Triad In-Room Gold LCR vs ATC SCM19

Short answer: the Triad In-Room Gold LCR for better sound quality, the ATC SCM19 for the lower price. The Triad In-Room Gold LCR ranks #77 of 84 bookshelf speakers at $6600. The ATC SCM19 ranks #79 at $3750, $2850 cheaper.

What the Triad In-Room Gold LCR offers: Built for serious home theater output: the sealed three-way layout uses dual 8.5-inch woofers, a 5.5-inch midrange and a 1-inch fabric dome. Watch for: At $6,600/pair, Erin found the raw response and value hard to defend without EQ: a 100-300Hz dip makes male vocals thin, a 1kHz dip adds hollowness, and a 4-5kHz rise makes sibilants harsh.

What the ATC SCM19 offers: Harmonic distortion at 96dB SPL/1m stays generally low across the range aside from the spike tied to the 700-800Hz resonance. Watch for: Some stored energy resonance around 500-700hz, 4dB bump around 700hz.

Buy the Triad In-Room Gold LCR if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the ATC SCM19 if the price matters more than sound quality.

If sound quality matters at all to you, skip both of these and look higher up the 84 bookshelf speakers instead.

Specifications Side By Side

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The Two Speakers In Full

Triad In-Room Gold LCR: $6,600 per pair Triad Authorized Dealer

Pros: Built for serious home theater output: the sealed three-way layout uses dual 8.5-inch woofers, a 5.5-inch midrange and a 1-inch fabric dome. At 86dB/1m, Erin measured under 1% distortion to 50Hz; at 96dB it remained under 1% only above about 80Hz, supporting Triad’s intended 80Hz subwoofer crossover. Compression and 32-band multitone distortion were both low, even at high playback levels. Broad horizontal coverage (about +/-70 to 80 degrees through the midrange) and a roughly +/-20-degree vertical window give a generous listening area. It can be made substantially more linear with EQ, and its 89dB measured sensitivity is suitable for a capable AVR or power amplifier.

Cons: At $6,600/pair, Erin found the raw response and value hard to defend without EQ: a 100-300Hz dip makes male vocals thin, a 1kHz dip adds hollowness, and a 4-5kHz rise makes sibilants harsh. The directivity begins to narrow above about 5kHz as the tweeter beams. Despite its dual woofers, it requires a subwoofer; Erin measured F3 57Hz and F10 40Hz. Load dips below 3 ohms, so it needs an amplifier stable into 4 ohms. Plain, utilitarian styling will not suit everyone.

Full Triad In-Room Gold LCR review and specifications →

Bass Extension (-10dB)	40Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner)
Bass Extension (-3dB)	57Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner)
Country of Origin	USA (handcrafted, manufacturer specified)
Dimensions	29"H x 10.75"W x 11.375"D
Drivers	Two 8.5" metal woofers, 5.5" paper/fiber midrange, 1" fabric-dome tweeter
Frequency Response	50Hz - 20kHz +/-3dB (manufacturer specified)
Impedance	4 ohms nominal; dips below 3 ohms (measured, Erin's Audio Corner)
Power Handling	100W - 450W recommended (manufacturer specified)
Sensitivity	88.9dB (2.83V/1m, measured, Erin's Audio Corner; 92dB manufacturer specified)
Weight	55 lbs (54.9 lbs / 24.9kg) each
Woofer Cabinet	sealed / acoustic suspension

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• Links
  • Official Triad In-Room Gold LCR Product Page
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • Erin’s Audio Corner: Triad Gold In-Room LCR Review
  • Erin’s Audio Corner Website: Triad In-Room Gold LCR
  • Reddit Search for Triad In-Room Gold LCR Review
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Triad In-Room Gold LCR vs Wharfedale Diamond 9.1
  • Triad In-Room Gold LCR vs Danley SH50

ATC SCM19: $3750 Tmraudio

Pros: Harmonic distortion at 96dB SPL/1m stays generally low across the range aside from the spike tied to the 700-800Hz resonance. Sealed (unported) cabinet avoids port noise and resonance, and the extremely dense, heavy-duty enclosure (17.8kg/39lb each) reflects ATC’s pro-audio build standards.

Cons: Some stored energy resonance around 500-700hz, 4dB bump around 700hz. Not recommended for the price. CEA2034 spinorama and predicted in-room response both show a very uneven overall balance - a broad accentuation from midrange to treble paired with too little bass - along with directivity error. At 96dB SPL/1m, harmonic distortion tied to the 500-700Hz resonance rises to a level the reviewer says “should not be there.”

Full ATC SCM19 review and specifications →

Bass Extension (-10dB)	34Hz (measured, Audio Science Review)
Bass Extension (-3dB)	60Hz (measured, Audio Science Review)
Dimensions	17.2"H x 10.4"W x 11.8"D (436.9 x 264.2 x 299.7 mm)
Drivers	5.9" Super Linear Magnet cone woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter
Impedance	6 ohms
Sensitivity	85dB (measured, Audio Science Review)
Weight	39.2 lbs / 17.8 kg each
Woofer Cabinet	sealed

As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.

• Links
  • Official ATC SCM19 Website
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • Audio Science Review ATC SCM19
  • Reddit Search for ATC SCM19 Review
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • ATC SCM19 vs Dynaudio Contour 20i