Does anyone have anything (good/bad) to say about the Atoll CD100?

[ChrisJJ]

I just returned the new NAD C 589 player, as it wasn't quite what I was looking for. There were some minor issues that made me decide to send it back. Now I need to find another CD player, and I’ve been looking at the Atoll CD100. Does anyone have any good or bad things to say about that player?

I can't listen to it anywhere locally, so I'll have to order it from France if that ends up being the one I go with.

Thanks.

 

[Redacted]

For £1200 you can buy a transport and a DAC and have a beach holiday and a system that will be audibly as good as your ears can hear.

If you list the "issues" someone here may have an idea!

I get that it's hard to listen locally, so personally, as I'm in the UK (but live on the edge of the known world), I would not spend so much money unless I had a means to return without tax/duties/tariffs or quibbles etc, as it such a hassle - but maybe not where you live? And of course I'd only use a credit card as we get good buyer protection in the event of dispute.

 

[ChrisJJ]

For £1200 you can buy a transport and a DAC and have a beach holiday and a system that will be audibly as good as your ears can hear.

If you list the "issues" someone here may have an idea!

I get that it's hard to listen locally, so personally, as I'm in the UK (but live on the edge of the known world), I would not spend so much money unless I had a means to return without tax/duties/tariffs or quibbles etc, as it such a hassle - but maybe not where you live? And of course I'd only use a credit card as we get good buyer protection in the event of dispute.

Thanks for your reply. The NAD has been returned. Listing my issues with this player wont change anyting. Not the player I was looking for. And just interested in what people think about the Atoll player.

 

[Redacted]

Good to know the Atoll CD100 has no similar issues.

 

[Beave]

Thanks for your reply. The NAD has been returned. Listing my issues with this player wont change anyting. Not the player I was looking for. And just interested in what people think about the Atoll player.

It might not change anything, but telling us your issues with it will help us figure out what you're looking for.

As for the Atoll, it looks expensive. And it is. It probably sounds great, just like almost every other CD player for the last 40 years.

 

[Redacted]

As for the Atoll, it looks expensive. And it is. It probably sounds great, just like almost every other CD player for the last 40 years.

Yes, and price depends on whether you get it with or without the DAC module - they use the PCM1796 which was released in 2008, and it's an old Teac mechanism, used in many, many units.

 

[Roland68]

I just returned the new NAD C 589 player, as it wasn't quite what I was looking for. There were some minor issues that made me decide to send it back. Now I need to find another CD player, and I’ve been looking at the Atoll CD100. Does anyone have any good or bad things to say about that player?

I can't listen to it anywhere locally, so I'll have to order it from France if that ends up being the one I go with.

Thanks.

Just so you know, the Atoll CD100 (Evolution) is a very good CD player, regardless of price.
It uses the same high-quality Teac CD transport found in the Tascam CD200, for instance—the model tested by @NTTY.
In terms of the transport mechanism, the Atoll won't outperform the Tascam CD200, as the latter has already achieved top-tier measurement results. Furthermore, any DAC in the €75–€200 range that has tested well on ASR would likely perform just as well as, or better than, the Atoll's DAC.

If you like the Atoll and are willing to spend that much extra for its elaborate chassis and build, that’s perfectly fine.
However, if your priority is purely technical performance and sound quality, you can achieve that for significantly less money.
The Tascam CD200 is also a highly reliable, durable unit that has been on the market for 14 years.

 

[Marc v E]

I just returned the new NAD C 589 player, as it wasn't quite what I was looking for. There were some minor issues that made me decide to send it back. Now I need to find another CD player, and I’ve been looking at the Atoll CD100. Does anyone have any good or bad things to say about that player?

I can't listen to it anywhere locally, so I'll have to order it from France if that ends up being the one I go with.

Thanks.

The Denon 900NE tested just as well.

Denon DCD-900NE Review (CD Player)

Hello Everyone, This is a review and detailed measurements of the Denon DCD-900NE stereo CD Player and Transport. I previously reviewed the Marantz CD6007 which is in the same category. So much so that the packaging is identical, as well as the remote control, as well as the user guide. All...

www.audiosciencereview.com

That would be my choice for only 350 euros.

Ime you can achieve much more for your money in speakers or eq.

 

[ChrisJJ]

The Denon 900NE tested just as well.

Denon DCD-900NE Review (CD Player)

Hello Everyone, This is a review and detailed measurements of the Denon DCD-900NE stereo CD Player and Transport. I previously reviewed the Marantz CD6007 which is in the same category. So much so that the packaging is identical, as well as the remote control, as well as the user guide. All...

www.audiosciencereview.com

That would be my choice for only 350 euros.

Ime you can achieve much more for your money in speakers or eq.

My system is as follows: NAD C 3050 LE amp. Apollon Monoblocks, Pro-Ject Classic Evo, Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2, Buchardt S400 MKII and the SUB10. I'm very happy with this system and I appreciate all the inputs from you guys. Thanks.

 

[Marc v E]

My system is as follows: NAD C 3050 LE amp. Apollon Monoblocks, Pro-Ject Classic Evo, Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2, Buchardt S400 MKII and the SUB10. I'm very happy with this system and I appreciate all the inputs from you guys. Thanks.

That is a very nice system.

I read up on the amp and see it's got Dirac live. Have you measured and dialed in eq using Dirac?

 

[Chrispy]

Never heard of Atoll at all, but looking at it, can't imagine what makes a cd player worth its price, tho. Would be interesting to know how the Nad fell short of what you were looking for, tho.

