After Elear, Clear and Utopia, Focal finally offers its closed audiophile headphones, designed for all nomads who want good sound. As with the other models in the range, the design and manufacture are French, and the proprietary technologies are based on the technical heritage of the Stéphanoise brand. An exclusive VUmetre test!
Elegia is Focal’s first closed top-of-the-range headset. It took him a little longer than his brothers to get to the market. First, because the roadmap stated that priority was given to open models for exclusive products. And then because Focal already had nomadic closed helmets in its catalogue. That said, Elegia is at a much higher level in this line, and the hopes that rest on it are high. The first is contact is promising, since the Elegia comes in an elegant rigid cover that would not show up in a designer’s locker room. The overall shape is reminiscent of the delicious Utopia, which we greatly appreciated. The colours here are lighter, giving the product a more elegant touch than deliberately «technical». The head-band consists of a padded headband made of micro-perforated leather and solid aluminium side plates. The manufacturer confirms that the Elegia benefits from the ergonomic study carried out during the development of the other models, a prerequisite without which the helmet cannot be born well. The two circum-aural hulls are hemmed with 20 mm thick memory pads covered with microfibre. The wired connection is provided by a 1.2 m cable with a 3.5 mm stereo jack on the source side and two minijack mono connectors that can be locked on the earphone side.
Even if Elegia benefits from the experience accumulated on the other models, it is a closed model whose requirements are different from those of open headphones. But Focal can rely on forty years of experience with vents so that no resonance disturbs the listening. Elegia therefore offers excellent insulation, in which the pads play a major role, whose texture, density and materials have been selected after many hours of testing. Elegia also incorporates a new generation of wide-range aluminium/magnesium alloy drivers capable of working in low volume while ensuring exceptional dynamics and the most accurate sound reproduction: whether it is the motor, the unsupported copper coil, the separately applied suspension or the M-profile dome, these exclusive 40 mm diameter drivers are innovative. This new generation of electro-dynamic transducers offers very high elongation and an extended linear frequency response at 23 kHz. The geometry of the new half-roll NBR suspension guarantees a low mass mobile crew, always under control, even at the lowest frequencies and high sound levels. And thanks to the inverted dome with an «M» profile and its larger emissive surface, listening is done in three dimensions.
USE OF THE SYSTEM Thanks to its very low impedance (35 Ohms), the Elegia guarantees uncom-promising use with personal music players. We have tested this helmet on Cowon and Fiio models with great success. But we also tried a mobile test from an iPhone equipped with a DragonFly Audioquest headphones/DAC amplifier: the result was very exciting. Finally, we listened to a «residential» listening on a Stratos ADL headphones/DAC amplifier, in order to perfect the result of our tests: full cardboard, the marriage between the two products has positively excited us.
THE SOUND Imagine a delicate fabric with a particularly fine weave and a subtle and elegant texture: you will have a precise foretaste of what this new Elegia has to offer. The latter cannot match his prestigious elder Utopia in terms of sound purity, nor the deliberately mineral side of the excellent Elear, but that is not what he is talking about, because the Elegia is a closed model, and anyone who has spent a little time behind a console or in a sound recording knows that we are not looking for the same type of information. The Elegia is not necessarily intended for sound engineers, but it could have the aptitudes to do so, because it does not seek to embellish the message ; only to reproduce it scrupulously. From low, deep, but firm, to high-frequency, extended and well integrated, the Elegia offers rigorous and elegant listening, without interruption, reproduction as neutral as possible and above all, completely protected from external disturbances, thanks to a very effective passive isolation. The result is a feeling of beautiful clarity, a lot of calm and an undeniably successful dynamic expressiveness. On small intimate pieces such as those by Agnès Obel, Elegia is masterful. But on more complex tracks like Ravel’s Rhapsodie Espagnole, he shows explosiveness and control.
OUR CONCLUSION Focal is now at the head of a beautiful collection of headphones, and all the more complete as it is now aimed at all demanding and aesthetic audiences. With the Elegia, the closed headphones made in France is nobly represented, facing a competition that does not rest on its laurels. Congratulations!
