They are famously reliable - loads still in service, I expect. Unlike many of the 8000A's rivals in the 1990s, we at Hi-Fi World never managed to blow up an Audiolab!
@@tengkukamil3951 Agreed. As I remember it from my reviewing, the 8000S was a tighter, tauter sounding thing than the 8000A, and less mushy in the midband. Sadly it lacked that great phono stage though!
Interesting discussion, chaps. I am new to this channel, only having come here as a RUclips recommendation. I'm not in the market for a 9000A at this point since it's only two years ago since I bought a 6000A, which I use with my new Wharfedale Evo 4·2s, much to my satisfaction and delight. The most interesting thing in your chat (from my point of view) was your discussion on the Mission 700s. Now, I still have the pair of 700s that I bought 41 years ago (to accompany my set-up of the time, which was Technics). The Technics bits and bobs are long gone but I refuse to part with my 700s. Six years ago I replaced their drivers with identical units (from Manacor) and after settling in they sound as good as before. I've not tried them with my Audiolab amp (yet) but I bet they would still give the excellent Evo 4·2s a run for their money.
It’s interesting you say the DAC “is the weakest link” when it uses the higher tier ESS 9038 PRO. I tried the DAC of the 9000A in blind test against the DacMagic 200, M-DAC + and Musical Fidelity MX DAC and IMO the 9000A was better.
My point was that if you feed it a high end DAC like the Chord Hugo TT2 via the analogue ins, it outclasses the built-in DAC. You'd expect this in a £2,000 integrated amp, of course - but the 9000A has the capability to sound better with digital via its analogue inputs than via its own DAC.
The MF M5si (costing slightly less) and the M6si (at a bit more), though older designs, should be able to give this a run for its money in terms of sq though maybe not in terms of functionality.
I enjoyed this review. I had an 8000a which was replaced by an 8000c/p which drove the original AE109s beautifully. I had a 6000a Play (with an integrated streamer 🤣) matched with the 109 mk2s - again a good match. I bought the 9000a recently and was wondering if theyd be a good match for the AE509's? As you have reviewed both, what do you think?
I'm not surprised you found it difficult to drum up much enthusiasm for this amp. I had a 6000a for a bit and I thought it was cold and lifeless. It's not the same product I know but I'm sure there's a strong family resemblance.
Hi Mike and David, I am on the fence about choosing the 9000A (discounted demo unit) and the Bluesound Node (as transport) over the Cambridge Evo 150 for my Sonus Faber Lumina Vs. Which of the two options do you think will give the livelier presentation? (I enjoy your videos very much by the way!)
Thank you Stig - most kind. I have not heard the Bluesound, although it has rave reviews. The Audiolab is pretty dynamic and I would be surprised if the node is as much... but you would need to do the comparison. Apologies for the rubbish answer. Mike
I have a bluesound node, and to be honest if you don't need the features and have a separate dac, get a wiim mini for £89. I have both ! And use the wiim mini.
Ive just purchased a Audiolab 9000A. I haven't got and M-DAC but I have got an RME ADI-2 DAC fs that is highly rated for it's price. Although they do sound slightly different I wouldn't like to say which is best. Found that the Minimum Phase (Fast Roll-Off) filter with upsampling turned on works the best on the Audiolab especially for HiRes audio giving very good imaging and a nice none digital sounding but detailed treble.
Now it’s over a year since the review how would you compare this against the similar priced Rega Elicit mk 5 and the much cheaper Elex mk 4 both of which seem to offer similar features? To be honest I am fancying the Elex at £1200 but if you think the Audiolab or Elicit are superior I would consider them as well. I intend to partner with Audiolab 9000CDT and Wharfdale Evo 4.4 speakers. I ask because I am housebound and rely on expert advice as it is virtually impossible for me to visit a hifi dealer.
even at -78 vol....no inputs connected,,, after 1 hour 9000a,, 7000a seem to reach about 40-45c temp... amb temp being 20c,,,,, meanwhile 6000a barely reaches 23c,,,, do u see this
Totally see this. Actually I find the 9000A warm up needs to be easily more than 2x the 7000A.... after which the 9000 is a MUCH better amp. After 30 minutes the 7000 & 9000 sound similar.
