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…