TECHNICAL SHEET
PRICE € 990 WEIGHT 430 g IMPEDANCE 35 Ohms SENSITIVITY 105 dB SPL / 1 mW @ 1 kHz THD 0.1% @ 1 kHz / 100 dB SPL FREQUENCY RESPONSE 5 Hz-23 kHz
We fell in love with the UNel Ultime, so much so that we acquired them for the VUmetre reference equipment fleet. This means that we adhere with flying colours to the values of T&T, the small French manufacturer that’s on the rise. And the Nora, its top-of-the-range model, raises the brand’s banner even higher with a completely surprising mastery.
In just three years, Pierre Faverieux, creator of the T&T manufacture, has succeeded in the performance of designing and manufacturing three top-of-the-range acoustic loudspeakers in his workshop in Valence, the Nel, Nel Ultime, and Nora. Of course, these models are positioned towards price strata that make them suitable for financially comfortable music lovers. But when one is a young French manufacturer as talented as he is, it is towards excellence that one tends towards. The years of development, the investments in research, the cost of materials and different prototypes all have to be absorbed. That hasn’t stopped Pierre from making a reputation in record time. Today, we discover the latest version of the Nora, a column that squints furiously towards the High End, so high are its pretensions. It is a beautiful loudspeaker, a little more than one meter high, with a sloping baffle and whose angles cut with a serpentine, gives it a little air of Avalon Acoustics. You will admit that the reference is flattering! The three transducers that decorate its front panel are absolutely statutory. Whether it’s the midrange from Audio Technology, or the two units from SB Acoustics (talented defectors from ScanSpeak), the composite woofer and the beryllium tweeter. On the rear panel, the beautifully designed WBT NextGen speaker terminals are just as beautiful. The Nora are based on three points, two Aktyna interfaces on the front and a stainless steel spike on the back. As you can see, all precautions have been taken to ensure that this realization is fully completed.
Having brought the Nel to full maturity, Pierre Faverieux set himself the goal of completing the «Nora 2019» project. The «road map» was to design an enclosure capable of expressing itself in a room of 30 to 60 m2, with a good level of energy felt, and at the same time without losing any of the Nel’s qualities of naturalness, liveliness and versatility. For this project, the specifications implied to stay in a moderate size, with a moving thought for all those who do not want to see their living room invaded by two refrigerators… The heart of this loudspeaker is the magnificent 15 cm Audio Technology midrange, very accomplished and very efficient, benefiting from both a large 52 mm voice coil and a very light moving part. According to Pierre, this loudspeaker proved to be very difficult to work with, forgiving absolutely nothing to the signal injected into it. It took a lot of time and a lot of measuring and listening to get the perfect balance and to get it working in the area where it excels. To take over in the high frequencies, Pierre naturally chose the beryllium Satori tweeter already used on one of his previous projects. It is both fast, very linear, and capable of restoring a lot of energy in a relaxed way, with beautiful textures. It is therefore an excellent playing companion for this competition medium. For the bass, he opted for a 23 cm treated paper-based diaphragm, with a nice sensi-tivity of 92 dB, and parameters that give the impression of a very good reproduction quality in the low frequencies, without any pneumatic effect. The design of the body benefited from all the attentions, in terms of damping, rigidity, and the fight against standing waves. The MDF cabinet has been optimized in this sense with multi-ply reinforcements at strategic points and a 40 mm thick baffle. The filter is second-order at 400 Hz and variable slope at 2 kHz. In particular, it uses very high-end capacitors, even on the midrange channel. The mounting and wiring of the filter follows a specific process, which is also found on the Nel Ultime, and the internal wiring is exclusively in Absolue creations UlTim. The bass-reflex type load uses a vent hidden in the foot and oriented towards the ground. As for the choice of finish, it is at the discretion of the future buyer. In all cases, the lacquer used is of «automotive» quality.
IMPEDANCE IN RELATION TO FREQUENCY CURVE. The impedance curve shows us a three-way bass-reflex system whose load is tuned around 30 Hz. The crossover frequencies are around 800 Hz and 3.5 kHz. With a nominal impedance of 4 and a minimum of 3.2 at 140 Hz. The filter module incorporates an impedance compensator which gives it an ideal load for amplification
FREQUENCY RESPONSE CURVE SMOOTHED TO 1/3 OCTAVE. The linearity and the width of the bandwidth are to be noticed, very good level in the low register. Revealing a careful study of both the loudspeakers and its filtering module.
