Atoll PR300 Stereo Preamp, $2500

A recurring topic in deep dive audio forums is, where are the great preamps? We’ve got an easy answer for you- RIGHT HERE!

Atoll is a fabulous French company that actually builds its own gear, in its own house, in France, with a 3 year warranty. Price points on Atoll are absurdly reasonable. That’s because Atoll spends its money INSIDE the box and builds efficiently.

PR300 is Atoll’s balanced preamp. PR300 supports XLR ins/outs as well as RCAs.

That’s correct. PR300 is a true balanced preamp, built in Europe, for $2500. You’d be lucky to find a competitor built in N America or Europe for double that price. I can promise you PR300 will go up to $3k before ya know it. It’s just too good to be this cheap.

PR300 has a warm sound with ROBUST bass response. There’s no way to cheat the details and get success. Atoll spends its money wisely.

PR300 is based on two (not one) 10VA toroidal transformers. There is a 5VA transformer for control logic. There is a 3.2VA transformer for digital functions if you add the DAC board. A little quick math tells us PR300 has FOUR transformers.

Any preamp coming from China, which is all you’ll find in this price strata, will use a tiny SINGLE transformer for all functions. Atoll steps away from the crowd from the get go.

PR300 uses a large array of filter caps, 62,000UF. That… is what you would be happy with in a 200×2 power amp!

PR300 uses shielded Mundorf capacitors. You’ll see two silver boxes on the board, each of which house high quality Mundorf caps. Few competitors use them. Among those that do, they’re just tossed on the board. Atoll says that’s not good enough. They need to be shielded in their own Mu-metal boxes to eliminate RFI and noise.

PR300 uses dual mono, symmetrical circuitry for optimal separation and clarity. It uses through hole, rather than surface mount components. PR 300 has a volume control with exquisite channel tracking and you CAN adjust channel balance. You can rename the inputs.

PR300 is built on a steel chassis with a sturdy, micro blasted and anodized front panel. Mechanical integrity helps sound quality as well as delivering an attractive aesthetic.

We’ve seen that mechanically and electronically, PR300 is superior to anyone else in its price range. How much more would you have to spend to be in the same league? The answer is, the Bryston BP19 for $5200. We audiophiles are a fickle bunch. If we had a dozen listeners in the jury box, some would prefer PR300, some would prefer BP19. The BP19 costs double. That just might play a role in which one you’d buy.