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Don’t Neglect The Middle Child!
Atoll IN100 Integrated Amp, $2100 (100×2, Class AB, Dual Transformers!) We all know the Middle Child sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. It ain’t fair. Well, maybe it is in YOUR family, but not in the Atoll family. Atoll is made in France with a 3 year warranty. They make five integrated amps below $4000 and each is a stalwart of excellence…
Affordable Electronics
It USED TO BE that virtually all modestly priced electronics in our hi-fi hobby came from China. While China still dominates the inexpensive mass market on Amazon, Atoll of France has changed the landscape of AFFORDABLE ELECTRONICS for true music lovers. We welcome Atoll because they make stunningly fine integrated amps, CD players and separates, that budget oriented audiophiles can afford. By…
Just Add Speakers!
Atoll SDA200 Signature, $4300 (120×2) Atoll’s SDA200 is an amazing, Streamer/Integrated amp. You literally- just add the speakers of your choice. The market is filled with streaming integrateds. Almost all are made in China and have very limited sound quality due to sissy amplifiers. Some of the others are made in the UK. They have decent amps but their streaming sections are…
Do We Really Need A $600 Amp?
No, we don’t. Not really. And we don’t need a $10 T-shirt. Please help me draw a line in the sand. Let’s work on our audio buddies not to buy cheap Chinese products that undermine our sound quality and N American & Euro economies. Audio gear enhances our lives with wonderful music. Let’s make our entry level amplifier something nice, built in…
Silver Discs
Compact discs have gotten a bad rap from snooty audiophile experts. It’s undeserved. I read something this month that puts the topic into perspective. What has prompted this entry is Stereophile’s Sept 2024 issue. The reviewer addresses his CD history starting on p23. I’m shocked at what I’m reading. He says he was slow to dive into CDs because they sounded bad….
Atoll, McIntosh, Hegel
Somehow I ended up on an audio forum’s email list. Once a week they hit me (& you?) with some topic. I have read the forum a few times. I’ve never contributed. I dunno how they even know of me. I guess there is a spy living in my computer. If that’s the case, I would have thought by now the Blackhawks…
Benjamin Grosvenor: Schumann & Brahms CD
Ben Grosvenor is a young Englishman (b. 1992). He was the youngest solo artist (19) to open the Proms at Royal Albert Hall. In 2011 he was the first British pianist signed by Decca in 60 years. He was also the youngest artist Decca has ever signed. Not bad for starters… Decca has always had state of the art piano sound. Vladimir…