough of a difference over the 11's for me.
The Alyssa's had far far more bass and offered a much 'fuller' sound but they are quite warm and to my ears, lacked a bit of ...sparkle/punch.
The ATCs 20's were quite different. Immensely clear and defined but they didn't half show up the quality of the recording. They gave spine tingling performances on occasion, incredible really, far better than the 19s and Alyssa's, but for me, they also came dangerously close to treble sharpness/sibilance. They were extremely analytical and I think if I had gone with them I would have had to ditch half my record collection. The occasional brilliant performances couldn't overcome the grating ones. For me they are a professional studio tool - excellent in helping the engineer to hear exactly what is going on in the music but not necessarily "kind" enough for general, albeit audiophile-level, listening. Maybe the rest of my system couldn't keep up with them?
(For info, in the end I went with Marten Duke 2's)

honestly most of us will use a sub or two even with larger speakers. i dont bother much with bass extension specs any more. you sacrifice sensitivity often and whats the point really. well done

Enjoyed the review. Good to see you back at the beginning of 2025 -- I hope you had a merry Christmas and that you will be supremely happy all through the rest of the year. 🙂
As regards tweaks to my system, I just made what I hope will be my last for a good long while and would like to share it with anyone struggling with a power amp that is a bit too powerful for their speakers. This may mean, of course, that one ends up with limited scope for travel of the volume knob of the preamp. Even with its gain set at minimum, my NAD C268 power amp attached to my acoustic invader preamp forced the maximum volume knob position to be only a little past 7 o'clock for my very sensitive open baffles.
I realised I needed a quality variable (via rotary control knob) passive attenuator between my preamp and amp and found the perfect solution in a JBL Mpatch-2 -- recently discontinued, but I picked up a nearly new one for only £80 shortly before Christmas. It's wonderful -- means I can now have the preamp's volume knob set around the 10.30 position with plenty of room for manoeuvre up or down. The attenuator doesn't degrade the sound in the slightest, and also allows for switchable connection of two power amps if required (useful for direct comparisons between a couple of other power amps I happen to have).

Happy New Year! Great review. Well done and always well stated. Firmly agree to the addition of a subwoofer for most bookshelf speaker options. I added the Classic 99 to my ProAc D2Rs this holiday - lovely combo! Cheers! 🔊

Re. tweaks, I have ATC Active 50's. I use a subwoofer to help with the bass, but I agree with you about the tweeter being a tad polite, especially for older listeners. Hence, a ribbon tweeter would be my preferred tweak. However, given the years it took to develop the new tweeter, that will never happen.

another great review. I purchased the 19s based in large part due to the review from this channel. I was very happy with them. I recently sold them and have Ryan speakers, which are great. I'd love to try these flagship ATCs some day.

Hello Tarun, I have the SCM20s and they are one of the best speakers out there. One of the under appreciated characteristics of these speakers is how long you can listen to them without any fatigue. I listen to my music constantly and can tell you that there is zero listening fatigue with the 20s. Good luck and Happy New Year!

I would almost always want to tweak the tweeter of a speaker, more details, but no to much sibilance. I especially value enough high frequency presence without it loosing connection with the mid range. It should not stand out too much or it will loose engagement. A decent amount of bass for a sense of scale and fundament is also very important. Maybe you should try contacting Audio Solutions from Lithuania, I think a speaker from their Figaro line would de right up your alley. It would be interesting too see how they compete against your British contenders.

Great review Tarun. Many thanks

The list of professional musicians and reputable recording studios that use ATC speakers is staggering. They're expensive enough to scare most away, but it's difficult to claim that they aren't worth every penny based on the brand's loyal, as well as famous customers. ATC speaker reviews are kind of rare, so thank you Tarun. And Happy New Year, sir.

Love the looks of those speakers. Great review thank you!

I purchased SCM19s after watching your review in 2020. They are everything you said they were. I trued the H190 amp but opted for the the H390 because it really woke the speakers up. I can't imagine changing for quite some time but if I did I would probably go for the active SCM40s (or 50s if I win the lottery). The SCM20s have a much better grill. The SCM19 grills are as ugly as sin so I leave them in the boxes.

