Atoll IN400 Evo Integrated Amp, $7000 (160×2)

{5.11h, 17.3w, 14.6d, 43 lbs)

Atoll has just updated its flagship integrated amp. IN400 is built like a Mac truck. Don’t worry about the modest power claim. That’s just Atoll being conservatively French.

When an amp is built with massive transformers and power supply caps, it produces a much weightier sound than its wattage rating would imply. Atoll builds this big boy like a brick out house. It can crush virtually any speakers you’ll ever own. IN400 has a silky smooth sound but wields Thor’s hammer just in case you ask for it. It’s ideal for speakers that have a LOT more to give- if you have the muscle on board.

Speakers from Bryston, Magnepan and Atohm, among many, will sound good with a cost effective integrated like Atoll’s IN100 ($2100, 100×2). But if you pair these speakers with Atoll’s big boys, IN300 and now IN400- get ready for a new level of impact and dynamics.

The IN400 is a tour de force! It starts as a dual mono design with two toroidal transformers. One is a 1050VA monster with dual windings and handles the audio. There is a second 1.6VA toroidal for control logic.

The chassis is made of steel.

The face plate is just under a half inch of brushed aluminum.

Filter capacitance is huge at 96,680uF.

MATCHED MOSFET Output Transistors

IN400 runs eight MATCHED MOSFET transistors per channel. Why the matching?

No two transistors are exactly the same in their distortion characteristics. Think of tuning forks that are supposed to play at middle C= 261.63 Hz. If you have 16 tuning forks and they’re all a bit different from that reference, what you’ll hear is some fuzziness or distortion. You won’t hear the intended pure tone of middle C. Precious few companies take the trouble to hand match transistors. Atoll does- even on its little brothers. By taking the time to test and use MOSFET transistors in groups of precise tolerance, you won’t hear the grainy distortion characteristics of miss matched transistors.

This takes more time, and subsequently expense, but that’s one of the advantages of Atoll vs almost everyone else.

IN400 comes in line stage configuration. You can add a DAC board for $320 and an MM phono board for $130. While these prices might sound cheap for a serious DAC or phono addition, the quality is top shelf. The reason these boards are so inexpensive is that they’re going into an integrated amp that already has a hearty power supply. You don’t have to pay for a chassis, face plate, knobs, jacks and power supply- all over again. The infrastructure is already there.

Inputs: Aux, CD, Tuner, DAC, Tape LOOP, Bypass, Two XLR

Outputs: Two RCA pre outs

General Manager

I often write that as owner of Audio Emporium I’m the equivalent of a general manager of a baseball team. In all the years I’ve been in the hi-fi business, which goes back to 1971 in high school, I’ve never seen a full line as good as Atoll.

When it comes to integrated amps and CD players in particular, what Atoll offers in terms of industry leading performance at great price points is a staggeringly strong lineup. Atoll knocks everyone else, similarly priced, off the team.

Atoll is built in France with a 3 year warranty. Atoll is so good that this GM had to release NAD and Hegel, both of whom are built in China with a 2 year warranty. Atoll has made both expendable. Regardless of the price point, Atoll is such a clear winner that I am happy to not do business with Chinese made competitors. Time… marches on.

Hazel Scott (1920-1981)

We all know about Jackie Robinson. Hazel Scott was the first black pianist/singer to have her own TV show (1950) after a successful career in music and movies. She was a child prodigy on the piano and could play virtually anything she HEARD. She went to Julliard at age 8. She was active in civil rights and made over $75k by 1945 (worth $1.3m today). Talk about a lady ahead of her time!

Bryston Model Trim T-10, $8000 Per Pair

(60h, 10w, 16d, 83lbs, 4 ohms, 91 dB SPL)

Just in are Bryston’s gorgeous Trim T-10s in a stunning Boston Cherry (Rosewood-ish) finish. The Trim T-10s use the same BAM module as the Model T-10s ($20k per pair bigger brother). Hence the precision midrange clarity and imaging is the same.

The BAM (Bryston Audio Module) is the heart of the speaker. It uses a pair of tweeters in the center, opposed by top/bottom flanked midrange drivers. This four driver array is housed within its own chamber. The enclosure his made of Canadian Rangerwood, which is more dense than MDF. The front baffle is reinforced by an Aluminum fascia to provide further rigidity and control driver dispersion.

Bryston is bringing out more models in this T-10 Series, the heart of which will be the BAM module.

Trim T-10 starts with the BAM module described above. Its bass is generated by a pair of 6.5” woofs in each cabinet. One is above the BAM, the other below. You have the benefit of a tall-ish tower to provide a large soundstage. You also have the bass performance in your room being generated in four locations- vs just running a woof or two below the mid & tweet drivers.

The difference of running woofs top and bottom in the towers, vs running multiple woofs lower in the tower as with most speakers, is an equally deep, but tighter sonic presentation. When you look at this good sized tower you would expect heavy bass. But instead, it’s TAUT.

This is an ideal combination of talents for listeners who appreciate being able to discern differences in bass character. Listening to a rich cello through Trim T-10 is quite illuminating. You can perceive differences between pianos. Daniel Barrenboim corroborated on the design and manufacture of the innovative Chris Maene piano. It features straight cables vs the traditional crossing cable pattern. The texture is different, and arguably cleaner (less resonant) with the straight cable construction. Trim T-10 is exemplary at showing off these timbral characteristics.

Bryston is banking on the BAM to win your brain. They’re banking on the line array and unique woofer configuration to win your soul. When you hear the Bryston T-10 Series models, they’ll surprise you with how BIG the image is, and how well centered a vocal can be.

You might find Trim T-10 is just the ticket for your listening room. Image focus and the 3D soundstage are nothing short of spectacular. There really is something to be said for a line array design in terms of size, space and image.

You can buy ginormous Magicos for over $50k per pair. When you boil it down, what you’re getting is a pair of 9” sandwich woofs, a 5” sandwich mid, and a beryllium tweeter coated with diamond vapor deposition, in an aluminum, 222 pound cabinet. While they surely sound clean and solid, I’ll gladly put Trim T-10 nose to nose in terms of imaging size/space and depth.

Oh, and the Trim T-10 has a 20 year warranty, while the Magico has but five. I can promise… if you manage to toast that beryllium/diamond tweeter, you’re going to dig deep to pay for a replacement. After they analyze the tweeter they’ll tell you that you over drove it. Abuse isn’t covered under warranty.

If you have a the space and desire thunderous power, of course Bryston’s Model T-10 will be ideal. But there are plenty of us who don’t have a large room or budget.

Touring At 91?!

Yep, Willie Nelson is 91 years old and out on his summer tour. Who would have thunk Willie would make 91 with his lifestyle habits- much less still be out touring?! Willie is bringing some youngsters with him to lighten the nightly workload. Bob Dylan (83), Robert Plant (75) Allison Krauss (53), and Sheryl Crow (62) are among his helpers.