DIRECTIVITY CURVES 0, 15°, 30°, 45° SMOOTHING AT 1/24 OCTAVE. Off-axis, the sound level attenuates very evenly, free of parasitic reflections or accidents close to the relay frequencies, guaranteeing a well-respected phase. The directivity is not very pronounced, which is very conducive to a good stability of the stereophonic image.
THE SET UP For a very high-end loudspeaker (17.000 € is very high-end!), the Nora’s size remains compact. The footprint is suitable, and the height is quite reasonable. And as the baffle is tilted for an optimized phasing of the speakers, the placement is easy. The same goes for the bass-reflex load, whose port is oriented towards the floor; thank you for this help, which gives us greater placement latitude. Two precautions are nevertheless necessary. The first is the room, which should not be smaller than 30 square meters. The Nora’s are capable of reproducing a very wide spectrum with a large volume, and space is needed to accept all this radiated energy. Finally, combine them with a system at the height. Of course, you need watts, and good ones. But you also need transparency and precision! And yes, you understand me, in order for the Nora’s to deliver their full potential, it is fundamental to offer them a signal with the best possible resolution. A good source is therefore essential.
THE SOUND Like their little sisters, our revered Nel Ultime, the Noras are able to remain totally natural and homogeneous in all circumstances. This means that they reproduce the modulation with an obvious search for purity, and a will not to disguise the sound message. The Nora’s thus offer us an authentic playback of the recordings: no redundant effects, no coloration, not even «pretty», not even the slightest flattering overlay, but no lack either. A response that is as flat as possible in the good sense of the word. The audiophile is not necessarily accustomed to listening to a sound message reproduced with so little slag. But in the end, this «pure» sound is quite impressive by its velocity, its rigour, its very accurate perspective, its respect of volumes, and its superb representation of ambiences. To achieve this tour de force, Pierre Faverieux has worked a lot. It took him nearly a year to make his Nora significantly superior to his Ultimate Nel, and this on all criteria. Thus, the Nora goes down very low in frequency with a magnificent aplomb and a sometimes astonishing power; the electro tracks of the label Kompakt are a brilliant example of this. Nevertheless, the energy reproduced is ideally distributed over the whole spectrum from the highest to the lowest. All this pushes in piston on the whole band with the same success, hence this permanent feeling of coherence that makes the music much more intoxicating and desirable. The bandwidth of the Nora’s is very wide and of a remarkable accuracy. We found this divine tonal balance of the Nel Ultime, but even more exhaustive and subtle, a challenge at this price.
The absence of harshness and pollution of the message ensures a readability of great class, reinforced by a prodigious reactivity. On all types of music, from the simplest to the most complex, the Nora modulates with a quarter turn. To use an overused term, these are «fast» speakers. But we prefer to talk about dynamics because that’s what they’re all about. Level differences on large ensembles and orchestral masses are managed with an innate sense of proportion. This combination of decisive advantages also allows Nora to create a three-dimensional space that is completely successful, not only in terms of width and depth, but also in terms of the punctuality of the sound sources in the space. When correctly placed and controlled, Nora models reproduce an authentic 3D experience that is so disturbingly realistic that it gives you shivers of pleasure. We were particularly impressed by this sensation on the live performances of Melody Gardot and Mélanie de Biasio. In the end, this absence of sound signature allows T&T in general and Nora in particular to vibrate in empathy with all types of music and formations from the most intimate track to the most unbridled playlist.
OUR CONCLUSION T&T is a very young brand to be trusted. Of course, it does not have the notoriety of its powerful competitors, but in blind listening, these French loudspeakers would absolutely not demerit in front of Wilson, Magico or B&W (non exhaustive list). Of course, I can hear the censors laughing, but we must not forget that all the greats of today have one day started, like everyone else, in a modest workshop before breaking through and shining in the world of ultra High End. So why not T&T. In any case, the Nora’s are brilliant success stories in every respect, worthy of inclusion in the best systems. A superb loudspeaker «made in France».
TECHNICAL SHEET
PRICE € 17.000 DIMENSIONS WITH BASE 320 x 1120 x 355 mm WEIGHT 34 kg FINISH High quality lacquer, matt varnish OPTION Two-tone gloss lacquer LOAD 32 liters, 33 Hz tuning, vent under the cabinet FILTER 2nd acoustic order at 400 Hz, variable slopes at 2 kHz, impedance compensation SENSITIVITY 89 dB (2.8V/1m) FREQUENCY RESPONSE AT -3 dB 36 Hz – 30 kHz in free field axis
Hugo Decelle, Owner and Manager of the company TRIANGLE.
