Amplifier Atoll AV500

The French company Atoll Electronique was founded by brothers Stephane & Emmanuel Dubreuil in September 1997. Particular her pride is that all products are going entirely by hand in the factory in the town of Brecey in Lower Normandy. Basically the company is engaged in manufacturing of high quality electronic components for stereo systems, a higher level, but in its nomenclature was a place and a multi-channel electronics for home theater equipment. Atoll Electronique offers a variety of multi-channel power amplifiers, including Atoll AV500 - the only one equipped with five channels. And, judging by the specifications, this model does not take the top position in the hierarchy - in the opinion of engineers, top-end option would be a combination of stereo and triple the Assistant.

On strict aluminum facade, except for a large company logo on the left, there is only one LED, indicating the power is applied. The power switch is on the rear wall and aligned with the socket for the power cable. And this is the only way to turn on and off the machine, since no possibility of remote power management nor the machine off when no signal at the inputs is not here. Patch Panel pleasantly surprised by the quality of speaker terminals and affects the abundance of ports. Balanced switching AV-processor or receiver amplifier does not have, but the connectors RCA - a pair for each channel. Initially, it is somewhat puzzling. But, if you look closely, you find that along with the proposed entrance and exit of each channel. Such a solution makes it easy to organize a separate amplification of the bands, linking several aides in the chain.

Inside the case, in the middle there are two toroidal transformers of medium size. The remaining elements are mounted on a large printed circuit board that occupies the rest of the area. Even heatsinks output stages for each individual transistor mounted directly on the PCB. Filtering in the power supply is carried out ten tanks to 6800 uF each. Installation is made very carefully. Unlike North American competitors on the test Atoll AV500 with its technical performance is not fundamentally different from the amplification of the modern AV-receiver average. However, the impression may arise only in the case, if we restrict the study of the characteristics of the table component and an introduction to its design. But it is enough to listen to a bunch of the Assistant to the AV-processor or receiver, having a high-quality digital part, as an opinion instantly changed. Of course, the French unit is unlikely to slay the pressure and drive, as it was with the Americans. But at the same time, he carefully treated with the smallest details of the sound image, filling the space breathing reverberation. Soundtrack served light and airy, that is very useful when playing music tracks. But in the movie Atoll AV500 ennobles theatrical sound system, if you pick him right speakers.

Atoll AV500 Amplifier photo