So what about powered Speakers?

@rsure - This is the first time I have heard of these cables and as such have no idea as to their performance charactristics.

I did look at their web site and could see nothing that would lead me to believe they would perform significantly better than other brands such as Audioquest, Cardas etc.

There is only mention of their connectors (the connectors  they use are nothing special) and their sheilding. I’m not a fan of heavily shielded cables because sheidling imacts performance

Personally - I would not opt for this cable because they do not mention the use of  more advanced cable design features like

• OCC wires,
• insulations having a low Dielectric Constant
• advanced cable geometry to eliminate noise

This doesn’t make them a bad cable. Many companies do not publish construction details to protect their product designs.

But companies like Zavfino, do publish the above features because they believe it helps sell their products to a more discerning buyer.

Sorry I could not be of more assitance

Regards - Steve

I'm a huge fan of powered speakers, while at the same time really skeptical of the price tags on some of them.  Focal's residential models for instance make me scratch my head.  Their pro powered speakers seem much better values. Also prettier and with better cabinets.

@erik_squires wrote:

I'm a huge fan of powered speakers, while at the same time really skeptical of the price tags on some of them.  Focal's residential models for instance make me scratch my head.  Their pro powered speakers seem much better values. Also prettier and with better cabinets.

With the linked ATC EL50's above you pay extra mainly for the luxury finish and limited production uptick. There's a redesigned amp section, as well as some additional features that don't relate to sonics. By comparison their sibling SCM50ASL Pro uses the exact same drivers and overall amp and filter topology, but can be had for 1/5 the price here in Europe at least (i.e.: €17,500/pair). They sound great, I might add. 

Taking things a bit further the SCM300ASL Pro with outboard 4-channel 850W total per channel mono blocks + electronic crossover can be had for 2/3 the price (i.e.: €55,000/pair) of the EL50's, and they sport dual 15" woofers per speaker. Great speakers. 

Still, going by the package of the EL50's at $100k/pair the comparison made in the TAS review to the passive speakers at similar-ish prices incl. suggested amp pairings doesn't put the EL50's in a disadvantage, so it seems to me there may a blind spot when looking at the value of the passive speaker variants - certainly if the EL50's are deemed overly pricey (as anniversary editions at that). Aiming our gaze at their pro siblings just mentioned it should be clear however that these are indeed a good value, also having in mind that they haven't been voiced differently compared to the domestic versions - incl. the EL50's. 

ATC oft misses the mark communicating how special their designs are.  Crated in the moment I’ve ATC SCM 50SE towers.  Their literature fails to inform completely.

Found a German review of the 50SE towers months ago.  Confirmed with several other sources that indeed their amplification is much upgraded in the SE model:

[ Continuing, they say, "The amp pack employed in the SCM50Se differs from that in the lower level products in that it does not use any IC op-amps within the circuit design. All the op-amps are discrete transistor types of ATC’s own design, and use 22 devices per stage. The discrete implementation results in the lowest possible noise and distortion, and far greater resolution for the listener. This discrete version of our ’Amp Pack’ also features a separate power transformer for the line level stages and additional voltage smoothing and regulation.

Each mosfet amplifier operates in class A/B. Previous designs ran 1/3 of their output in class A, making them run slightly more than warm, though well shy of hot. So, you might be thinking that building an amplifier inside a wooden box sounds like a bad idea, especially for a warm running amplifier in a beautiful lacquered, wooden box. ATC employs effective chimneys on the back side and on top, as pictured below. The amps do indeed produce warmth, but never so much that I could not leave my hand on the speaker as long as I liked, including after listening sessions that lasted several hours. ]

Why that tidbit is excluded from all ATC lit and reviews with the exception of the Germans is beyond me.  I can only be convinced the same applies to the new EL 50s.  Not an endorsement of the EL 50 as I’ve no idea.  But, like Porsche building a sports car, they probably have it right, enormous investment in design and build not always seen nor completely appreciated.

@rsure - also take a look at Audio Envy Cables

• Audio Envy Technology

They are more reasonably priced and offer some of the very latest tachnology and design principles.

I would have menioned them sooner, but I had forgotten the name (getting old sucks)

Regards - Steve

Regards