How and when did you come to Triangle? I arrived at Triangle in September 2011 with the project at the time to set up offices in Asia. I had just finished my studies, this project had a taste of adventure and exoticism that I liked. In the end the reality was quite different and in mid 2012 I joined the head office in Soissons for a very different adventure. At that time the former team was leaving for TRIANGLE and my mission was to support all operational aspects of the company to ensure its transition. This led me to a much larger and longer adventure than I could have imagined. I went through all the departments: logistics, procurement, marketing, sales. I had the chance to travel, not to Los Angeles or to tropical beaches, but to warehouses, factories and trade shows to understand all the aspects of our business and to understand what this strange market of high-fidelity is all about. A market that mixes economic reality with the affections and passion of a community that fundamentally loves what they do.
How was the father/son transmission? Looking back and thinking about the events that led to his withdrawal from society, I think I was very lucky. In a Transmission of this kind there are three stages: training, joint management and withdrawal. The training was difficult but pleasant, there are so many things to discover and so many things to do that one forgets, the difficulties, fatigue and stress. With time we just remember what we learned and what made us progress. The period of common management is the most difficult, we reach maturity, it is time to make our decisions and to put forward our convictions and often they are different between father and son. This period had to be temporary at all costs because otherwise I wouldn’t have lasted. It’s too hard to mix the emotional and the rational, the private and the public. Moreover, you never behave the same way with a colleague, a boss and the man who raised you.
And one day in 2015 when we were debating an umpteenth divergence for the umpteenth time, he made the decision to retire and leave me alone. I admire that decision because I know it’s a difficult one. I, in turn, have to trust men and women who manage whole sections of the company and letting go is an extremely difficult thing for me.
When you arrived, how did you manage to manage the «Renaud de Vergnette legacy», (the creator editor’s note), while assuming your choices? Did you have to go through a period of observation? Part 1: the finish It was hard! At the beginning there was a certain nostalgia for the man but it was not very exacerbated because he had left the company in 2007, 4 years before my arrival. What we faced was nostalgia for the good old days, for a good period when the company was bigger, with more people and where there was a certain serenity in the future. To understand Triangle it makes us understand where we come from. We are from Picardy, a region that prospered before being hit hard by the crisis and deindustrialization. When it came to plant closures, Soissons was on the front line and that was a hard blow for all those who now live and work in that region. It was necessary to convince people internally, to prove that the game was not over, that a lot still had to be done. Except that in Picardy, rhetoric does not work, it is through work, self-sacrifice and time that one proves oneself. It’s only after 5 years that I had real legitimacy with the team. Part 2: The Renaud de Vergnettes legacy. However all his difficulties are only temporary and Renaud’s true legacy is intangible. His legacy is the Triangle brand, it’s 40 years of work, passion, whole generations who fell under the charm of these speakers and who keep today a moving memory of their Hifi system. And this heritage there it is not managed, it is taken with gratitude and humility. For my part, my role is now to guide the company on a path that preserves the values, the specificities in short the essence of the brand while adapting with this profound change that the market has been undergoing for years. And for this reason I try to remain attentive and not to keep any preconceived ideas.
What are the major axes of the Triangle personality? Do you wish to make them evolve with time, and if so, how? I don’t think that I would not wish or be able to change TRIANGLE’s personality. TRIANGLE has a romantic personality, which means that our choices are guided more by our emotions than by reason or technical criteria. We work to design products that touch us from a musical point of view but also aesthetically because both aspects are vectors of emotions. Renaud de Vergnettes is an aesthete and he has always developed products with the sensitivity that characterizes him. This has given birth to dynamic, lively loudspeakers that give pride of place to a wide sound stage. This to be taken then to these loudspeakers and this so particular sound identity.
And I won’t change that because we are touching on a crucial point that makes High Fidelity unique compared to other markets. It is that through the product and the sound expresses a will and an act, not just a product to make money or follow a market trend. So my goal is to preserve this identity, to pass it on to the new team member and to ensure that each product, even if it differs from traditional loudspeakers, has this identity. Work is now being done on how more modern speakers with integrated amplification and networking capabilities will in turn be able to express all these aspects of the TRIANGLE identity. The AIO loudspeaker is a first step in this direction and we will continue to work on it.
