Product Strengths

• ATC designs and builds every drive unit in-house, including voice coils, crossovers, and active amplification, allowing for complete control over every loudspeaker design decision
• In the active version, a more clearly defined soundstage has clearer, more well-defined individual elements, where everything pops out more from the background
• The active version has more energy, drive, and a more vivid overall presentation, resulting in a more tactile, energetic, and higher resolution sound
• The SCM50's woofer has an enviable ability to resolve textures and timbral colors, capably rendering the skins of bass drums, the flutter of tom-toms, or the dark voicing of orchestral bass viols as bows are dragged across their strings
• The SCM50 has an almost eerie immediacy that seems to glean the intent of the musician before their bow touches the string or a note escapes their lips, making piano reproduction breathtaking
• Connectivity is limited to a single XLR input, which may require adapters for single-ended sources

Product Considerations

• The active version is heavier than the passive version
• The owner must manually turn each speaker on and off, as there is no trigger or auto startup circuit
• The active version may pose challenges for owners of subwoofers needing high-level wiring connections, although workarounds exist
• Careful attention must be paid to positioning a pair of SCM50s, as the full-bandwidth—ported design means that placing them too close to a boundary wall will result in bass bloom

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• SCM50 wins hands down over PureAudioProject Duet 15s for resolution, clarity, and dynamic shading
• The active version excels over the passive in solidity of soundstage, neutrality, and ultimate detail retrieval

Takeaway: The ATC SCM50 offers exceptional sound quality, whether in its active or passive configuration, thanks to ATC's engineering and in-house design. The ATC SCM50 is a choice that will bring musical joy for years to come.

Product Strengths

• Improved phase or timing enhances stereo imaging and creates a clearer overall picture
• The active version removes a 'filter' between the listener and the original source, making music more intense, energetic—and vivid—resulting in higher resolution audio
• Vocals are presented bigger, taller, grander in scale, with more detail and insight—most impressively—how natural they sound
• Dynamics and micro-detail are impressive, expressed in ambient noises, breaths of singers—and fingernails of guitarists
• ATC monitors are designed to provide the best from both areas: detailed and accurate with limited dynamic range, and professional monitors with great dynamic range and fidelity

Product Considerations

• ATC speakers like to be played loudly, like the original event, and live music isn't created at volume levels for going to sleep; if you like to be lulled by your audio system, look elsewhere
• The speakers get quite a bit heavier with the amplifier packs in them
• You have to manually turn each speaker on and off, as there is no trigger system designed into them
• System organisation and cabling has to be considered because it might be quite different to how you have things wired now in a passive system, and this could mean extra cost on top
• If you don't have an amplifier to connect your high level wiring to, you would need to either use a preamplifier with an output you can use, or maybe use a splitter on the balanced cable

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs ATC SCM50 PSL (Passive): The active SCM50 ASL is more vivid overall, while the passive is more 'cuddly'
• Vs ATC SCM20: The 50s are more like the same person—only bigger

Takeaway: The SCM50 ASL offers a technically better and more vivid listening experience due to its active design, bringing listeners closer to the original sound. If one wants a speaker for serious listening and appreciate high-resolution audio, this could be a great choice.

Product Strengths

• Straightforward, direct, and honest sound
• Extremely listenable top end that's toned down a mite
• Solid and pleasing midrange
• Rock solid bass
• Exhibits a family sound between the models, making it difficult to distinguish between them, at least in this context

Product Considerations

• Price may be high compared to the UK price

Takeaway: The SCM100ASLT Active Driver Tower loudspeaker has an honest and pleasing sound with solid bass. It encourages you to get up and dance.

Product Strengths

• Most affordable way into the true 800 series form factor, with the solid aluminum turbine head and the fully curved matrix-braced cabinet
• Features a one-inch diamond dome tweeter, which is a standout strength
• Midrange and vocal region from the Bowers favor a leaner, more technically accurate sound, going for outright clarity, and vocals sound particularly clear and clean
• Bases have casters integrated or built into them, making them easy speakers to move around for optimal positioning, and integrated spikes can then be used to securely position them
• Show-stoppingly gorgeous and sound simply fantastic

Product Considerations

• A much fussier speaker in every regard and require more thought and work to get the sound balance right
• Possible to come across maybe a little bit too lively in the treble
• Amplifier power, quality, and capability is hugely influential—hugely important for these speakers
• Due to their revealing nature, they don't play particularly well with poorer recordings such as metal and older rock
• Tweeter can get fairly harsh when the volume is turned to the extreme, pushing 90+ db for louder music

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Bowers & Wilkins are a much fussier speaker in every regard than the Mission 770
• Paradigm Persona 5H is a little more "liquid" sounding
• Wilson Audio SabrinaX's finish is superior to that of the Bowers & Wilkins, dynamic, easy to drive, with a very familiar and very resolute sound
• Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4s are refined like an Aston Martin, and Tekton Ulfberhts are more like a Corvette C8
• Bowers & Wilkins 805D4 lacks the midrange prowess that the 803 has, and will most definitely need a subwoofer for even mild extension into bass

Takeaway: The 803 D4 speakers offer a fantastic listening experience with clear vocals and a grand soundstage, making music more engaging. They are an investment that can potentially improve over a long period of time through system upgrades and continued optimization.

Product Strengths

• Delivers a large, detailed—and scalable—sound that doesn't lose quality at different volumes
• Excels in creating a wide and deep soundstage, enhancing the listening experience with a sense of expansiveness
• Is emotionally engaging, creating a connection between the listener and the music
• The Uni-Q driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) significantly improves sound quality by absorbing unwanted frequencies, resulting in clearer and more accurate high-frequency reproduction
• Offers customisation for bass tuning with different port options to suit various room acoustics

Product Considerations

• Is a large and heavy speaker, requiring a substantial space and stable flooring
• Represents a significant investment
• While generally easy to drive, benefits from high-quality amplification to reveal its full potential

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs Audiovector R6 Arreté: R6 Arreté sounds extremely weightless and transparent, but doesn't have the same depth of bass as the Reference 5 Meta
• Vs Sonus Faber Serafino Tradition: The Serafino deliver the music nicely wrapped in a warm envelope that's very addictive, while the Reference 5 Meta focuses on detail and transparency

Takeaway:

The KEF Reference 5 Meta is a high-end loudspeaker that provides a detailed, emotionally engaging—and expansive—sound experience. With its advanced technology and customizable features, it is a great option for those looking to invest in a top-tier audio system.