The sound
Contents
We know ATC as a very neutral playing brand with a beautiful open and detailed middle area. That’s partly thanks to that beautiful dome midrange. An example of an affordable model that has this unit is the SCM40 floor stand. One step above that is the SCM50.
When we listen to the ATC HTS40, we hear the same qualities and signature, but it all seems a bit ‘restrained’. A little too sweet. Vocals are presented in a very stable manner, don’t get us wrong. And the focus is remarkably good. even with the speakers almost 3 metres apart. But it’s not the directness we’re used to from the SCM40 or SCM19 V2.
Subje
Let’s just point out a few things. When we watch some movies we hear a few obvious qualities: the spreading throughout the room is very good. Also the clarity and resolution of the middle area. At Star Trek Discovery, the effects fly though the room and around our head. Yet al the clarity and openness remains.
However, we do miss some punch and depth in the bass. That seems crazy when we look at the specifications. After all: 32Hz at -6 dB… that should be enough. But it just isn’t. We don’t feel it. We really recommend a subwoofer for this speaker.
When it comes to music, the lack in bass is less obvious. Although house or electronic music like Massive Attack is more critical in that area. What immediately strikes you with music playback, however, is that it sounds very good. Very smooth and fast. As – let’s say – we are used to with an ATC speaker. Muse, Adele, Massive Attack, Amos Lee … …everything sounds like a hi-fi speaker would play it. And that’s not always the case with a cinema setup.
Reservation?
So why the reservations in this story? It’s hard to tell. We’re just missing the ‘sparkle’ we know from ATCs we’ve heard and reviewed before. That magical middle area. That tight, deep bass reproduction… it’s not really how we experience this ATC HTS40. That doesn’t make this a bad loudspeaker at all. It just doesn’t make it ATC in our opinion. Anyway; that’s our opinion.