There are many ways to source your music these days. My favorite source is still the silver disc. Yep, the CD. Pay no attention to nay sayers who say the format is dead. It not only isn’t dead, it sounds better than ever. I buy CDs regularly. Box sets are invariably TREASURES of music at fair prices. I play entire CDs to…

I love CDs and the players that play them. What a marvelous format for playing music! Artists typically have a program or musical message they want to deliver. Just hit play and you’re set for 40-80 minutes. You don’t incur any clicks/pops or bobsled noise. It couldn’t be easier. And, playing a CD sounds better than streaming. Yes, it does. As a…

Steve is about ready to retire and wanted to update his hi-fi system. He’ll finally have time to enjoy music in his dedicated man cave. A few years ago he bought a Cambridge streamer and integrated amp online. That was feeding his old bookshelf speakers. It was quick and easy. He was OK with it for the price and time. He visited…

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…

We get the call every week. Or more! “I have a Hafler 200 power amp that’s failed. Can you fix it?” You can substitute almost any name in there for Hafler (but not BRYSTON!) If the amp is over about 7 years old, the answer is almost always NO. Why?! First of all, while we’ve all heard the case of the fellow…

I have a few observations about the audio hobby these days. Let’s see what’s going on. Press Every mag we read, features lots of play for pay. We see continual reviews of the same brands who advertise heavily in the rags. The magazine guys will claim they’re above such payola, but PLEASE! Today’s rags are filled with… the same brands getting reviewed….

Atoll IN50 $1200 (50×2) You’re looking for a great integrated amp value. Where do you start? In a word, Atoll. Most people, start the process off on the wrong foot. Rather than thinking about how to get the best SOUND, they think they need to buy the most watts and the most features. If you do this, you’ll end up purchasing a…

Atoll AM100 Power Amp $1600, 100×2 If you are looking for a butt kicking, smooth sounding power amp at reasonable money, look no further than the fabulous AM100 by Atoll. It’s made in France, not China (!) with a 3 year warranty. Atoll has a pair of muscular transformers and filter capacitance of almost 33,000uF. This generous linear power supply supports weighty…

Separates can offer a MIGHTY audio performance if the space and money are employed judiciously within the gear. Please consider a separate preamp and amp from Atoll of France- a company who puts the space to great use. Have a look inside Atoll. You’ll see chassis filled with great parts- laid out like meticulous art work. The lack of wires running all…

In our LATEST section near the top, I have an entry titled “A New Direction.” Here… is an example of what I’m referring to in that article. Samsung bought Harman in 2017 and now owns the rights to its plethora of brand names. There is a new series of integrated amps, a CD player, a network player and turntable just out, branded…

French Connection #2: $12,700 Atoll kicks this system off with its magnificent IN300 Integrated amp. At $4000 it includes a built in DAC and competes with any integrated at any price. It’s made in France with a 3 year warranty. Let’s add Atoll’s phenomenal DR100 CD Transport for only $1200, also made in France with 3 year warranty. While we’re fine with…

The results are mind blowing! With just a few hours on it the BR 19 is easily the best analog preamp I have ever heard under $15,000.00 and is better than some at $20,000. While the BP 26/MPS 2 combination has always impressed with its “doing nothing to the signal” approach the new BP-19 is simply better in all aspects…

There are many ways to listen to music. CD is still my favorite format. They can sound GREAT and there’s no muss, no fuss. Your sound depends on how the master recording was made, and ultimately turned into a CD. Assuming the company used an original master and did the work with TLC, your CDs should sound FABULOUS. There’s no cleaning of…

These speakers are just awesome! The benefit of better sound wave distribution is obvious. In particular, the bass is really impressive at high and low volumes. The peaks and dip in different parts of the room are less noticeable. And in a bass-heavy passage, the mids and highs are clear and stand out from the rest in a superb way…

Speakers Atohm GT-1 $4500 Per Pair (Both Grill Options Included) Streaming Integrated Amp Atoll SDA-200, $4300 {120×2}

We received our first batch of Atoll (made in France with 3 year warranty) gear in April. I focused on the entry level integrated amps right away. Wow! They are CLASS BUSTING! Atoll handily surpasses its like price, Chinese competitors. The brawn… weight and horse power they bring to the party at unusually fair pricing is absolutely unique in our industry. I’m…