ATC has announced the upcoming availability of the SCM12 Pro, described as an all-new high-performance, two-way compact passive nearfield monitor. They say that, 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.

ATC Technical Sales Manager Ben Lilly,told us, "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. 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."

Here's the details in ATC's own words...

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/one-inch 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/six-inch proprietary CLD drive unit. Using a 45mm/1.75-inch diameter voice coil, and employing an FEA (Finite Element Analysis) optimised 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.

Put it another way: 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 metalised 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 minimise signal losses.

Looking beyond the release of the superb-sounding SCM12 Pro, an install-specific sibling, the SCM12i, will be available as of Q1 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.

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. Its neutral fidelity makes it a very versatile proposition, one which -- when backed up with the company's industry-leading six-year warranty -- makes for a high-value, longterm investment for anyone looking to upgrade their monitoring system. So now is the time to consider EQ'ing, balancing, and editing faster, with more consistent results and reduced listening fatigue using the latest nearfield monitoring marvel from ATC.

Pricing and Availability:
The British-built SCM12 Pro will be available as of October 3, 2016 at a UK RRP of £1,146.00 GBP (plus VAT) per pair or partnered with the P1 Pro dual-mono power amplifier -- carrying a UK RRP of £2,165.00 GBP (plus VAT) -- at a package price of £2,880.00 GBP (plus VAT), representing a 10% saving over product purchasing separately.

For information, availability, and pricing in the United States, please contact Transaudio Group.

More information:

• ATC

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