Atoll IN300, $4000, 120×2, Built in France!

Musical Fidelity Nuvista 600.2 $10,000, 160×2, Built in China (ugh!)

A shopper called to ask which integrated amps we carry. I happily told him we absolutely love the Atoll line for sound quality, reliability and value. Oh, and by the way, they’re made in their own house in France, not a job house in China (ROC in this case).

He said he just read a good review in TAS about the MF Nuvista 600.2. How does Atoll compete?

This kind of comparison is right up my alley! Let’s take the glitz of a heavy chassis and milled face plate out of the equation and just evaluate what you get for your money THAT MATTERS.

Atoll IN300

*Made in its own house in France

*Three year warranty

*Linear Power Supplies

*Two toroidal transformers, each 440VA, Transformers made to Atoll’s design in Spain

*Filter capacitance of 86,150uF, Caps made to Atoll’s specs by Nippon of Japan (not China)

*Six MATCHED (!!) MOSFET output transistors per channel

*36 Pounds

Musical Fidelity

*Made by a vendor (Audio Tuning) in China, designed in Austria

*One year warranty, can be increased to 5 through registration

*Linear Power Supplies

*Two toroidal transformers, each 400VA

*Filter capacitors of 48,000uF (Made by Jamicon in China)

*Four Unmatched Sanken bipolar output transistors per channel

*Four tiny 6S51N nuvistor tubes in preamp line stage.

These tubes are no longer made. They come from old stock supplies. What could go wrong?!

*Cheesy VU meters for show- not useful like McIntosh meters

*80 Pounds

Comparison

For openers, I don’t want my hi-fi gear to be made in China. I’m not saying the Chinese can’t build decent gear. But come on, let’s support N America and Europe with our wallets.

Atoll is owned by two brothers who started the company in 1997. They build in their own factory in France. These are owner operators who have TLC in their DNA.

Musical Fidelity is part of Audio Tuning- just a line within a hedge fund with many offerings. Musical Fidelity is made in China. Yuk. You get mass production from the same job house that makes many brands. It’s not the same as a family operated, conscientious business.

The Atoll integrateds- ALL OF EM, sound fantastic. I’m sure this MF sounds good too. But please take all that you read here into consideration. If nothing else, the last listing at the bottom of this page might catch your eye.

Transformers

Atoll designed its own transformers and has them built in Spain to spec, complete with steel cases and an absorbing resin. MF uses Chinese built transformers. I’m sure they’re OK.

Power Supply Capacitors

Atoll designed its own caps and has them built for them by Nippon in Japan, a highly esteemed company. MF buys its caps from Jamico in China. They’re OK.

Output Transistors

Atoll uses MATCHED MOSFET output transistors. Since they are matched in groups of like performance, they don’t sound harsh or grainy- which mismatched transistors DO. MF uses unmatched biplolar transistors. They’re fine. Many companies use them. But because they are bipolars, and they’re not matched, they have a proclivity to sound harsh or grainy from square one- and even worse as you drive them hard.

Heat

Atoll amps run warm because they are Class AB with precise biasing and good heat sinking. MF amps run much hotter which creates an expensive reliability fear.

Tubes

Atoll is solid state. MF uses nuvistor tubes which were designed in the 1950s by RCA. They have been long discontinued. MF makes the sales pitch that they love the sound, so they bought up zillions of the old boys that they can supply forever. My experience with nuvistors has been mostly through Conrad-Johnson. I would trust CJ’s designers more than MF’s. Used in C-Js, the nuvistors did sound good, but the noise floor was apparent. They’re not acceptable to me, a guy who loves the nuance of Mozart, Schubert and Chopin on the grand piano. I’m sure you know that when you hear a piano, the quietude between the notes should be black, not gray.

The Atoll is very reliable and unfussy. You can’t say they same thing about any product with tubes.

Price

Oh, did I mention the Atoll runs $4k and the MF runs $10K ?!