The active 40’s sound better, or at least respond better at lower volumes compared to the passive 40’s I had but it might have been the gear I was using. It’s not so much that ATC’s sound poor at low volumes, they still sound good. It’s just that they sound VERY good at moderate to high volumes and it is easy to get carried away. I never felt they were lacking anything during late night listening. The amp being used was a Bryston 14B Cubed. Even my small bedroom speakers (SCM10 Signature Edition) were better at moderate volumes no matter what amp I used.
ATC SCM40As sound quality at low voume
I recently became very intrigued by the concept of powered speakers with active crossovers, particularly the ATC SCM40A. I read all the reviews I could find and more than one of them mentioned that while they sounded great at loud volume levels, they sounded poor at low volumes. I was surprised. I'm not used to hearing that. I'm not really sure what could explain this. In the grand scheme of things, I'd much rather have a speaker that played loud without strain, but I do often listen to music during "quiet hours" when I shouldn't disturb others in the house. Has anyone experienced the ATCs at lower volumes? Does anyone have an explanation?