{"id":4252,"date":"2022-09-23T14:42:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T02:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/?p=4252"},"modified":"2022-09-26T14:51:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T01:51:28","slug":"atoll-electronique-in400se-the-absolute-sound-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/atoll-electronique-in400se-the-absolute-sound-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Atoll Electronique IN400SE The Absolute Sound Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Just the thought of France, and my brain instantly slips into sensory overload. I start recalling the delights of a Michelin-starred restaurant, a drive through Provence, the smell of a freshly baked\u00a0pain au chocolat<\/em>, a walk along the Seine\u2014okay, you get the idea. Is it any wonder that I completely forget about the country\u2019s thriving audio industry? Indeed that business is very much alive, as leading French brands such as Focal, Devialet, Micromega, Triangle, and many others prove every day. Atoll Electronics or \u201cElectronique\u201d however, was new to my experience, though the company has been manufacturing gear since 1997. Founded by brothers St\u00e9phane and Emmanuel Dubreuil, its mission was to produce reasonably priced, true high-end audio electronics for budget-conscious audiophiles. Today its product offerings consist of over fifty unique components that are fully designed, engineered, and manufactured in Br\u00e9cey, a town located in the Normandy region in the northwest of France.
The IN400SE represents the company\u2019s elite integrated amplifier. It joins separates siblings\u2014the PR400 preamp and the AM400 amplifier\u2014in Atoll\u2019s Line 400 range. While beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, I find the look of the amp unreservedly elegant with a unique aesthetic highlighted by its terraced heatsinks and matte-aluminum front panel. The IN400SE outputs 160Wpc into 8 ohms (300Wpc into 4 ohms) and employs differential dual-mono discrete construction. The output devices are MOSFET, eight transistors per channel, and there\u2019s a hefty 93,400 \u00b5F of capacitance in reserve. The audio input capacitors are Mundorf.\u00a0Atoll specified very low amounts of global feedback, and also employs high current into the driver stages to limit distortion.\u00a0The high bias allows the IN400SE to operate in a Class A for the first ten watts before going into Class AB operation.
The chassis is constructed of a 2mm steel baseplate and a 10mm machined-aluminum front panel. The aforementioned heatsinks are manufactured in massive aluminum blocks from a process developed by Atoll. They were designed to best absorb mechanical vibrations and promote heat dissipation for the sensitive output devices.\u00a0Moreover, Atoll is especially proud of its efforts to ensure that major components are sourced from suppliers located in France or within the E.U. but\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0come from within reach of the main assembly plant. For example, chassis are made in Brittany, the aluminum front plates are laser-cut in Lorraine, circuit mother-boards are made in Pays Basque, power supplies are made in the Rh\u00f4ne sub-region, packaging is sourced from the famous Normandy province, and so forth.
The IN400SE\u2019s front panel features a pair of aluminum knobs for volume and input selection (and standby) plus a \u00bc\u201d jack for its internal headphone amplifier. A quick press of the volume control enables basic configuration options. Rather unexpected was the setting that illuminates the knobs in either blue and red (the French flag\u2019s colors!) or, for a more somber look, bypasses the mood lighting entirely. The inset front-panel display can also be dimmed or set to time out completely after a few seconds following any remote control input engagement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Turning to the back panel, the IN400SE provides five analog RCA inputs, a dedicated home-theater bypass, and one set of XLR balanced inputs. In addition there are two RCA sets of preamplifier outputs for potential biamping or to drive a subwoofer. My review sample also included the standard on-board DAC with a USB \u201cB\u201d input for decoding files up to 24-bit\/96kHz (other digital input options available; see Specs & Pricing). The five-way WBT binding posts are top-quality. Noteworthy too is that the wiring of the binding posts and the RCA\/XLR I\/Os to the PCB board are of made of high-quality silver and Teflon. The remote control was comprehensive in terms of control but lacked much in the way of tactile feel\u2014it\u2019s pretty standard-issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atoll mandates a signal path free of bass or treble controls, as the company concludes that the added circuitry introduces non-linear frequency and phase responses and noise that hampers transparency. Thankfully, however, there is a balance control\u2014useful for optimizing many off-kilter recordings. The volume control is based on a pair<\/em> of Ti LM1972 attenuators, one per channel based on commuted resistors. In this way, Atoll minimizes the length of the audio copper tracks and enhances stereo separation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s possible for an amplifier to be instantly likeable, the IN400SE was a case in point. It almost seemed to be beckoning to every loudspeaker system, \u201cHey, come on out and play.