ATC EL50 Anniversary

ATC EL50 Anniversary

Active loudspeaker

ATC is delighted to introduce the EL50 Anniversary to audiophiles and music lovers seeking long-lasting high performance, design and engineering quality.

It’s the latest evolution of the legendary ATC 50 loudspeaker design, featuring discrete active tri-amp technology first deployed by the SCM70 in the 1990s and refined through the SCM50 Anniversary speaker in 2004 and the SE Series in 2014.

Its industrial design draws from the EL150, released in 2006, the first ATC loudspeaker to employ an elliptical enclosure and designed by Billy Woodman. Leather detailing on the front face and beautiful hand-selected veneers further elevate the design.

New Discrete Active Amp-Pack

This advanced new model incorporates a new, proprietary 3-channel active ‘Amp-Pack’ featuring balanced input, user controls, active crossovers and three power amp channels, delivering 200W, 100W and 50W continuous power to the bass, mid and high-frequency channels, respectively.

Within the first line level stages, new discrete gain blocks have been developed and implemented within a balanced instrumentation input and the fourth-order active crossovers to achieve a lower noise floor and reduce distortion.

In addition, the power supply has been comprehensively re-designed and upgraded with individual toroidal transformers for each power amplifier channel, plus a separate transformer serving the low voltage supply.

This topology improves headroom under demanding use and reduces intermodulation distortion between the channels to deliver greater clarity to the listener.

Cabinetry and Finishing

Building on previous development work, the EL50 Anniversary cabinet construction has been improved and updated via advanced in-house manufacturing technology to increase stiffness and internal damping, reducing cabinet-borne colouration in the upper-bass and mid-range.

The bass driver is mounted into a precision turned aluminium ring which is bolted into the cabinet face, further increasing cabinet integrity.

A curved cabinet face and edges create a smooth transition from the driver output into the room, reducing edge diffraction and producing a more uniform on and off-axis frequency response for reduced linear distortion.

Hand-selected and matched European walnut veneers cover the curved elements of the cabinet complemented by ebony inlays on the rear panel and finished with a high-gloss polyester lacquer.

Upholstered napa leather panels around the mid and high-frequency drivers and the lower front section add a contrasting texture while integrating cleanly with the cabinet’s overall form.

Drive Units

The drive unit complement is built entirely in-house with a focus on low distortion and consistent performance at all playback levels with any source material.

The SH25-76S ‘S-Spec’ tweeter uses a compact but exceptionally powerful neodymium motor, a dual-suspension system to precisely control the coil motion, and a coated fabric dome for smooth, uniform on and off-axis response.

The critical mid-band is reproduced by ATC’s SM75-150S ‘Superdome’ mid-range driver, covering 380Hz to 3.5kHz.

Its combination of high-power magnet drive system and large voice coil mated to a dome diaphragm results in a driver system that can resolve the smallest musical details while effortlessly handling the largest dynamic peaks found in complex recordings.

Completing the system, the SB75-234SL bass driver features ATC’s Super Linear motor system for reduced 3rd harmonic distortion in the upper-bass/lower-midrange resulting in improved clarity and integration with the mid-range driver.

At the lowest octaves, an optimised spider-roll-surround pairing allows large linear excursion for controlled low frequency output.

The ATC EL50 Anniversary launches as an exclusive run of 50 pairs, each supplied with a hardbound owner’s handbook.

The book celebrates ATC’s journey from its origin as a drive unit specialist in 1974 to its status as one of the world’s most highly respected loudspeaker manufacturers, revered by music lovers and audiophiles, and trusted by hundreds of international recording and mastering studios.

Following the limited run, the EL50 will enter continued production.

ATC EL50 Anniversary Key Features – Electronics

• All-new 3-channel discrete active amp pack delivering 200W, 100W and 50W continuous power to the bass, mid and high-frequency sections, respectively.
• Low-noise balanced instrumentation input.
• Completely new power supply design featuring individual toroidal transformers for each power amplifier channel plus an additional transformer for the 12V supply.
• New 4th order active crossover implemented via all-discrete gain blocks delivering very low noise and distortion.
• Larger bass transformer for improved power regulation, resulting in improved headroom under demanding use.
• Discrete MOSFET class A-B output stages.
• Power on/off trigger input and link allow the owner to control EL50 power from their source or pre-amplifier.
• User selectable input sensitivity for optimal source matching.
• Generous heatsink maintains low operating temperatures across wide range of operating conditions.
• Live fault monitoring of power amp DC offset and temperature.

