Atoll Electronique CD80 Evolution
The Atoll CD80 Evolution brings muscular musicality and a smooth, glare-free treble to serious CD playback, balancing clean mids, quick yet weighty bass, and an inviting forward sense of presence. Zero Fidelity also highlights its straightforward operation, robust all-metal build, and useful transport and system-integration flexibility—a characterful French player made for long, involving listening sessions.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
86/100
Features Usability
85/100
Value for Money
87/100
Pros
Full, muscular and tonally convincing sound with clean midrange, detailed bass, and smooth treble free of obvious digital glare.
Simple, intuitive operation and strong reported reliability make everyday CD playback notably stress-free.
Useful digital output, trigger output, and digital-input expansion add system flexibility beyond basic disc playback.
Cons
Its distinct, slightly forward and warm character will not suit listeners seeking strict neutrality or those trying to tame an already lively system.
The remote has more buttons than necessary and feels less premium than the player itself.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
The CD80 Evolution is described as a characterful and involving player, combining a muscular, tonally convincing presentation with smooth treble behavior. It appears to favor presence and drive over strict neutrality, while avoiding the hard or glaring edge sometimes associated with digital playback.
Tonal Balance Musicality
91/100
Zero Fidelity describes a muscular, slightly forward-of-neutral balance that brings added presence without becoming aggressively bright. The midrange is said to be clean yet substantial, with bass that combines speed and detail with satisfying weight; compared with a rival, the Atoll sounded fuller, smoother, and more tonally correct.
Resolution Detail
88/100
The review highlights quick bass detail and a presentation that places the listener closer to the front of a live event. There is less direct discussion of micro-detail, layering, or image specificity, but the reported cleanliness and sense of presence suggest a clear, articulate presentation.
Digital Performance
91/100
The player is praised for sounding free of obvious digital artifacts, with notably smooth treble despite a modest upward tilt in balance. Zero Fidelity specifically reports an absence of digital glare and “digital gremlins,” supporting a clean and refined digital-to-analog presentation.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 85/100
This is a focused CD player with useful system-integration provisions rather than an expansive digital-source feature set. Review evidence on day-to-day controls and interface behavior is limited, while the supplied connectivity adds practical flexibility for compatible systems.
Streaming Software
84/100
As a disc-based player, the CD80 Evolution does not rely on a streaming-control platform. The review says little about remote operation, display navigation, or daily operating behavior.
Features Connectivity
87/100
The player includes a digital output, a trigger output for integrated system control, and an optional digital-input board that expands its role in a wider digital system. These provisions are practical additions for listeners who want more flexibility around a conventional CD player.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
86/100
The CD80 Evolution uses an all-metal enclosure with an anodized, brushed-aluminum front panel, available in black or silver. The review presents it as a neatly finished physical product, though it offers limited comment on the mechanism, long-term durability, or internal construction.
Value for Money
87/100
At $1,750, Zero Fidelity acknowledges that the CD80 Evolution is not inexpensive, but considers the price reasonable in light of its French design and manufacture and non-mass-produced positioning. The review’s enthusiasm for its distinctive, enjoyable sound further supports the sense of a justified premium.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Supply
- 30 + 4.6 + 1.6 VA
- Total of capacitors
- 21 400 µF
- Converter (D/A)
- PCM1791A
- Dynamic
- 113 dB
- Signal/Noise Ratio
- 113 dB
- Distortion at 1 kHz
- 0.001%
- Output level
- 2.5 Vrms
- Output impedance
- 5.6 Ω
- Bandwidth
- 5 Hz – 20 kHz
- Rise time
- 2.0 µs
- Standby consumption
- < 0.5 W
- Operating consumption
- 9 to 16 W
- Dimensions (mm)
- 440×280×95
- Weight
- 6 Kg
Manufacturer's Description — Atoll Electronique
The Evolution series CD players benefit from numerous innovations in terms of power supplies or audio and conversion stages. In addition, all these devices can now receive a 24 bits/192 kHz DAC board based on the player’s internal converter. The USB input is asynchronous.
- 4 mm brushed aluminium front panel.
- 10 regulated power supplies, including a specific low-noise one for the converter.
- Linear power supply for digital stages with a specific 30 VA transformer.
- Separate 4,6 VA linear transformer for audio stages.
- 1,6 VA transformer (low consumption).
- Original TEAC central CD mechanics (latest generation).
- Pure audio CD player compatible with: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, WMA-AAC.
- Double-sided circuit boards with nickel/gold finish.
- BURR-BROWN PCM1791A converter:
– 24-bit/192 kHz.
– Dynamic range: 113 dB.
– Signal-to-noise ratio: 113 dB. - Low-power OLED display.
- CD-Text display.
- Differential audio output stages with discrete components biased in class A.
- ATOLL global remote control.
- Optional 24 bits/192 kHz digital card for all Evolution series CD players.
CONNECTIVITY
Outputs
1 Line digital outputs (right & left) (RCA).
1 Coaxial digital output (to a converter D/A).
1 Optical digital output (to a converter D/A).
12V Trigger output.
Optional Digital Board
1 USB input (type B).
1 Coaxial digital output.
1 Optical digital output.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Atoll Electronique CD80 Evolution
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- Absolute Audio - Canada — in-store — Calgary, Alberta, Canada (website)
- Akustik Strauss — in-store — Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bayern, Germany (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- AM Audio Design — in-store — Beauvais, Hauts-de-France, France (website)
- Ambiance Concert — in-store — Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (website)
- Ars Antiqua Audio — online and in-store — Boadilla del Monte, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Art Sonique — France (website)
- Audio Alternative — online and in-store — Fort Collins, Colorado, United States (website)
- Audio Ark — online and in-store — Edmonton, Alberta, United States (website)
and 85 more verified dealers