Focal SM9 or ATC SCM25A Pro?

[AlexK]

There's a massive great big thread about this very same question somewhere. Have a search.

Between Focal and ATC in general, I'd pick the ATC offerings, but Focals are great speakers...

[Magucci]

I heard the ATC 25 and they sounded great to me.
But something tells me that the Focal SM9 might be better.
However both are great monitors.

[GearNerd]

Originally Posted by Magucci

I heard the ATC 25 and they sounded great to me.
But something tells me that the Focal SM9 might be better.
However both are great monitors.

What is that "something" that tells you Focals might be better?

My hunch goes to ATC, maybe because the price difference...

[Magucci]

Originally Posted by GearNerd

What is that "something" that tells you Focals might be better?

My hunch goes to ATC, maybe because the price difference...

I haven't heard the Focal SM9 yet, but what I've read and heard from other people who tested them is amazing.
I have to hear them myself and make a decision.
The fact that you don't need a sub with the SM9 is great. The 2-way mode might be very useful as well.

[FullCount]

From what i hear(meaning, from others) the ATC are superior.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

I can't compare the two for you, as the Focals were not available when I bought the ATCs. But I've no regrets, and most visitors are amazed at the sound. Of course if you can compare them you should. But I'll be happy going forward with the ATCs. (Just for balance, my previous monitors in the studio were Dunlavys, Westlakes, Genelecs, 308s and NS10s. These are in my home writing recording room.)

[Frank Oglethorpe]

PMC AML2 's. Accurate, low low distortion, linear, amazing low end. Try them if you can, you won't regret it.

[ECM]

Heard the SM9 recently and the ATC's ARE still a big level up from the higher end Focal's especially for general detail and their immense mid detail. But for low sub frequencies the SM9 expose more down there. Depends what you want really, better general detail and a micro scope on the mid range, or something with less detail / but goes deeper / exposes more down low.

For our work sub needed with the ATC's (But I prefer other monitors over the SM9 personally)

[epp]

For accuracy, you want a soft dome for mids.

[GearNerd]

Looks like ATC is winning the accuracy battle so far with all the opinions!

[mixerguy]

I have used the ATC 25s and they were amazing. amazing. amazing.

as an aside - generally speaking - and I have used various PMCs before... I think ATCs beat them, hands down.

[GearNerd]

Originally Posted by mixerguy

I have used the ATC 25s and they were amazing. amazing. amazing.

as an aside - generally speaking - and I have used various PMCs before... I think ATCs beat them, hands down.

So are the ATCs the most amazing speakers ever? Or are there even more amazing speakers?

[warhead]

Just a comment in general, we really need some kind of crazy monitor comparison weekend somewhere with all the majors represented and start putting some context on all of the new speaker choices out there. People are sooo confused and this is a valid question (aside from the fact that nobody can tell you that you will like a speaker immediately, an hour later, or at the end of the day, or after a mix, to top it all off, in your actual room positioned correctly or incorrectly).

War

[Clueless]

Originally Posted by warhead

Just a comment in general, we really need some kind of crazy monitor comparison weekend somewhere with all the majors represented and start putting some context on all of the new speaker choices out there. People are sooo confused and this is a valid question (aside from the fact that nobody can tell you that you will like a speaker immediately, an hour later, or at the end of the day, or after a mix, to top it all off, in your actual room positioned correctly or incorrectly).

War

The second point [matching of the monitor to the room] is far more important than the first [how a monitor sounds in an arbitrary room]. The best approach is to pick the budgetary parameters (size, cost, expected frequency response) and then bring in every product that fits the criteria and start listening. Different rooms by the same designer in the same facility are going to love or shame monitors in different and sometimes surprising ways (as we learned when we did our own shootouts).

In general, if you have a really fantastic control room, you can hear how much better a $50,000 pair of monitors sounds than a $25,000 pair. If you have a terribly crappy room, you might be delighted to learn that a $600 pair of monitors sounds not much worse than a $6,000 pair of monitors. But in the big middle between the two, the relationship between the room and the monitors is incredibly complex, and only a specific test will reveal whether the $10,000 pair delivers the goods vs. a $2,000 pair, or whether one $6,000 pair is better or worse in a given frequency range than another $6,000 pair.

[TonyD]

Having heard and used both in practice, I can say that for me the ATCs win out. As others have pointed out, the SM9s are incredible speakers and they reveal a little more at the very bottom (the sub on those things is insane!). They're also more flexible in that they have the '2-way sealed' setting as well as the '3-way passive radiator' setting so you get two quite different monitoring solutions in a single box.

However, I found them (as I find all Focals) a little soft. My mixes came out hard, and I do mostly rock, so that 1-5kHz range for guitars/vocal bite is absolutely critical. The ATCs are just amazing throughout the range, very revealing and more balanced to my ears.

I would say though that if I were recording country, jazz or pop a lot more the SM9s would be much more useful to me. To be honest, you cannot go wrong with either set!

[Rsantana]

Good to hear considering the price point I was able to return my focal twins and upgrade to the sm9s. I mostly produce techno and dance music so this review made my day and puts my mind at rest. Thanks!

[GearNerd]

Anyone have new insight to this battle?

