Some introduction...

I started upgrading my HT system last year with a pair of B&W 803S as front speakers in combination with my existing Denon 3802 as pre-amp for my Font speakers and a NAD 216 THX as power amp. My CD player is a Denon DCD-2560EX (Denon reference model from the 90's).

The NAD 216 THX did a nice job but was clearly missing the power to make the 803S 'sing'.

As a first step I decided with my hifi dealer to update the power amp. As a first suggestion he gave me 2 ATOLL AM200 in bridged mode (+/- 300 Watt RMS on 8 Ohm). He was very confident that I was going to keep them...

It was like a new world was opening for me, the upgrade from my B&W Matrix 804 to Nautilus 803S seemed a small step compared with what was happening now...

Some music samples:

Miles Daves – So What : very natural sound within the complete range. Miles was standing in my living room giving me a live performance...

Eric Clapton - Unplugged: extremely good dynamics in the guitar reproduction !!! + very good detail without losing the warm sound!

90's Dance music: power in the amp becomes extremely clear, very good dynamics in the lower frequencies -> remark: the units run warm on higher volumes

Bach : Choral N°06 BWV 147 "Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude" performed by Philip Bride with the Ensemble Instrumental De France : Fantastisch in 1 word ! I heard instruments that I never noticed before. Even my wife who can not always share my audio enthusiasm became emotional when hearing this piece of music through the Atolls...

The difference with my NAD was like somebody removed a glass cover from my speakers.

PRO
- Good dynamics
- Good bass reproduction en very natural mid-range
- Very defined, controlled & aligned
- Lots of Power

CONTRA
- Needs 30 minutes "warming-up" : Mid-range is “present” during first 30 minutes, “metallic” sounding high tones (e.g. blues guitar from Clapton)
- runs warm on higher volumes -> foresee enough room around the unit(s) to allow some air flow
- power switch only accessible from behind, no stand-by (e.g. 5-12V DC trigger or auto standby) -> I made a power interrupter with a contactor connected to my Denon which is switching the Atolls on&off.


After this test I also connected a Classé CA-2100 which my dealer also gave my for a test. Compared with the ATOLL AM200 I was missing power and the Classé sounded 'sterile'. When I compared the price for the 2 Atoll units and the Classé CA-2100 the choice was easily made (and this time my wife supported me).

I also tested 2 NAD C 275BEE (in bridged mode) with comparable specs and price (50 € less expensive per unit). The NAD has also lots of power but seemed less detailed & controlled compared to the ATOLL.

After the weekend I went back to the shop and bought 2 ATOLL AM200 units with sequential serial number (now 3 months ago)

One thing is for sure: I'm going to keep them !

the sound of the am 200 is very good, the only disadvantage is that it is not enough cooled, the unit heats up while listenning at higher volumes. Another disadvantage is the missing of a standby, the mains is hidden behind.

I got AM200 a few months ago, and I'm totally satisfied. The sound is pleasant, non-intrusive. In short it's very easy on the ears, but yet its very detailed. It can reproduce just anything with ease. Big bands, large orchestras, small groups, acoustic, electric - no problem. I compared it with McCormack DNA-125 and Bryston 2BB SST2. Actually there was nothing to compare, because Atoll was simply better in every way, and the amps I mentioned are very good in their clategory. The first and most important thing I noticed was musicality. You can listen to it for hours, and won't get tired. I'm completely pleased. I also bought Atoll PR300 preamp, which is a great match for the amp. The things I don't like is that Atoll is very cable-sensitive, and way too overpriced in the US. Because of distributor's greed it's little-known in the US.