On what fundamental criteria is Triangle different from its competitors? As I said before, it is this personality and sound identity that sets us apart from other loudspeaker manufacturers. It is from this that all the specificities of TRIANGLE loudspeakers are derived.
What type(s) of technology do you use? Over the last forty years a lot of technology has been developed to ensure increasingly accurate sound reproduction in line with our identity. We could talk about a lot of things but I always like to mention three technological choices and three orientations that make Triangle sound what it is today: 1 / Tweeter horn: We favour the use of a TRIANGLE single horn tweeter. It’s a titanium dome combined with a compression chamber (horn) which favours high efficiency and very little distortion. A lot of work is also done on the phasing part to reduce the effects of the directivity of the horn and to ensure an optimal dispersion of the high frequencies in the room. 2 / The use of Paper on the mids Since the creation of Triangle, we have been favouring paper-membrane midrange speakers that give such a natural reproduc-tion of the human voice. The Medium is a key point in the sound history of Triangle and a particular importance is given to this loudspeaker. We are working to develop increasingly lighter and stronger paper diaphragms and new generations of small-pleat suspension systems that provide excellent control of speaker movement and high precision. 3/ Fast and accurate bass We have always favoured fast and dynamic speakers. We use reasonably sized speakers that emphasize fast, clean bass with material. The midrange comes out more transparent and natural. We use several technologies depending on the range but always with this importance in the control and speed of the loudspeaker.
Triangle has a strong tradition of innovation and modernity, while retaining certain virtues of the past (high yield, compression….) Is this compatible with the development of more «mainstream» products aimed at a more general public? Of course! We must never forget that we are acousticians. Our job is to work on loud-speakers and cabinetwork with a certain field of constraints (size, volume, budget…) and to make a musical object capable of conveying the emotion of music. Our work can therefore be applied to any type of loudspeaker as long as they reach a sufficient level of quality according to our standards. The «mainstream» products inform us about the evolution of music listening and TRIANGLE is there to accompany and be inspired by these evolutions but always offering a quality of manufacture and an acoustic quality superior to what is done in the « mainstream « products. For the moment the active loudspeaker market is still limited to price levels too low to apply all the technologies of high-end loudspeakers but this is changing. Every year the market is ready to spend more and more money to buy higher quality connected speakers. We are therefore working on future models over the next few years that will incorporate more of the above technologies.
11 years after the takeover, what is your assessment of the brand’s activity? Very positive! The company is doing well, it is financially healthy and a new team brings a new dynamism to the TRIANGLE adventure. However, the challenges remain immense. The audio industry, and more particularly the High-Fidelity industry, has been undergoing profound changes for years. We have to be very attentive to understand these evolutions and meet the expectations of this new generation of the 21st century, connected, mobile and in search of experience and not of good consumption. But we won’t give up for anything in the world, we are doing what we love and these challenges are pushing us forward, which is very positive.
What is the France/Export sales ratio? 50/50. Triangle has historically been more present on the French market. We are working to develop sales in other key markets in Europe, North America and also in Asia. It is now essential to cover all these markets because more than the commercial potential, it allows us to define fundamental trends that are expressed simultaneously in China, the USA and France.
How many products do you manufacture per year? The quantity of products changes according to the levels of the years and our inventory levels. To give you an order of magnitude we sold 25,000 speakers last year.
Is the manufacturing still 100% French? All development and engineering is carried out in France in our workshops in Soissons. Each loudspeaker and each technology is developed by Triangle according to precise specifications. We are a small manufacture (18 people) and we have therefore decided to manufacture the top-of-the-range Signature / Magellan series in France and to entrust the production of our other products to subcontractors in Asia. We have our own quality team based on site ensuring that all products meet TRIANGLE quality standards. The reason is that in our opinion Triangle’s added value comes from its acoustic expertise, its R&D department and all the engineering that goes into developing and manufacturing high quality loudspeakers. We have decided to focus on this more than on building new assembly lines.
