Your surround sound receiver does many tasks. It’s a LOTTA things in one box.

*It starts as a preamp with HDMI, digital and analog inputs

*The preamp allows you to configure channel range and amplitude

*There’s a built in computer to handle immense audio & Hi-res video switching

*There’s a surround sound decoding system

*There’s a video processing circuit

*It processes HDR10, 10+, Dolby Vision, HLG, Dynamic HDR

*There’s eARC

*There’s a streamer on board

*There’s a Bluetooth interface

*There’s Wi-Fi interface

*There’s Airplay 2

*There’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, more?

*There’s a phono preamp

*There’s a tuner on board

*There’s a headphone amp for wired and BT phones

*There’s another computer for Audyssey room calibration

*There’s a second preamp to run Multi-Zone operations

*And of course, it has 5, 7 or maybe even 9 channels of amplification.

Most receivers that do all this sell for under $2500, and of course, have to be built in China or somewhere in the neighborhood to make this affordable. It’s a miracle all this stuff works at any price. It really is a technological tour de force. How can it be done?

Amplifiers

In short, surround receiver manufacturers really skimp on the cost of its built in amplifiers. The companies BLATANTLY CHEAT on the wattage ratings. They’re ALL COMPLICIT with this deception.

I’m sorry to burst your bubble if you thought otherwise, but the power rating of a surround receiver will not pass muster if held it to proper STEREO standards.

A surround receiver rated 100×7 will be lucky to give you a legit 50×7 by a tried and true RMS assessment. The 100×7 rating is something the advertising department pulled out of its tail to make it seem more impressive than it is.

An outstanding stereo power amp like an Atoll from France, is a Corvette that can drive your speakers to their capabilities.

It has big transformers, capacitors and discrete MATCHED MOSFET output transistors. If you look inside any Atoll amp, you’ll see in a NY minute that there is NO space to build 5-7-9 channels at anywhere near a commensurate quality within any surround receiver.

A great Atoll stereo power amp propels current like a fire hose. A surround receiver is like a garden hose with the “center” position chosen- providing a mere fraction of the current of an Atoll.

Don’t Despair

While “all” of us start our theater systems with surround receivers, there’s an upgrade path without selling off your receiver. The solution is to add an outboard Atoll amplifier!

Keep Your Surround Receiver

Keep your surround receiver as the preamp and use its on board amps for the center and surrounds.

All worthwhile surround receivers will have PREAMP OUT for right and left front channels. That’s imperative.

If YOUR receiver has R&L preamp outs. We can work with that and improve the sound of your system dramatically.

We will have your receiver run your center and surrounds in the SMALL mode. They don’t need to drive anything under 100Hz. We will run your R&L pre outs into an Atoll amp in the LARGE mode, running full range.

Please consider an Atoll stereo power amp to run your R&L front speakers. You can configure your receiver to send a full range signal to the Atoll power amp, to make your speakers get up and dance!

Whatever speakers you have, even modest stand mounts, will COME ALIVE with an Atoll power amp vs being driven by two of the 5/7/9 channels within your receiver.

Think of the water pressure coming out of your shower if you turn on multiples within your house. Even with two going at the same time, the pressure drops dramatically. That’s what’s happening within your surround receiver.

An Atoll power amp, first of all, makes your most important speakers, the R&L fronts, sound dynamic and powerful. Your surround receiver simply can’t touch this level of performance.

Further, by running the Atoll on your main speakers, your surround receiver with sound better on the center and rears because its workload has lessened. You’re not sucking it dry by demanding all the power for the R&L fronts.

Atoll AM100

Atoll AM200