Key Features – Cabinetry

• Formed and laminated multi-layer construction engineered for very high cabinet stiffness and damping.
• Curved cabinet face reduces edge diffraction resulting in a smoother on and off-axis frequency response, reducing linear distortion.
• Cabinets veneered in hand-selected European crown-cut walnut with ebony inlays in the rear panel.
• Finished with polyester lacquer and hand-polished to a very high sheen.
• Select cabinet front-panel elements upholstered in fine grained black napa leather.

Key Features – Drive Units

SH25-76S Tweeter
• High-energy neodymium motor delivers 2.0 tesla to support an extended frequency response beyond 25kHz with very low harmonic distortion.
• Coil and dome supported by dual-suspensions to minimise rocking modes and intermodulation-distortion.
• Coated fabric dome delivers smooth on and off-axis response.
• These features work together to deliver exceptional resolution and detail to the high frequency band and smooth integration into the mid-range.

SM75-150S Mid-Range
• Large 75mm/3” voice coil offers high power handling and minimises power compression.
• Under-hung (short-coil long-gap) high power motor results in consistent drive force at all power levels combined with very consistent amp loading.
• 75mm/3” polymer coated fabric dome delivers a smooth on and off-axis response and wide bandwidth.
• The design results in the rare combination of a driver that can resolve the smallest musical details while effortlessly handling the largest dynamic peaks found in complex recordings.

SB75-234SL Bass Driver
• Large 75mm/3” voice coil offers high power handling and minimises power compression.
• Super Linear magnet material employed in the motor immediately adjacent to the voice coil reduces 1/3rd harmonic distortion in the upper-bass / lower-midrange by
10-15dB.
• Optimised spider and roll-surround allow large linear excursion.
• Combined, ATC’s 9”/234mm SL bass driver delivers clean, dynamic low frequency and a seamless transition into the mid-range, rendering all recordings with exceptional realism.

ATC EL50 Anniversary Electronics Specifications

Balanced Input: Rear panel mounted female XLR, pin 2 +ve

Input Impedance: 20kΩ

Input CMRR: >80dB (20Hz- 10kHz)

Input Sensitivity: 2.2dBu/1V or 8.2dBu/2V (switched, ref. full output)

Crossover Filters: 4th Order Linkwitz Riley

Amplifier type: Grounded Source MOSFET, class A/B, convection cooled (fan-less)

Output Power: Bass: 200W (8Ω, continuous average, 0.1%THD)

Mid: 100W (16Ω, continuous average, 0.1%THD)

HF: 50W (8Ω, continuous average, 0.1%THD)

THD+N: 0.0015% / -96dB (1kHz, 1dB below rated power, 90kHz BW)

Frequency Response: 8Hz-190kHz

Limiter: FET momentary gain reduction, all channels

Electronic amp protection: Amplifier d.c. offset and over-temperature (both indicated by rear panel LED)

Mains Input: 220-230V / 110-115V factory set. Please observe panel markings and labels!

Power Trigger Input/Link: 2 x rear panel mounted, Switchcraft L712RA

Power Consumption: Idle 77W / 105VA, 1/8th Power 240W / 315VA, Full Power 600W / 730VA

Heat Output: Idle 77W / 263BTU, 1/8th Power 184W / 628BTU, Full Power 250W / 853BTU

Acoustic Specifications

Bass driver: SB75-234SL 8Ω

Mid driver: SM75-150S 16Ω

High Frequency Driver: SH25-76S 6Ω

Low Frequency Cut-off: 32Hz (-6dB anechoic)

High Frequency Cut-off: 25kHz (-6dB)

Matched Response: +/-0.5dB

Crossover Point: 380Hz & 3.5kHz

MaxSPL: 112dB (per pair, IEC Weighted Pink Noise, 1m, anechoic)

Sensitivity: -17.5dBu (85dBC, @1m, pink noise, per speaker, anechoic)

Dimensions