What type of electronics do you use in your developments? It’s a highly political issue. We always try to use a wide range of amplifiers for our listening and comparison purposes. What we try to do and always listen to with the current amplifiers on the market is to put ourselves in the shoes of a new customer who is going to buy his system. We will therefore listen to the range speakers with Nad, Marrantz, Yamahaa, Onkyo…. Then we will test our superior models with Primare, Musical Fidelity, Cambrige, Unison Research, Hegel and even Naim. Then on the very top of the range we will switch to accuphase, Pass lab, audio research… In short each time we try to listen to our speakers with a concern of price coherence and with current amplifiers.
What’s your personal system like? I can tell you which one I’d like to set up because I’m in the middle of moving. I’m thinking of leaving on two-way monitors which, in my opinion, offer a more harmonious and balanced restitution even if we lose in the low frequencies. Probably a pair of Duetto. The reflection is now on the integrated amplifier, I must decide between a musical Fidelity and an Accuphase. For the source I’m more streamer than CD or vinyl, but I haven’t yet found the product I like the most, I’m still looking for it.
What will be the next new Triangle products? A lot of things are in the pipes right now. At the end of 2018, we launched the AIO 3, our first multiroom loudspeaker, and we are now in the process of rolling out this technology in a series of products that will be released during 2019. At the same time we are about to launch a new series of entry-level loudspeakers replacing our current Elara range. And last but not least, something important is happening on the top end of the range, I can’t tell you more but it should happen if all goes well towards the end of 2020.
Gilles Douziech and Eric Poix, the creators of the isodynamic panels Diptyque Audio received us at their home and explained step by step the process that drives them and their manufacturing secrets. Proof by text and image….
How did you start your activity? Gilles: We made our first flat loudspeaker in 2001, as part of a photographic and sound exhibition project for which I was recording the sound. We made a large 2m x 2m isodynamic loudspeaker that served as a video projection support and allowed us to broadcast fragments of stories. Eric: We then made many custom-made flat-panel loudspeakers for exhibitions and installations of contemporary art. These experiences have enabled us to develop our technical solutions and then build a range of high-fidelity speakers.
Why isodynamics? Gilles: We both had listening experiences that left their mark on us with flat loudspeakers. Personally, listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s voice on Quad ESL 63 panels in the 1990s allowed me to understand the great interest of these transducers operating in dipole over a large area. Eric: I discovered listening to Magnepan panels in the 80s and was immediately charmed by the sound transparency and quality of the medium. Our first experiences with isodynamic technology gave us chills from the very first notes of music, which encouraged us to continue along this path.
What makes your isodynamics different from other isodynamics? Gilles: We have worked on several key areas to improve quality compared to known models on the market. For medium bass cells: we have developed a proprietary technology called PPBM (Push Pull Bipolar Magnet) which allows, with magnets of large cross-section arranged on either side of the membrane to maintain it in a constant magnetic field and thus perfectly control the transient regimes and the resistance in the bass. For tweeters we have designed a hybrid model between a ribbon and an isodynamic cell. These innovative solutions make it possible to obtain two loudspeakers that perfectly match their response curve and their speed behaviour. Filtering is simplified (6db/oct) and the music becomes obvious and natural. Eric: My work consisted in designing a very rigid mechanical structure that is both rigid and neutral in its vibratory behaviour. The sandwich assembly of 3 different materials for the chassis combined with a mechanically welded frame allows to build a perfect mechanical reference and increase the energy of the loudspeaker in its transient behaviours.
Have you filed a patent? Gilles: We have of course registered a patent with the INPI for the PPBM technology but also protected the brand and each design of our models.
What are the key steps in your assembly process?
Eric: We must first manufacture each part and subassembly of our loudspeakers: Milling of medium frames and tweeter panels in Finnish birch, cutting and stamping of perforated grids, welding of frames, cutting of aluminium greek (coil), assembly of distribution filters… Gilles: The actual assembly of the loudspeakers is divided into 5 main stages : • Bonding of the Mylar membrane and the Greek membrane to the frame with a pneumatic calibration of the membrane tension. • The assembly of the more magnetic grids on the frame and locking by the steel frames to form the bass-medium cell. • Mounting the tweeter (magnets + ribbon) in its Finnish birch panel and fixing it to the medium bass cell. • Wiring and integration of the filter. • Measurement and tests, systematic listening to Hp and then finishing.
You start directly from the raw material (Multiply MDF, Metal…), how do you select it? Eric: It is above all the quality of the materials that must meet our requirements, but also the reliability of their supply. From the beginning, we have attached great importance to the origin of products, their low environmental impact in terms of recycling, production and transport.