 

[Mart68]

Never heard of Atoll at all, but looking at it, can't imagine what makes a cd player worth its price, tho. Would be interesting to know how the Nad fell short of what you were looking for, tho.

Atoll are French and I think the products are made there too. Or assembled anyway.

Reasons to pay more than a couple of hundred? Build quality, aesthetics , reliability ,ease of use, features, after sales support.

 

[Chrispy]

Atoll are French and I think the products are made there too. Or assembled anyway.

Reasons to pay more than a couple of hundred? Build quality, aesthetics , reliability ,ease of use, features, after sales support.

Can't tell particularly from a web page or two how those characteristics apply to this unit. The aesthetic isn't particularly exciting in any case. Too bad Oppo got out of the biz....

 

[Marc v E]

The inside of the previous version of the Atoll cd 100...

Atoll CD 100 - CD player [English]

...was a Technics cd player with a custom output stage.

I wonder how many players nowadays are truely designed from the ground up.

 

[Mart68]

The inside of the previous version of the Atoll cd 100...

Atoll CD 100 - CD player [English]

...was a Technics cd player with a custom output stage.

I wonder how many players nowadays are truely designed from the ground up.

Are there any boutique European CD players that aren't just a warmed-over Japanese design or - more usually - a Philips?

 

[Roland68]

The inside of the previous version of the Atoll cd 100...

Atoll CD 100 - CD player [English]

...was a Technics cd player with a custom output stage.

I wonder how many players nowadays are truely designed from the ground up.

Are there any boutique European CD players that aren't just a warmed-over Japanese design or - more usually - a Philips?

You are talking about a 25-year-old device here; since then, there have been numerous new versions of the Atoll CD 100 featuring different drive mechanisms.

The current Atoll CD 100—and at least the previous version—is based on the latest TEAC CD drive and control system, the same type used in the Tascam unit tested by @NTTY, as well as in higher-end TEAC players and transports.
I fail to see what could possibly be better than that.

The drive mechanisms and control systems used back then in the Technics SL-PG 490/590/4/5 models (sourced from Panasonic/Matsushita/Sanyo) were also among the best available at the time.
It seems many users do not realize just how leading a role Japan has played for decades in the production of precise, high-quality components and parts. While alternatives may exist today, finding something actually better is the exception rather than the rule.

 

[Mart68]

I fail to see what could possibly be better than that

Nothing. The point is people buy boutique players that are just a Philips or a Japanese unit in a fancy case with a fancy price tag. Been going on since the late '80s. But the buyer thinks they are getting something more than that.

 

[Roland68]

Nothing. The point is people buy boutique players that are just a Philips or a Japanese unit in a fancy case with a fancy price tag. Been going on since the late '80s. But the buyer thinks they are getting something more than that.

High End Trade Show 2001 in Frankfurt.
A room hosted by a friendly company where, among other things, a modified Technics SL-PG 4 was being demonstrated as part of a system.
As the conversation revealed, the visitor was a wealthy businessman with years of Hi-Fi experience who owned a system in the six-figure price range (and not starting with a '1').
His first comment regarding the Technics player: "That ranks among the best I have ever heard."
His second comment: "I wouldn't let a 'rice burner' like that into my house."
And at that point, any discussion on the subject comes to an end.

No matter how good the technical specifications or the price-performance ratio might be, this customer would never have bought a Technics, Tascam, or SMSL CD player.
Yet, he would have spent €50,000 or €100,000 on a European or American CD player without batting an eye (which, incidentally, is exactly what he did).

And that is the point that many users—especially here on the forum—fail to see or understand.
Everyone has the right to spend their money however they please—whether the price-performance ratio is good, bad, or utter nonsense, or even if the equipment is absolute junk—and it is not for anyone else to decide.
Some people simply want a great-looking chassis, a specific aesthetic, or a particular brand, regardless of the extra cost.

 

[Mart68]

Everyone has the right to spend their money however they please—whether the price-performance ratio is good, bad, or utter nonsense, or even if the equipment is absolute junk—and it is not for anyone else to decide.
Some people simply want a great-looking chassis, a specific aesthetic, or a particular brand, regardless of the extra cost.

Well I get that which is why I have a £2K CD transport. The difference is I didn't buy it expecting it to sound any different to the fairly cheap one it replaced. Your man at the show may have had the same approach but reality is that most buyers of expensive CD players think they are also getting expensive sound quality when in fact they're just buying a 'rice burner' in a fancy case.

 

[Roland68]

The Atoll CD 100 is actually a great example for looking at pricing from the manufacturer's perspective, because no manufacturer can afford to launch a product only to lose money on its development and production.

The Atoll CD 100 isn't just another player stripped down and put into a new case. Atoll has to develop and manufacture the entire control system—including software, circuit boards, display, and remote control. Then there is the development of the DAC board and the additional power supply. The sturdy chassis and the milled aluminum front and back panels aren't exactly cheap, either. On top of that, every single unit has to be assembled and tested by hand.
Retail price: €1,250; net price: €1,050. Since Atoll is sold through a distribution network, deductions must be made for dealer margins, distribution costs, shipping, handling, and so on. Depending on the specific structure, the manufacturer might end up with around €650 (±€50)—or possibly even less.
From that amount, and based on relatively low production volumes, they have to cover development, all materials for the player, packaging, assembly, and all overhead costs (staff, rent, electricity, facilities, equipment, machinery, accounting, taxes, etc.).
Then there are the costs for service and warranty repairs.
To me, that doesn't sound like a money-printing machine.