Atoll Electronique was founded in 1997 in France by brothers Stéphane & Emmanuel Dubreuil. Throughout their adult lives, music was their family hobby, which eventually led the brothers to the idea of creating their own brand for the production of equipment. A significant factor for this was also the fact that Stefan worked for several years at Triangle, where he was able to accumulate rare experience, which later helped to bring the Atoll company to the status of not only the most famous Hi-Fi manufacturer in France, but in Europe. Atoll Electronique competes not only with well-known equipment manufacturers from Europe, but also with the largest brands in America and Japan, often leaving them far behind.
Atoll Electronique Logo
Stéphane Dubreuil says the following about the history of choosing the name for the Atoll Electronique brand: “My brother and I spent a long time looking for a name that would be short, easy to pronounce, memorable and contain the letter “O” in its composition. One day we came across a book that talked about atolls. The atoll’s surroundings are deep, clear ocean waters, symbolizing luxury, relaxation and purity. And that’s exactly how I want to describe high-quality sound. Atoll was the perfect name for the company!”
Having created the company, the Dubreuil brothers set themselves the task of creating high-quality, and most importantly, musical-sounding equipment, at the best price. With all this, the main condition had to be that the assembly would be carried out only in France, the majority of parts and components would be produced at French factories, and the remaining parts would only be from the best audiophile European, American or Japanese manufacturers.
The entire range of models produced by Atoll Electronique is assembled at one single plant, which is located in the small town of Bresse (Basse Normandy). The city is surrounded by greenery, surrounded by forests and picturesque pastures, which has the best effect on the state of mind of employees, helping them concentrate on the work they love. The company’s production building, with its industrial design and porthole window neatly integrated into the huge logo located at the entrance, resembles a huge ship sailing through an endless expanse of an ocean of green grass. In addition to workshops and other spaces, the building features a cozy listening room with Vicoustic acoustic panels.
Most of the components used in the production of Atoll audio components are manufactured and purchased in Europe. All printed circuit boards undergo a thorough check before taking their place in the case. All components from the devices are assembled manually, after which they undergo inspection, with the measurement of all relevant characteristics, subsequent warming up and final hearing testing. Almost all Atoll components are assembled using dual mono technology, using symmetry of the circuits of each channel, discrete elements, and the circuits are designed in such a way that the signal path is minimal. The company uses premium components, pre-qualified, low-resistance capacitors, channel selectors and ALPS volume controls, metal layer resistors, MOSFETs, class A elements, etc. The company always meets the customer, and the Dubreuil brothers They often answer phone calls themselves, listening to the wishes of product owners, which allows them to constantly improve sound quality.
Initially, Atoll production was small and was based on the production of two integrated amplifiers IN80 and IN50, a preamplifier PR100 and power amplifiers AM50, AM80. In 1998, thanks to the impeccable quality of its products and even more impeccable sound, the company gained recognition in the European Hi-Fi market, significantly increasing its sales volumes and distribution network. As a result, the company begins production of a new AM100 power amplifier and a line of CD players. Over the years, production grew, and more and more new components appeared in the company’s assortment. The company has always strived, and now follows this course, to produce amplifiers and other audio components with as neutral a sound as possible.
The company’s bestseller is the Atoll IN200 se integrated amplifier. The amplifier is built on the “dual mono” principle; the circuit uses MOSFET transistors and two separate toroidal transformers, one for each channel. The front panel is made of machined aluminum 8 mm thick. The amplifier has a soft, enveloping sound, excellent detail and dynamics, and thanks to the high current in the output stages, it can easily cope with the heaviest load.
Standing apart in the Atoll lineup is the luxurious flagship Gamme 400 series, which belongs to the High End class. The developers of the line were faced with the task of creating devices with excellent characteristics, impeccable sound, while the appearance of the devices had to be recognizable and attractive.
The developed line included: CD player CD400, integrated amplifier IN400 and preamplifier PR400, made in a symmetrical industrial design. The devices have 10 mm trapezoidal front panels and are harmoniously combined with each other in terms of parameters and appearance.
Atoll Electronique now produces a wide range of audio devices, which includes CD players, CD drives, integrated, pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers. Following modern concepts in the audio market, the company produces external digital-to-analog converters, streamers and phono stages. All products manufactured by the company have impeccable build quality and unsurpassed sound. Atoll recently updated its model range by launching production of the new 300 series and the Signature series.
