"Over the past 13 years, the SCM25A Pro has proven to be both exceptionally popular and a valuable tool in the modern studio," says ATC Technical Sales Manager Ben Lilly. "However, we knew we could make improvements to performance, and also offer improved consistency with the rest of the Pro product range while ensuring that we had greater control of the manufacturing process."
As a compact, three-way, high-performance active studio monitor, the SCM25A Pro Mk2 is based around a 6.5" bass driver loaded in a ported/vented enclosure, tuned to 32kHz and featuring a 3" diameter port with flared entry and exit to minimize port air noise. ATC says the result is extended bass response in a modest 25-litre/0.9 cubic foot size make it ideal for nearfield monitoring across a wide range of critical applications.
All new to the SCM25A Pro Mk2 is its high-frequency driver, ATC having replaced its popular predecessor’s OEM part with its own ‘S-SPEC’ SH25-76S, manufactured in-house with a no-compromise engineering approach. The SH25-76S premium soft-dome, dual-suspension tweeter is the same exact driver already fitted to the two-way SCM20A Pro and larger, three-way SCM45A Pro, SCM50A Pro, SCM100A Pro, SCM110A Pro, and SCM150A Pro models since 2015.
This driver is a 1" soft-dome design, handling high frequencies above 3.5kHz, which unlike almost any other tweeter with that size currently on the market, employs both an upper and lower suspension to better support and control the coil and dome motion. This, therefore, makes for a narrower magnetic gap, resulting in higher magnetic flux, which, in turn, extends the high-frequency response and reduces 3rd harmonic distortion.
As ATC R&D Manager Richard Newman notes, "We feel the new tweeter lifts the capability of the SCM25A Pro Mk2 to a higher level, retaining the outstanding balance of the monitor, but extending the high-frequency response and reducing distortion to really help lower-level detail in the high-frequency band cut through. This will greatly aid faster decision-making and outstanding translation outside of the studio.”
Meanwhile, mid-band frequencies between 380Hz and 3.5kHz are handled by ATC’s acclaimed 3" soft-dome midrange driver, duly combining high-efficiency, high-power handling, low distortion, and wide dispersion characteristics to ensure class-leading performance for the SCM25A Pro Mk2 in this critical frequency range. As a mainstay of ATC’s Pro product range, the same midrange is uses in eight of the brand's models, helping to deliver consistency from nearfield through to main monitors.
These mid- and high-frequency elements are supported by the already mentioned 6.5" proprietary bass driver that takes care of the SCM25A Pro Mk2’s low frequencies below 380Hz. This woofer features a carbon-loaded paper cone while the driver motor employs a short-coil operating in a long magnetic gap, helping to minimize distortion generated by drive force modulation. Additionally, a large 2" voice coil and generous excursion capability ensure outstanding dynamic range.
Ultimately, crossovers are 4th order Linkwitz-Riley and all-pass filters are included to optimize the phase response through the crossover regions, improving the tonal quality and imaging, as well as on- and off-axis frequency response. Furthermore, FET (Field-Effect Transistor) peak limiters are included to reduce amplifier ‘hard-clipping’, while POWER/LIMIT is indicated — ‘on’ and ‘active’ — by a front panel-mounted bi-color LED.
The new SCM25A Pro Mk2 compact, three-way, high-performance active studio monitors are available March 1, 2023 for $9,490 USD as a left- and right-orientated pair.
www.atc.audio/professional
