ATC's new high-end active speakers are inspired by a hi-fi legend

ATC EL50 Anniversary floorstanding speakers in walnut on a white background — (Image credit: ATC)

British audio brand ATC has launched new EL50 Anniversary floorstanding speakers at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show.

The new EL50 are being pitched as an evolution of the legendary ATC 50 speaker series and are specifically inspired by the EL150, which were first released in 2006.

The floorstanding active speakers offer a whopping 350 watts of power per channel, with a new proprietary three-channel ‘Amp Pack’ delivering 200W, 100W and 50W to the low, mid-range and high frequency drive units, respectively.

Speaking of drive units, the 25mm coated fabric dome tweeter is equipped with a neodymium motor, while the 7.5cm polymer-coated fabric dome mid-range driver can “resolve the smallest musical details while effortlessly handling the largest dynamic peaks found in complex recordings”, according to ATS. The speakers' three-way configuration is completed by a 23.4cm ‘SL’ bass unit.

Rear amplification on the ATC EL50 Anniversary floorstanding speakers — (Image credit: ATC)

The EL50’s cabinets have been designed with rigidity and damping in mind and feature a curved front and edges, which the British audio brand says reduces diffraction and linear distortion.

Appearance-wise, they look very fancy, combining a walnut veneer finish with ebony inlays on the rear panel and Napa leather panels around the mid-range unit and tweeter.

The last time we had our hands on a pair of ATC speakers was last year, when we reviewed the SCM20ASL. Their clarity, control and resolution were outstanding, so we’re very keen to see how good the EL50 sound.

Just 50 pairs are being made, though, so once they go on sale in the UK in March, we’d advise any interested parties to snap them up quickly. ATC is throwing in a hardbound owner’s handbook celebrating the brand’s history with each set, too.

With a price tag of £49,500, you will need an amount of cash that we at What Hi-Fi? can only dream of, but it’s important to have dreams, right?

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James Cook is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. He spent several years writing for various business publications, before completing a National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism. Outside of work, James spends his time playing bass guitar, watching TV and motivating himself to keep fit, often unsuccessfully.

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