Intro
Contents
OK, it hasn’t really been 30 years since ATC introduced the SCA2, but it is pretty close; 1996 in fact. In that time, nothing has changed about the design. And that is pretty special these days! ATC takes ‘never change a winning formula’ very seriously… And rightly so: what a beautiful machine this is.
Not surprisingly, ATC has targeted the SCA2 preamp at users of their active speakers. It even says on their website that the SCA2 is in fact made to be used with the ATC active series. But – and the website also says this – that it can also be excellently combined with a nice power amplifier. And so that’s how we tested the ATC SCA2.
No nonsense
You will not find any Bling at ATC. Both in the field of speakers and electronics, ATC simply offers rock-solid products – with very slippery feet in the case of the SCA2! – that are made to last. This is not to say that the workmanship is ‘so-so’… on the contrary. What we are saying is that ATC simply does not apply unnecessary ‘opschmuck’. Stuff that makes a device more expensive than it needs to be.
Now the ATC SCA2 is not a cheap preamplifier. You will have to pony up 10,000 Euros at the dealer. However, you do get a solidly built preamplifier with an ultra-transparent character (more about this later) from a manufacturer that has played the hifi / high-end audio game a few times already. Check out the company’s history. And read some reviews (don’t click away yet please). ATC has simply made its mark.
Basically, this ATC SCA2 is almost 30 years old (at the time of writing). The first SCA2 rolled off the assembly line in 1996. And yes: the design has remained completely the same. Is that a bad thing? Well… no, because what’s good stays good. And apparently ATC does not see the need to make a “new” one.
The complete circuit is discrete in construction and is fully in Class A (which is the case with practically all decent preamplifiers by the way). What is special about the SCA2 is its bandwidth of 500 KHz. We don’t see that very often. A large bandwidth requires a very fast circuit and it prevents phase shifts within the working area of the speakers. What the advantages of this are, we hope we do not have to explain.
Inputs and outputs
First, ATC… why are the left and right connections reversed? That’s just goofy… but well…. crazy Brits.
Also, it’s funny to see that the ATC SCA2 has a switch for ‘record’. We never really see that anymore. It shows well in which era this pre-amp was developed and that ATC also has studio roots. After all: in a studio it is useful to have both a record-out and a line-out as well as a monitor option. That way you can always switch between sources without the recording stopping. For the consumer it is less useful …
The ATC SCA2 offers plenty of inputs and outputs. For example, there are two balanced inputs and six single ended inputs as standard. An optional phono board is available which is suitable for both MM and MC. (For that you sacrifice the AUX2 input.) Of course, gain, capacitance and termination resistance are adjustable. For that, however, the SCA2 must be opened. (See photo below: the phono-board. You set resistance, capacitance and gain with jumpers).
Line outputs are both balanced and single ended. Record-out is single ended only. The only thing we might miss – and would miss in a studio – is a headphone output. Even if it’s just a simple 6.35mm TRS jack output.
Switching between inputs, controlling the volume and, for example, turning on and off is either done on the device with substantial buttons, or with a giant block of aluminum with some buttons on it. ATC must have thought that the remote control should also last at least 30 years…. Mission accomplished!