Happy New Year... As Always, Great Video

Great review and Happy New Year Tarun.
I have been aware of ATC for some decades although my early HiFi career had them well beyond my budget. I have become more interested since I bought a pair and find they suit my HiFi expectations very well. I'm sure the SCM20 works well with a REL sub but it would be interesting to know how the SCM20 pairs with ATC's own smallest sub, the C1.
As a trivial aside on the topic of dual concentric drivers - not all of them require external electronics. The classic Lowther designs use a single motor to drive a three way design. The tweeter is a ring, an extension of the voice coil (the reason they need a phase plug). The midrange is the whizzer cone and the woofer the main driver. A great design but it only works properly in a horn enclosure which will always be somewhere between large and positively massive.

Hi Tarun, happy new year to you as well. Those ATC mid woofers are indeed very interesting drivers going by how you describe them. If I understand it well, they are like a modern take of the Altec BiFlex drivers. I guess they need a sealed box to sound right and as you mention probably need to be tuned for each cabinet volume. My own speakers are also a bit base light, but they sound the best with the amp I have of a few that is the lightest. So first of all I can live with it but secondly, if there was a way to have a bit more body in the base region without sacrificing their sound otherwise I would like to do that. (I have even thought about replacing the rear firing ports with SEAS passive drivers. But if that goes sideways then going back will be difficult)

Great review as always. Revela 2 and Wharfedale Aura 4 would be nice to hear your thoughts on.

The ProAc 1SCs are hard to beat. I’m glad that I purchased them nearly twenty eight years ago!

Happy New Year Tarun 🎉. I love the idea of these as passive floorstanders. I don't have room for a subwoofer and prefer floorstanders. Hope ATC watch your review.

Another great review, I have a Rega elex r mk3, I’d love Rega to make stand alone dac again, rather than making it part of the amp like the newer version of the elex r!

Hi Taryn..
Well….. In answer to your question.
As a listening (component) to my "hi-fi" set up ..(modest as it is)
I wish I had your listening /memory / knowledge to music and sound.
However, that may be a bad thing !
Because then I would be totally aware of what I’m missing …
Anyhow, I look forward to the continuing journey in 2025 of achieving those tiny steps towards acoustic Nirvana ..!
Happy New Year to you
And may I wish you continued success with your channel in 2025 .
KCB

You got me. I want to hear these 20’s!

Amazing speakers, but they struggle with low volume listening, need a subwoofer, and require a strong amp.
Not for me.
There are many other speaker choices that are close enough in performance and better fit my listening habits, gear, and room setup.
Thanks again Tarun for this superb review that helps me make the right audio choices.
Cheers.

Excelent review Tarun!! Time to review a Harbeth one??? Cheers from Argentina

All ATC's benefit from a sub as they prioritise linearity over boosted bass. I had the larger atc50 actives for 8 years along with a rel 812 sub. Sounded fantastic. I now have the very large scm150 asl and no sub. That said a good subwoofer will bring out even more from these wonderful speakers. The active atc scm20asl with a rel sub package they do is a sweet spot and gives true high end full range sound. I prefered the larger scale and dynamics of the 100 and 150's overall. Great review buddy.

Hey Tarun, great review as always. Just looked up these up on the tinterweb and noticed a huge variation in price based on how fancy your chosen finish is!
As regards to picking an item to tweak, well that’s just too easy for me as the owner of an LP12. As you know there is a never ending list of components to swap on this deck and the next such will be the fitting of my new custom top plate, already bought, with a Karousel bearing, looking for a deal in Bristol!

Definitely looking forward to your review of the Moonriver. The fact that it can drive those ATC’s..

Happy new year to you and to your family 🎆

Hi Tarun. Great review as usual. While the concentric mid and woofer design is innovative a roll off at 50Hz is just unacceptable at this price. ATC should've aimed for at least 40Hz.

Looking at ATC's website I'm not sure it's correct that the SCM19 has a different tweeter to the SCM40 (which I have). It is a little strange that the SCM20's tweeter in your video looks quite different to that on their site. Yours shows three screws holding the tweeter in place, the site shows four.
Great review though. I'll, however, continue to dream of the SCM50

Nice review. I thought ATC were a bit conspicuous by their complete absence in your end of '24 awards. Great speakers. "The lack of frivolity" comment I found very amusing.and yes they are very receptive to any system changes.I am unlikely to use any other speaker brand apart from maybe Kerr acoustics or similar studio grade monitors. p.s I hear they only change the scale not the actual frequency response across the ranges for consistency reasons.