Only materials made in France? Gilles: For the most part: for example, we use very high quality MDF manufactured 150 km from home. Similarly, capacitors, resistors and chokes of «High end» quality are manufactured in France. Perforated sheets, steel profiles and magnets are manufactured in Europe.
Is everything done at home? Eric: All the parts and the final assembly are done in our workshop. We only subcontract the painting by powder coating (oven baking) to a partner 5 km from our workshop. Gilles: We have invested in precision tools and a large CNC milling machine. We want to maintain our independence and our «Hightech» craftsmanship.
Is your technology specifically dedicated to hi-fi, or are you considering other applications? Gilles: We have entered into a partnership with Bouyer, a company historically based in Montauban since the 1930s and a leader in the field of public-address. This industrialist entrusted us with an R & D project to produce new types of loudspeakers for public places. We can’t say any more today but : «One day, everyone will listen to the diptych…» it reminds me of something…;) Eric: Our dp77 model is designed to be integrated into structures or furniture. We have participated in numerous museography projects in partnership with sound creators such as : at the Toulouse Lautrec Museum in Albi, the Forney Library in Paris or the sound landscape listening area at the Maison du Parc des écrins…
In what way are your respective know-how essential to the manufacture of the Diptychs? Gilles: Without Eric and his know-how in mechanics and manufacturing techniques, the diptychs would not exist! Eric: Without Gilles and his knowledge of electro-acoustics and electronics, the diptychs would not exist!Gilles: I also think that without our friendship, our common love for sound and our constantly boiling imagination, this beautiful project would not have been possible
We have been following them since their inception, and we are always happy to be able to have such a calm dialogue with them. Beyond the «Dubreuil brothers», it is a superb team of twelve people who make Atoll’s daily life. A few days before their 20th birthday, VUmètre went to the bay of Mont Saint-Michel to visit their new premises. Research, development, manufacturing, control, comparative listening, Atoll’s team did not hide anything from us and gave us a day to describe very meticulously the creative process of its products, from the drawing board to the auditorium. The result is a 40-minute film published on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/vumetremagazine/), which we dedicate to the entire team of this exciting and passionate manufacturer, and an exclusive interview on a company that is really unlike any other.
20 years after your creation, what is your assessment of your activity? Stéphane Dubreuil : First of all, we are very happy with the Atoll adventure. Let’s not forget that we started with a range of five products dedicated exclusively to amplification. And these products are still in the catalogue today. Of course, they have evolved, so has their name. But the basis was sound since they are still there and relevant. Of course, in twenty years, progress has been dazzling in terms of user interface, but the IN80, to name but a few, is still one of our best sellers. Of course, it is remote controllable, it has options. But in its original form, it still enjoys a remarkable QP ratio. The fundamentals are there.
What is the ratio of your sales in France and exports? Emmanuel Dubreuil : 60% in France and 40% abroad. With more and more markets developing. We have very good distributors, some of whom have been working with us for more than 10 or even 15 years. It’s an evolving sector. But the most dynamic are easily identifiable as Europe and the United States. Or even Japan… SD : … which is starting to be followed by Korea! China is developing fast. But our number one is Germany, and Europe in general.
Do you set export objectives for yourself? ED : No, our objective is for distributors to be happy, to want to work on the brand, to invest in its development, to progress, and to work on all the ranges. In some markets, demand can be segmented. SD : We want a distributor to work on as many products as possible to make Atoll’s potential better known. This is the case with our importer in the United States. Now our range is wide enough to cover the requirements of many customers and stores. It is interesting for us to be visible on a larger scale of products. Our best distributors are part of this philosophy. ED : Our catalogue now allows a clear move up the range. It is therefore interesting to have a product base that is distributed from the beginning and that grows over time.
In your early days, the price of the products was very affordable. And you have regularly created more ambitious ranges, up to the 400 series, will you continue to go up? SD : We don’t forbid ourselves anything on this field. Everything will depend on the opportunities we have in terms of the market and above all on the know-how we can develop. If tomorrow we believe that we are able to offer an amp for more than €10,000 and that it is competitive compared to what exists on the market, we would be wrong to deprive ourselves of it! But this will be done in a natural way. We have no constraints on the subject in the short term. So «wait and see».
