The ATC Sound
Contents
We mainly compared the ATC CD2 with the streaming setup where the Sonnet Pasithea serves as d/a converter. To do so, we exclusively compared CDs with CD rips of the same CD. Apples to apples, so to say.
In price, this comparison is totally unfair. However, the ATC CD2 holds its own pretty well! The difference is not at all as big as you might think.
Grunt
What stands out is that this ATC CD2 sounds like…. an ATC. We have no idea how they do it, but it really is. Like the SCA2, this CD2 from ATC also has a nice energetic character with the midrange playing a prominent role. This can be heard on all of our test tracks. Whether it’s Portishead, Blof, A Perfect Circle or Tool … the ATC gives it “balls”. It’s very palatable.
Now ATC manages to pack a very fine balance between low, mid and treble. The open mids and treble never become annoying or intrusive. We switch back and forth a few times during the listening test to observe the differences between the Alpha Streaming setup and this ATC CD2. This helps us know better where the differences lie and where to place this ATC.
It is noticeable that the Sonnet brings a bit more calmness and plays a bit more “laid back” than the ATC. However, the ATC is not sharp or annoyingly intrusive. It is simply more energetic. And with certain types of music, that’s even just really nice, because it does bring the kick and grunt that that music calls for.
Overall
We did get surprised by this compact but very fine player from ATC. The CD2 shows that CDs sound incredibly good and that it can easily compete with a very decent streamer. And that without the hassle of networks, tablets and online services. Not to mention ripping CDs…. Yes… CD is and remains a rock-solid music format. Even 40 years after the fact, it just sounds super.