As always, outstanding review.
However, maybe some space should be devoted to differences between rock and classical music?
I think ATC speakers are great value as rock speakers but I am not convinced about their replay of classical music.
I always regarded active ATC speakers as one of the best values in hifi, but they obviously went on a journey of ever increasing prices to capture ever diminishing hifi market.
As reviewer said, ATC speakers require powerful amps with high current drive.
So they are not as cheap in context of their market place as they look.

Happy New Year! Love the picture of Mark Knopfler with an ATC studio monitor. I assume his music would sound great on these pair. To answer your question, I wish my Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC had an input selector and remote so I could switch between inputs. Stream and run my CD player through the unit switching back and forth as needed. Hopefully their next version. I guess I’ve already started my 2025 audio wish list.

Great review!!

Hello Tarun. If this message comes under your radar I would be interested to hear your opinion about the subject. A week ago I got the new Venus 15th DAC delivered and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I was moderately happy living with my outgoing Venus 2 12th. too but the new Venus is a different beast IMO. Few months ago you compared Terminator 2 12th. to your Venus 2 and concluded that though the Terminator was a better DAC but the price difference wasn't justified
or the difference wasn't big enough to give up on your Venus 2. But
once you've heard the Venus 15th.( ex-Terminator 2 12th) you can't unhear it and the difference in price even then is still justifiable IMO. Since the new Venus 15th (ex Terminator 2 12th) is priced as just under 4000usd makes it a value king. Venus 15th. is a very good "analogue source" without the limitations of an analog source. I still think you and I have similar ears and I suspect(literally😂) you'll be reviewing the new line of Denafrips DAC's soon. I'll be curious about your opinion.
My current system...
Eversolo DMP A6 + Dark Cloud LPS
Venus 15th DAC
Bada DC222 hybrid amp (modified by Alex Peychev)
ATC SCM 19

Happy New Year to you, sir!

Happy New Year to You too !

Happy New Year to you too Tarun. I would really like you to review the equivalent Tower version of this ATC product with the active amplification. Can you find time this year to review the SCM20 ASLT ? Regards

Good stuff as always Tarun.
I'm quite happy with the sound of my rig, but the one thing I would tweak would be the appearance of my CD transport. Think Kalista or Gryphon Ethos.

I came here knowing that the IA4 would be a great partner in a resonabley sized room. I have the IA4 driving Tannoy Turnberry GR's but having owned many ATC's, I know that I'd enjoy that combination.

ATC is part of a very small list of speaker manufacturers that I will trust with my money. Too many manufacturers are here today, gone tomorrow because they get found out eventually by consumers that got burned. My dream is to own a set of ATC SCM50 PSLT towers.

Happy New Year and nice to see you back, I like the ATC brand and the esthetics but having to go through the hassle with a sub is a no go for me 😊 (also late night listening is high on my list). I think they would benefit from adding a passive radiator. For me this is now the golden standard in producing deep (enough) and thight bass, I will/can never go back to ported designs. Thanks for the great review 👌🏻

I like your shirt, happy 2025

I considered these, but went with the PMC Twenty5 22i Active instead. It would be nice to see a direct comparison between the PMC (in passive guise) and the SCM20.

I envy your no dust furniture ! :)

I've had a pair of pre SL ATC SCM20 speakers for a long while. It's still a love hate relationship. They are dark at the top and the bass, whilst tight textured and articulate, for me, always lacks a certain punch, despite soaking up masses of power. But the glorious midrange continues to have me trying to find ways of getting the top and bottom to give me the same satisfaction.

Great to see these here. The lower end on ATCs leaves much to be desired. Even the active ones for those who want to avoid the cable spaghetti.

Thank you Tarun

Tweaking existing components. Good question. I was looking for a sealed MTM but cdnt find exactly what I wanted so currently building one with closely grouped high quality drivers. Crossover is obviously the most important part

I now live in a small space and purchased the SCM 7, really enjoy them. If I had the space and budget it would be SCM 20’s

i have their SCM 7's would love to upgrade to these but i do not have the room for stands. not sure if they would work on the desk top. ATC speakers are great all rounders.

I still hear the transition sound effect in my mind even though it's not in the video anymore. Lol 😄

Some of those ribbon tweeters are employed with a rising top end for that "air" . Also may have wider horizontal dispersion in high frequencies .
Speakers with small 3/4 inch domes can sound a little airier than normal due to the wider top end