Atoll AM200, $2300, {120×2}

There are literally thousands of power amps on the market. When you consider the law of diminishing returns, price vs performance, the Atoll AM200 is my favorite value.

Some amps are built to look good on the spec sheet.

Atoll amps are made to sound great. Their specs are excellent, but the performance goes far deeper than what the spec sheet can tell us.

Why is the Atoll AM200 my favorite? It’s all about the build. Atoll gives you more and bigger parts than the other guys. It is also constructed to a much higher standard. Let’s take a look.

Build Quality

Atoll designs and builds its products, in its own house in France, with a 3 year warranty. They actually populate their own PCBs and do the real work of manufacturing in house.

Atoll’s circuit boards are a work of art. There’s a small amount of wire from the transformers to the PCB and THAT’S IT. Atoll’s PCBs combine nickel & gold. Atoll’s parts on the board are through hole, not surface mount. They sound better and last much longer. Look at virtually any competitor and you’ll see spaghetti running all over. As that dental floss sized wire is routed next to, and even over/around components within the amp, it generates hum and noise. Atoll gear has a dead black background so you can hear the fine details within music.

AM200 is full dual/mono construction with symmetrical layout. It’s unusual at any price point and unheard of at this affordable range.

AM200 runs high precision current sources based on transistors and LEDs to ensure perfect stability of quiescent currents.

Class AB

Atoll’s amps are Class AB. They run about 15% in the A domain. Atoll amps deliver a warm, MUSCULAR sound with a solid bass kick. Class AB amps are very dynamic. They run transistors on a sliding scale, so if you’re not a hammer head, you’re likely to be doing all your listening in the Class A domain with an Atoll.

Class D amps are switching amps. They typically sound clean and lean. The switching itself precludes them from sounding robust. They run cool and are often reliable. But the vast majority of their work and sound comes down to whatever D module they’ve installed in the amp. Class D amps have virtually NO headroom and sound more sterile than warm. D amps are cheap to make because the modules are made by the thousands by many competing suppliers.

Today there are dozens of manufacturers out their bragging that their D amps sound like Class A. It’s become quite popular to blatantly lie about this. Keep on walking when you hear that blatherskite.

Transformers

Any fine amp starts with its transformer. With Atoll amps, they start with TWO TOROIDAL transformers. They run dual mono designs. AM200 runs a PAIR of 340VA transformers of its own design.

Atoll has its transformers built in Spain to its specs. The transformers have a steel case and resin to absorb any tendency to ring. If you look at competing brands, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who uses even a single transformer this big- much less is made in a steel case with resin control. With many competitors the transformer is so small- that you can’t even recognize it as a transformer.

Filter Caps

Atoll designed its own power supply capacitors. They are fast ESR filter capacitors, which it has built for them in Japan, not China. Atoll runs a generous allotment in AM200, 59.420uF! You’ll find most competitors at this price point weigh in at less than half that value. A strong value of caps is imperative to help deliver the weighty sound AM200 achieves.

Matched MOSFET Output Transistors

Let’s talk about output transistors for a moment. Atoll uses MOSFETs instead of bipolars because MOSFETs have higher speed and current capabilities. Atoll prefers MOSFETs for superior dynamics and muscle.

Transistors are mass produced by the thousands. Think of a transistor as a tuning fork that is supposed to play precisely at Middle C. In mass production, none are perfect. There is a wide range of variance, unit to unit. Without transistor matching, the more transistors and power you have, the more harsh the amp will sound.

To make an amp work, you need at least 4 transistors, plus & minus left and right. If the “tuning forks” aren’t virtually identical, you’ll hear their differences as grainy distortion. Most companies have an entry level model with 4 transistors, and go up to more powerful models with 8 or 12. The problem with this formula is, the more expensive/powerful models, sound WORSE than the entry level model due to the mismatched transistors. The more transistors you have, unless they’re matched, the more annoying distortion you’ll hear.

Atoll has developed its own, in house procedure, to test transistors. Every transistor that comes in house is tested and placed in categories of like fingerprints. The amp YOU get will be sure to have transistors that behave within a very tight window. All Atoll amps (& integrateds) run with matched MOSFETs and consequently sound smooth.

Mundorf Caps

AM200 runs Mundorf caps in their own mumetal boxes within the amp. Rarely will you see this level of component at this price range. If you do, it will just be on the board where it can promulgate RFI. With AM200, Atoll houses these caps in their own steel boxes to be sure there’s no noise generated.

Tellurium Copper Binding Posts

Atoll runs high end binding posts for your speaker wire. The quality is exceptional and makes for more resolving sound quality.

The Sound

AM200 distinguishes itself first and foremost by having a smooth, muscular sonic palate. Atoll amps don’t bite or sizzle. Most competitors are made in China and sound extra crispy. AM200 will give your speakers their best chance to sound mellow instead of hard.

If you love acoustic music and voices, AM200 is a fabulous choice. AM200 will make your speakers accelerate to keep up with bass demands. It can fire transients at you with lightning bolts.

AM200 can absolutely throw barbells around your living room! With its custom built, large dual transformers, big filter caps and 8 MATCHED MOSFET transistors, AM200 punches like a heavyweight. AM200 gives your speakers the best bass impact and control this side of AM300 for almost double the price.

A perfect piece of music to show AM200’s speed, dynamics and kick, is the Nils Lofgren “Bass & Drum Intro” cut from his live album. This has been played to death at audio shows. It’s a fun show off piece, not serious music. It’s worth hearing for the percussive guitar chops and the impactful drum kit.

A great track to display AM200’s beauty, balance and space, is Stacy Kent’s “Day In, Day Out” track with her trio.

New Turf

We’ve had a lot of good amps over the years for just over $2k. But the fact is, NONE of them had Atoll AM200’s speed, kick AND smooth balance of sound. Whether you’re a rock and roll animal or fan of acoustic music and voices, AM200 is simply spectacular!