Atoll Electronique - Audio Emporium

Exquisite, Affordable Electronics From France!

Atoll Electronique was founded in 1997 by brothers Stephane and Emmanuel Dubreuil. Their laudable goal was to create a line of great sounding electronics at fair price points, actually made in France, instead of China! The warranty is three years.

Atoll procures over 80% of their components from France. Most of the rest they get from the European Union, like its Spain made transformers. Atoll has filter caps of its own design made in Japan to spec.

Atoll has designed its products to sound full and warm. They use linear power supplies with large transformers, big filter caps and run MATCHED MOSFET output devices in an AB configuration, running conspicuously further into class A (approximately 15%) than anyone in this price range. And yes, Atoll matches is output transistors so you don’t have the distortion virtually everyone else has at these reasonable price points.

Atoll has achieved an especially rich vocal and acoustic instrument presentation as a result of its conscientious parts choices. If you love the piano and great singers as I do, Atoll is class leading for the price.

As you evaluate the various models in the line, there’s far more to good sound than watts per channel, even at these reasonable price points. It is the choices Atoll makes in design and parts that give it more musical verve than than mass produced Chinese imports.

Atoll uses unusually large transformers- and at a certain level uses a PAIR of transformers instead of a single. Atoll filter capacitors have steel casing and resin to absorb unwanted resonances.

Atoll gear is based on dual mono configurations with discrete components of symmetrical layout. Take a look at the insides of the various models. The layout on each is literally a work of art. The symmetry allows for shorter wire runs and more immediacy in the sound.

Atoll uses through hole component construction vs surface mount- to insure more secure installation and to minimize the effect of heat.

Atoll shields its Euro built Mundorf caps to squelch any potential interference with other components. Yup, these caps are housed within their own metal boxes to insure isolation.

Atoll uses metal, rather than plastic, chassis, knobs and connectors.

Volume controls are great tracking and FEELING ALPS components. Circuits include Metal Film resistors and all construction is done in France- not farmed out to far east vendors.

Atoll Integrated Amps

When a company makes a plethora of integrated amps, you always find a wide variance in performance and strength. Atoll is different, and better! Let’s use a boxing analogy.

Let’s say you have five models. Even with fine companies like Rega and NAD, the entry model is flyweight, the next is bantam weight, then to middleweight, then to cruiser weight- and finally the line culminates in heavyweight performance.

Atoll’s entry level integrated, IN50 Signature, is a solid middleweight puncher! Even the least expensive unit in the line is FORMIDABLE. For many shoppers it will make more sense to go financially lighter on electronics and much heavier on speakers- because Atoll’s muscle is conspicuously audacious.

Atoll allows you to build your own pizza. The prices you’ll see listed are for line stage units that come with remote control. Additional features can be added with the boards listed below these models.

For example, IN-50 Signature runs $1200 as a line stage. For many people, you’re done right there. If you want a DAC built in, the board is $300. If you want DAC/Bluetooth, that board is $500. If you want phono MM, the board is $130. If you want MM/MC (you do) that board is only $190. With this example of IN-50 Signature options, you can derive how to configure your own model.

The Atoll DAC implementation is cleaner and more detailed than what you’ll find in most CD players and streamers. You will have to get a DAC for about $1500 to be equal or surpass what is in the Atoll integrateds. With that in mind, if you have ANY interest in a DAC, just get it built into your Atoll. When you buy an outboard DAC, you have a fair amount of money going into the chassis, case work and connections. It’s smarter just to get the Atoll DAC board, where your investment is more efficient. Likewise for phono. And seriously… to get a fine MM/MC phono section for about two bills, THAT is a bargain!

Keep in mind, Atoll runs approximately 20% in class A. As you evaluate the line, it would be pretty easy to attain virtually full class A operation with almost any speakers, unless you’re a severe head banger.