ATC Announces Availability of SCM12 Pro High-Performance, Passive Near-Field Monitor

	ATC's SCM12 Pro and P1 Pro

UK specialist British loudspeaker drive unit and complete sound reproduction system manufacturer ATC announces upcoming availability of the SCM12 Pro -- an all-new high-performance, two-way compact passive nearfield monitor -- as of October 3.

As an all-new design, the SCM12 Pro proffers ATC's acclaimed performance at a lower price point without compromising component quality and achieves this in a more compact, installation-friendly footprint ideally suited to nearfield monitoring as well as multichannel music and post-production applications.

"Anyone who has been waiting for an ATC nearfield with a smaller footprint, that is more easily installed, or that is more affordable, yet still delivers undiminished ATC performance, then the SCM12 Pro could be for them." So says ATC technical sales manager Ben Lilly, before adding: "ATC R&D manager Richard Newman has poured the same knowhow, time, and passion into this new model that has made the rest of the professional product line so successful. Users will find that productions completed using the SCM12 Pro will translate beautifully to other systems and that their incredibly low distortion makes listening to them a pleasure -- even after long hours in the studio. At under £1,150.00 per pair, they may prove ideal for those seeking to upgrade ageing, hard-to-repair passive studio monitors."

Though the SCM12 Pro is the most affordable model in ATC's professional range of loudspeakers, the monitor makes use of the company's celebrated drive units for both the mid/bass and tweeter, both being meticulously hand built at its UK facility.

The tweeter is a 25mm/1" soft-dome designed around ATC's unique dual-suspension technology. Unlike conventional tweeters, this precision part employs two suspensions, offering far greater control of the voice coil and dome motion -- especially at higher sound pressure levels. The result is an extended high-frequency response with much greater clarity and definition due to the reduction in disturbing anharmonic distortion. Listener fatigue is also greatly reduced, resulting in users being able to work for longer periods with greater accuracy.

At the lower end of the frequency spectrum, mid/bass reproduction is handled by ATC's 150mm/6" proprietary CLD drive unit. Using a 45mm/1.75" diameter voice coil, and employing an FEA (finite element analysis) optimized high-energy symmetric gap motor system, the driver is capable of tremendous dynamic range with minimal power compression. Cone construction is courtesy of another proprietary ATC technology that represents another advance in driver performance -- namely, constrained layer damping (CLD), a process that uses multiple laminated fabric cones to form a stiff, light, and tremendously well-damped structure. Speaking acoustically, this construction creates a smoother on- and off-axis frequency response and also a reduction in distortion leading to a more lifelike reproduction of source material. Meaningfully, judgements and decisions can be made more quickly, more accurately, and for longer periods of time by busy working audio professionals.

By employing exceptional drive units, the passive crossover can, by design, use the minimum number of components in a simple, second-order implementation. Indeed, the capacitors are all 250Vdc metalized polypropylene and all the inductors are air-cored types for minimal signal distortion. Additionally, all of the inductors are wound in house with very high-purity copper while large-gauge wire is used for the bass components to minimize signal losses.

Looking beyond the release of the superb-sounding SCM12 Pro, an install-specific sibling, the SCM12i, will be available as of first quarter 2017. This model will feature threaded mounting points to mate with widely-available wall and ceiling brackets from K&M and Adaptive Technologies to simplify installation -- incredibly useful in complex multichannel systems, such as those required by Auro 3-D, Dolby ATMOS, or DTS:X.

The company says discerning audio professionals always appreciate that exceptional passive monitors require exceptional amplification; as far as the SCM12 Pro is concerned, the best possible results will be achieved when it is partnered with ATC's own range of stereo power amplifiers. As such, the 150W-per-channel P1 Pro dual-mono power amplifier is the perfect partner -- both in terms of power output and its outstanding resolution, resulting from technology originally developed for ATC's high-end active monitoring systems. So customers can comfortably make the upgrade to an all-ATC monitoring and amplification system, an attractive package price will be offered for purchasing the two products simultaneously.

"Simple, well-engineered products almost always trump feature-rich, cost-engineered alternatives, and ATC's SCM12 Pro has been duly designed with that philosophy very much intact," according to the company. Its neutral fidelity makes it a very versatile proposition, one which -- when backed up with the company's six-year warranty -- makes for a high-value, long-term investment for anyone looking to upgrade their monitoring system.

Audio professional or otherwise, witness the performance of these two new products alongside the company's full professional product range by visiting ATC at EastWest Studios (Studio Two), 6000 West Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, California, from Friday, September 30 to Saturday, October 1, 2016. ATC and US distributor TransAudio Group will also be hosting a press-only event from 7:00 - 8:00pm on Friday, September 30 (just prior to the AES Party in Studio One at EastWest Studios). The SCM12 Pro will also be being showcased Stateside by Vintage King Audio throughout the 141st AES Convention, September 29 - October 1, 2016 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California.

The British-built SCM12 Pro will be available as of October 3, 2016.