ATOLL ELECTRONIQUE - IN80SE.. My impressions

I would like to share my impressions of the ATOLL ELECTRONIQUE - IN80SE stereo integrated amplifier.

Starting off with a few pics ..

Decent packaging



The sleek remote control with separate control for DAC,TUNER, CD/DVD & IN/PR amps



Face to face - minimal front finish…



The stylish and beautiful logo!



The motorized ALPS volume control with headphone socket



ATOLL has kept it simple…just the volume dial, headphone jack, power button and source selector with the led indicators in a stylish semi circular layout



The ventilating circular grille holes on top of cover



Rear - AUX, CD , TUNER, DVD, TAPE IN/OUT, 2 PRE-OUTS for bi-amping, BYPASS for a HT setup ..AUX can be converted for use as a PHONO input by the P50/P100 phono card



The all important phono grounding screw on top of AUX input



The rugged gold plated speaker binding posts



serial plate



3-pin power socket & power switch



couldn't resist a visual comparision
The modern French ATOLL IN80SE striking a pose alongside my vintage Japanese AKAI AM-U02



I hooked up the IN80SE with my uncle’s Acoustic Research M4 Holographic mini towers & my Quadral phonologue amun gold floorstanders.

Sources used– Pioneer DV300 dvd player, Marantz Direct Drive 6170 turntable

Atoll states on their site that their amps should be allowed an approx 30 mins warm up for the output stages to come into their own…

My impressions… after throwing a variety of music at this amp for more than 3 days ..the India distributor - Alliance 4 was kind enough to let me keep the amp for a few days so that I could get a feel of the ‘ATOLL sound’ at leisure

CDs/tracks - VANESSA WILLIAMS – where do we go from here - the bass was extraordinarily rendered without a semblance of any ‘boom’

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD - in private - smooth punch to this 80s hit

RICHARD MARX – right here waiting - excellent vocals and flow to the rhythm

PET SHOP BOYS - to speak is a sin - electronica produced with panache

DEF LEPPARD –vault- greatest hits -very good vocal delivery, tight solid bass

MEATLOAF-I’d do anything for love but I won’t do that - another track well rendered allround

DIANA KRALL- the very best of -mellifluous vocals and overall soundstage

POINTER SISTERS-jump the best of - an up tempo dance album…dynamics were handled well

MICHAEL JACKSON – dangerous -another unforgiving hit…the IN80SE passed the test flawlessly

LPs/tracks – JULIO IGLESIAS- bel air place -the warmth on this album was ethereal

SMOKEY ROBINSON-one heartbeat –articulate overall rendition

BILLY OCEAN-love zone - another favourite album which the amp did total justice to

NAT KING COLE –greatest hits -lots of definition and gusto to the arrangements

MOZART – symphony no.40 in g minor -handled those transient attacks with ease

BEETHOVEN- emperor waltz - concerto no.5 in e flat – crisp, detailed and warm

To summarise in a nutshell, the ATOLL IN80SE is capable of :

-transparent detailed highs ( the quadral ribbon tweeters also playing their part).. not once did I pick up any hint of scratchiness or distortion even at 11am on the volume dial and shaking up the neighbours.

-warm articulate midrange and treble resolution never experienced before.
excellent width to the soundstage. smoothness and lucidity in the vocals, impressive well spaced imaging of orchestral instruments and vocal ensembles, excellent delivery of dynamic passages… with an airy feel to the sound, I would have to say this amp does justice to all genres.

–deep tight bass...goes very low if paired with the right speakers that can put out really low frequencies.

Vinyl never sounded sweeter….the add-on P100 phono card takes vinyl listening to a league of its own! An extraordinarily balanced phono stage with an adjustor for MM/MC cartridges. I have heard valve amps and this solid state performer comes very close to producing that signature warmth one would only associate with a valve amp.

The amp does get warm which is obviously expected driving 4 ohm floorstanders for long sessions.

Rated at 80wpc @ 8ohms and 120wpc @ 4ohm, the IN80SE will slam low sensitivity / low impedance, hard to drive, power hungry speakers with that much needed punch.

If I had to be picky about this amp, I'd have to say that apart from the simple aesthetics and the fact that this amp has no tone controls, no speaker balance control and the fact that it can drive only a single pair of speakers, I honestly didn’t miss any of those functionalities that we’re so used to seeing on modern amps.

I’d definitely recommend the IN80SE for budget conscious audiophiles!

Aesthetics – 6/10

Build – 10/10

Performance – 10/10

Value for money – 10/10

Ease of use- 10/10