ATC SCM 7 V.3 and

Aside from loudness buttons and great recordings (which is a big part of it)...i think having your system in good form to begin with is really necessary for a speaker to be able to perform at optimum low level...Speaker well run in,Quality stands/sound anchors work.Speaker placement dialed in...components properly decoupled made a huge difference for my system.I sometimes wonder how far people go to achieve optimum performance...At one point i was ready to off my atc 19 because i just wasnt hearing what i thought these speaker's should be capable of.It wasnt the speaker but was my lack of attention to stands and setup that was keeping them from performing.That done made all the difference... Not always the speaker that is the weak link.

digsmithd: wise words. I go in and out of major recording studios and also stores with speaker displays; set up is a HUGE issue that affects everyone everywhere. The biggest surprise to me is how people do not experiment with different speaker placement, different seating positions, different stands, changing things up to see if anything makes it noticeably better. Its shocking how much stands affect the speaker. I recommend sound anchor in pro as the speakers always sound better on them. Setting the speakers on consoles or desks is NOT the way to get performance. Using light weight stands cause "ringing" to be added to the speaker sound. I could not find any wooden stands or light metal stands that sound great to me. Ridiculous to spend 4 or 5K on a speaker only to have a $100 stand ruin it. Same idea with a tonearm on a turntable- it helps the cartridge sound better.

Brad

I hope SCM7 will sound good at low level listening in view of small room and not to disturb neighbourhood.

I am not sure about this. I’ve read many posts saying the ATCs don’t do low volume as good as the Harbeth. They need to be played at moderate to higher volumes to open up and sound good. At low volume it’s all treble with little to zero midrange and bass with the ATC. Not sure how true is this.

@ryder I just got my SCM 11 a week ago.  There is no issue listening at low level , my integrated amplifier is with AAVA analog vari-gain amplifier  loudness control though.  According to its entry brochure, one can listen at low level or then gradually increase the volume to sufficient sound pressure level depends on room size , listening distance etc. 

Auronthas, that is good to know. The ATCs are great speakers. There are few owners who use top-flight Naim amps with the speakers particularly SCM19. The Accuphase E280 and SCM11 look like an interesting combination.

Enjoy~