Atoll Versus… - Audio Emporium

Let’s compare an Atoll integrated amp vs a few well thought of competitors. What do you ACTUALLY GET for your money?

For openers, Atoll is built in France with a 3 year warranty. Atoll was started by brothers Stephane & Emmanual Dubreuil in 1996. There’s a TLC you get from a small family owned company- that you can’t get from mass production in China.

Atoll’s IN100 Signature is built like an 8 cylinder, high horsepower, fire breathing dragon. Atoll designs are class AB, biasing higher in A than any similarly priced competitor. Atoll’s amps deliver weight and impact beyond their price expectation. The Chinese gear typically uses smaller, less robust parts and can’t deliver Atoll’s testosterone or musicality. The Ds sound leaner and cooler.

Atoll runs A PAIR of large transformers because they’re dual mono designs. The other guys use a single transformer.

Atoll runs high values of filter capacitance to deliver a richer, more dynamic sound. The other guys typically provide about half the cap value- for a higher price.

Atoll uses a precise tracking, analog, ALPS volume control. The other guys typically use digital controls. They track fine, but the Atoll sounds warmer.

Atoll runs MATCHED MOSFET output transistors. Atoll tests every transistor that comes in house and makes sure to match them per amplifier. Precise output transistor matching yields a smoother, less grainy sound. Doing this takes too much time and money for the Chinese mass production process.