[Rsantana]

Originally Posted by epp

For accuracy, you want a soft dome for mids.

Originally Posted by GearNerd

Anyone have new insight to this battle?

I can't tell you after 3 or so weeks mixing with the Sm9s they are great.
If you need a lot of low end detail the Sm 9s are incredible.
If you want midrange detail and don't need that low end freq response. The Atc's will be your clear winner.

[alecsribet]

Hi guys which speakers between those two tend to show harsh frequencies and make a bigger contrast between mediocre and stunning mixes ??

Which one has the slap in the face instead of the pat on the back attitude when something is not right/harsh/aggressive in a mix ??

Which one has more detailed mids ??

Brutal hard honesty ??

[alecsribet]

Originally Posted by TonyD

Having heard and used both in practice, I can say that for me the ATCs win out. As others have pointed out, the SM9s are incredible speakers and they reveal a little more at the very bottom (the sub on those things is insane!). They're also more flexible in that they have the '2-way sealed' setting as well as the '3-way passive radiator' setting so you get two quite different monitoring solutions in a single box.

However, I found them (as I find all Focals) a little soft. My mixes came out hard, and I do mostly rock, so that 1-5kHz range for guitars/vocal bite is absolutely critical. The ATCs are just amazing throughout the range, very revealing and more balanced to my ears.

I would say though that if I were recording country, jazz or pop a lot more the SM9s would be much more useful to me. To be honest, you cannot go wrong with either set!

I have a big problem with soft sounding monitors as well as mixed played on high spl systems tend to exaggerate the hard sounds.

Which speakers do you use that can slap when things sounds harsh hard and aggressive please ?

[integrated]

ATC 25's are greater and always win.

I'm planing to get 50's so I'm giving away 25's if anyone interested PM me ..

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by GearNerd

So are the ATCs the most amazing speakers ever? Or are there even more amazing speakers?

Within their price range and design, they are pretty sweet. I don't believe anyone has claimed more.

[Aith]

Bumping this since i am in the market for monitors and it came down to the atc's or the focals..

Doing commercial pop/electro pop, some modern rock stuff, but mostly mainstream electro. I 've been troubled with the bass comments made about the atc

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by Aith

Bumping this since i am in the market for monitors and it came down to the atc's or the focals..

Doing commercial pop/electro pop, some modern rock stuff, but mostly mainstream electro. I 've been troubled with the bass comments made about the atc

I bought the ATCs and am a very happy camper. I've had several people in to listen, in particular a good friend with a complete Cello setup (my previous setup was Dunlavy/Cello) and we're all loving the bass. In my room, listening to commercially released music. (Silly to test them with unfamiliar music.)

[Dpro]

ATC's win hands down. spent an afternoon with them, it was shocking. The Focals were in the room as well. The ATC's are just at a whole different level.

[Jantex]

Yesterday heard both. No comparison, really. ATCs all the way...really didn't expect such a difference, but ATCs really sound like another class. ATCs sound pure, true and with the greatest mid resolution I have ever heard. They go low, are tighter than Focals and really without a hint of distortion. Focals go lower, but I really didn't like their lows.

If you are doing mostly live music, jazz, rock, classical, where the live instrumetns are involved I suggest ATCs. If you are doing mostly electronic, then Focals can be a good choice.

For live music I would even prefer Twins and even Event Opals over SM9, I don't know, but they really sound HiFi-smooth. Even the peakiest and harsh electric guitars sounded acceptable with them. Same with sibilant vocals...SM9 simply passed them. Don't get me wrong, they sound great, but they make even the harsh stuff sound great, which is not good in my opinion.

[alecsribet]

Originally Posted by Jantex

For live music I would even prefer Twins and even Event Opals over SM9, I don't know, but they really sound HiFi-smooth. Even the peakiest and harsh electric guitars sounded acceptable with them. Same with sibilant vocals...SM9 simply passed them. Don't get me wrong, they soung great, but they make even harsh stuff sound great which is not good in my opinion.

This is why I hate them and wouldn't recommend Focals to serious perfectionist mixing engineers. Everything sounds damn acceptable on them, even the harsh s***t and crappy sibilances.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by Dpro

ATC's win hands down. spent an afternoon with them, it was shocking. ... The ATC's are just at a whole different level.

The problem for me was it made me want 150s!

[Aith]

Originally Posted by Jantex

Yesterday heard both. No comparison, really. ATCs all the way...really didn't expect such a difference, but ATCs really sound like another class. ATCs sound pure, true and with the greatest mid resolution I have ever heard. They go low, are tighter than Focals and really without a hint of distortion. Focals go lower, but I really didn't like their lows.

If you are doing mostly live music, jazz, rock, classical, where the live instrumetns are involved I suggest ATCs. If you are doing mostly electronic, then Focals can be a good choice.

For live music I would even prefer Twins and even Event Opals over SM9, I don't know, but they really sound HiFi-smooth. Even the peakiest and harsh electric guitars sounded acceptable with them. Same with sibilant vocals...SM9 simply passed them. Don't get me wrong, they sound great, but they make even the harsh stuff sound great, which is not good in my opinion.

Why would you not want to the atc when doing electronic music too then? Is it the partial lack of bass?