You were the first French manufacturers to purchase a Dolby and DTS license to develop the PR5.1 audio/video preamplifier several years ago. Will you intensify your R&D in situ, rather than buying plug-ins from developers? SD : We soon realized that we were much stronger when we had a lot of things under control internally. R & D is fundamental to being independent of certain sources of supply. So, we systematically seek to develop this way of working on all our ranges. On the CD400, for example, the mechanics are made in our company. We only buy the optical compartment. From this point of view, we are becoming more independent than many other manufacturers who have to buy semi-assembled components from subcontractors. This is a key aspect of our philosophy. We want to control as many steps as possible, both in R&D and in production. If we wanted to keep the manufacture of electronic circuits in-house, it is also for that reason. By controlling our production, we acquire know-how and experience. If you want to change a transistor or capacitor, the reaction is immediate. And it also prevents us from having large stocks of old-generation cards that are complicated to sell. This is only possible if the company’s structure allows it, but it is a big advantage.So when you develop an all-in-one, you implement this strategy in a comprehensive way…. ED : Exactly. The all-in-one is the know-how of different products that is brought together in the same product, and our strategy achieves its ultimate goal, which is to master everything in the design of a device.
Are you going to make all-in-one even more ambitious? SD : For the moment, we already have an interesting proposal. The IN300 integrated is an all-in-one system without a network card. The connectivity/DAC part is very complete on this device. It can be connected to many digital sources with very high USB performance. But more generally, this approach is that of the market.
What is the sales ratio between CD and network digital sources? ED : The distribution of Atoll’s sales is a big third on integrated amps, 30% on CD players and 10% on network players. We still sell many CD players. But network products are also more expensive. The range of CD players is globally between 500 and 1000 euros, while network products are between 1.000 and 2.000 €. But this is increasing significantly. SD : We would have seen a much sharper decline in CD sales if we hadn’t done two things. The first is to equip them with a DAC card. In some export markets such as the USA, or Japan, we only sell players with this option. The second important point is that we have developed CD transport. And today we sell many CD transports associated with all-in-one or network drives. This is of interest to consumers who buy a product that is totally adapted to their needs and cheaper. In short, we still sell as many CD players, but in slightly different forms.
How many devices do you manufacture per year? ED : About 4500. With a relatively high seasonality. In December and January, this can rise to 600 per month. And in July and August, it’s about 200 a month.
The manufacturing is still 100% French? SD : Of course. This is an important aspect. Apart from what is done here, we have subcontractors for the chassis or front panels. We voluntarily adopt this approach because people are reactive. We understand each other perfectly. We do not worry about delivery times. Some of them have been following us for almost 15 years. And when we have a particular request, they help us. The only parts outside France are the CD mechanics that come from Japan, but that we buy in Germany. The main filter capacitors are from Nippon Chimical. We couldn’t find a better way ! And the same goes for the motorized volume knobs from ALPS. Finally, for power transistors, we use American IRs. Finally, the streaming modules and remote controls come from Austria.
You maintain close relationships with cable and speaker manufacturers. How does this materialize in practice? SD : First of all we use cables for our tests. We have had the opportunity to make comparisons at trade fairs, and it is obvious that good cables make it easier to listen by removing a veil, which is very useful during development. Hence the interest in forging links with manufac-turers, also loudspeakers, because when you do development, you need to have a reference to know how far you can go. And if the elements we use for links remove information, we lose an opportunity to improve our electronics. Inside the devices, the cable is also treated like any other component, such as a capacitor or transistor. It is an element that sees the audio signal, so you have to judge it for what it is worth. The only way to know if better internal wiring is useful or not is to compare. For an equivalent function, with equivalent characteristics, which component works best ? This is how we proceed for transistors, capacitors, and internal wiring. Sometimes, we are very surprised, because the differences between a standard cable and a cable developed by a specialist with real know-how, even on 10 cm, are amazing. It’s quite confusing when you’re an electronics manufacturer to do that, but it’s becoming obvious that you have to take care of that aspect ! The little extra soul of a device comes from there. What makes the difference between a good product and an excellent product will depend on these details. Where the result is really most important is when the cable manufacturer’s requirements are scrupulously respected. For example, earthing, cable connection, the direction of current flow through the cable, the fact that it is not soldered but crimped… All this is important and contributes to the final result.