\u201d It\u2019s a personality that stems from a firmly grounded foundation that imparted recordings with an immediate sense of stability and weight. That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s slow, or drags its feet in speed and response. Rather, it has a darker gravity that suggests power, control, and grip in copious reserves. It\u2019s particularly unerring in its reproduction of acoustic instruments. For example, there\u2019s the rhythmic underpinning of Jim Keltner\u2019s kickdrum during Vanessa Fernandez\u2019s cover of \u201cRamble On\u201d from\u00a0When the Levee Breaks<\/em>\u00a0[Groove Note]. Initially its timbre and sustain sounded damped almost to the point of appearing muted, but then following just behind the transient came the whoosh of propulsive energy after every strike of the drum pedal mallet. It\u2019s a complicated low-level relationship that was nicely sorted out by the IN400SE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jen Chapin\u2019s Stevie Wonder cover of \u201cYou Haven\u2019t Done Nothin\u2019\u201d provided a vivid example of what this amp was doing right in open-throated dynamics and natural, unhyped timbral elements. Comprising only three instruments\u2014acoustic bass, baritone sax, and Chapin\u2019s smoky vocal\u2014this Chesky SACD suggests a deceptively simple recording. I\u2019ve heard it sound open, smooth, and intensely dynamic and detailed; conversely it has also sounded awful\u2014an edgy treble, compressed and flat. The IN400SE (with the redoubtable dCS Puccini as source) reproduced this track with very little artifice. There were rich and relaxed harmonics and a sense of immersion that was competitive with some of the best amplification I\u2019ve experienced. On a similarly minimalist track such as Lyle Lovett\u2019s \u201cBaltimore,\u201d the sole acoustic guitar, close-miked, was allowed to bloom fully into the surrounding acoustic space, every transient detail and resonance nicely realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soundstage and dimensionality were about midpack in performance. Orchestral layering, string sections, for example, were good but the sense of \u201cseeing\u201d past the orchestra\u2019s percussion section to the back of the concert hall was only approximated. Ranked shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of an MBL Corona C51 or a Pass Labs INT-250\u2014amps that carve soundscapes the way Michelangelo sculpted marble\u2014the Atoll loses some ground yet is still in the game in this vaunted company. While the Atoll sacrifices some bloom and treble air at the extremities, the IN400SE\u2019s opulent mids and potent bottom end are sufficient to give either a run for the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a real bon-bon to show off the IN400SE\u2019s sonic virtues, try one of the terrific new Joe Jackson remasterings courtesy of Intervention Records. If, like me, your only real exposure to Jackson\u2019s music was either compressed onto AM radio or given a lackluster transfer to CD, you\u2019re in for a real treat. These LPs virtually explode into life. Hearing the hit \u201cSteppin\u2019 Out\u201d or \u201cCancer\u201d from the\u00a0Night and Day<\/em>\u00a0LP was like hearing it fresh for the first time, fully restored in all its analog colors and shadings. There\u2019s the bass-line thrumming like the steady pulse of the New York nightlife scene, the hypnotic, harmonic ringing of the xylophone, the double-tracking of vocals and various other contrasts, and low-level transient details from songs that once played in such heavy rotation on the radio you might have tuned them out years ago. Have another listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Atoll also managed a less sensitive loudspeaker, such as my ATCs, with ease. Many amps reduce acoustic-suspension speakers of this ilk to sounding overly controlled and compressed, or at times even a little dead in the midbass as if notes were having their decay times clipped off. The Atoll would have none of that. As I waded into a selection of jazz and pop favorites in formats that ranged from SACD to LP the Atoll hooked me with its dynamic authority, low-level sensitivity, and hints of midrange warmth that I\u2019ve always found appealing. It had a quiet, darker presence and balance that reproduced the body of both piano and acoustic bass in all their reverb and sustain. The unmastered version of Patricia Barber\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Blue<\/em> was especially compelling. The acoustic guitar solo during \u201cA Taste of Honey\u201d displayed the transient sting of the flatpick off the string with an excellent bell-like sustain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning to the Atoll\u2019s built-in DAC\u2014it performed well over USB (sourced from my MacBook and PureMusic software) but not quite up to the standards of the Lumin A1 media player or the T+A MP 2000 R player (review forthcoming). Its soundstage was shallower and narrower with images lacking the elbow-room I\u2019ve come to expect on airy, immersive tracks like Norah Jones\u2019 \u201cCome Away with Me\u201d or Leonard Cohen\u2019s backing chorus from \u201cGoing Home\u201d from Old Ideas<\/em>. Compared with the immediacy and speed with which the IN400SE performed throughout the rest of my evaluation, some hesitancy had seeped into the performance and subtracted some of the electricity and liveliness that I expect of this recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Atoll IN400SE represents the kind of classic, purist audiophile virtues that know no nationality. It\u2019s a serious integrated amplifier that speaks fluent High End (and without even a trace of a French accent) and is a welcome contender in the under-ten-grand ranks. I\u2019m left with only one final question: I wonder how the croissants are up there in Atoll\u2019s hometown of Br\u00e9cey? I\u2019m betting they\u2019re\u00a0extraordinaire<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specs & Pricing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Power:<\/strong>\u00a0160Wpc into 8 ohms (300Wpc into 4 ohms)
Frequency<\/strong>\u00a0response:<\/strong>\u00a05Hz\u2013100kHz
Inputs:<\/strong>\u00a0Five RCA, (aux. for optional phonostage or digital SPDIF), bypass, one XLR, USB input (B type) 24\/96kHz
Outputs:<\/strong>\u00a0Two RCA, tape, preamp
Dimensions:<\/strong>\u00a017.3\u2033 x 14.6\u2033 x 5.12\u2033
Weight:<\/strong>\u00a044 lbs.
Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$6995 (PM50 mm phono board, $130; P100 mc phono board, $190, digital input with coax SPDIF, $320; wireless streaming at CD-quality, $430; 12V trigger $60 per trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.theabsolutesound.com\/articles\/atoll-electronique-in400se-integrated-amplifier\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Turning to the back panel, the IN400SE provides five analog RCA inputs, a dedicated home-theater bypass, and one set of XLR balanced inputs. In addition there are two RCA sets of preamplifier outputs for potential biamping or to drive a subwoofer. My review sample also included the standard on-board DAC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4257,"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252\/revisions\/4257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hifihq.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}