Now there's a question. I've reviewed the Hegel Röst and H95 fairly recently, and I think I'd say that the Audiolab has a similar sort of sound - quite dry and detailed with lots of power and grip; it's certainly much closer to these than it is, say, the Exposure 3510. I think personally I might just tend towards the 9000A over the Hegels from memory, but it's very difficult to be definitive as I've not done an A/B comparison. I'll try call a Hegel in.
@@MrVinylista thank you very much for your response. In this price range the Hegel H120 is the main competitor although slightly more expensive. I have ordered a new pair of Proac D2R and I’m searching for an amp with good quality electronics and sonic performance. I’m not listening in very high volumes so for me sonics matter the most. I’m in between those two amps, my biggest concern is if those two amps can drive the proacs sufficiently. Any piece of advice would be appreciated 🙏
@@routinecanwait1153 With a healthy quoted sensitivity figure of 88.5dB and 8 ohm nominal impedance, I'm pretty sure that both the Audiolab and Hegel would drive your D2Rs with ease. Good choice of speaker, by the way!
I was looking for exactly this, thank you!. If I may, I think another good competition in this tier is rega elicit mk5. I would love a side to side compare between this, the 9000a and the H120.
I wonder how much of this amp is really Audiolab, and how much it is just a generic Chinese IAG amp with an Audiolab badge stuck on. For example, if you inside the Leak Stereo 130 and the Quad Vena II, both are nearly identical IAG products but with a different look and "brand identity".
This is another Jan Ertner design - he's Audiolab’s chief electronics designer and led the design team for the 9000 Series, 6000 Series, and the new 7000 Series. I would imagine there is a degree of platform sharing with the Leak and Quad, but to my ears the 9000 is streets ahead of the Leak in terms of sound. It's also a good deal better, by the way, than the last Philip Swift era Audiolab 8000As.
Why are you guys reluctant to review products from named Chinese brands, as opposed to "British" brands, manufactured in China ? You reviewed a Rose network streamer but never considered something like the Eversolo DMP-A6., at a third of the price. Yes, arguably the A6 is the most overhyped hi-fi product of the decade but it would be great to hear what you guys would make of it. By the way, David, not only have I respected your input for decades but i'm also a proud owner of NS 1000's 😊
I have a 9000A/CDT combo and some DALI Opticon 6s. I need nothing more. Stupendous. (having said that I've just ordered some Rubikore 6s 😝😝)
Really interesting piece, thanks guys. Appreciated the odd picture of what was under discussion, that was nicely done and an appreciated addition!
Loved the 8000a, served me well for decades.
They are famously reliable - loads still in service, I expect. Unlike many of the 8000A's rivals in the 1990s, we at Hi-Fi World never managed to blow up an Audiolab!
@@MrVinylistaI still prefer the 8000s to 8000a cos the 8000s with Naim NacA5 speaker cables would sound terrific with a good measure of PRAT
@@tengkukamil3951 Agreed. As I remember it from my reviewing, the 8000S was a tighter, tauter sounding thing than the 8000A, and less mushy in the midband. Sadly it lacked that great phono stage though!
@@MrVinylista Your buddy, Martin Colloms also gave a thumbs up to the 8000s in HFNRR
Interesting discussion, chaps. I am new to this channel, only having come here as a RUclips recommendation. I'm not in the market for a 9000A at this point since it's only two years ago since I bought a 6000A, which I use with my new Wharfedale Evo 4·2s, much to my satisfaction and delight. The most interesting thing in your chat (from my point of view) was your discussion on the Mission 700s. Now, I still have the pair of 700s that I bought 41 years ago (to accompany my set-up of the time, which was Technics). The Technics bits and bobs are long gone but I refuse to part with my 700s. Six years ago I replaced their drivers with identical units (from Manacor) and after settling in they sound as good as before. I've not tried them with my Audiolab amp (yet) but I bet they would still give the excellent Evo 4·2s a run for their money.
Audiolab forever... I just bought a CDT6000, replacing a Rega Apollo. W-O-W....
My 8000a is still alive and have been handed over to my nephew. Simplicity at its best!
It’s interesting you say the DAC “is the weakest link” when it uses the higher tier ESS 9038 PRO. I tried the DAC of the 9000A in blind test against the DacMagic 200, M-DAC + and Musical Fidelity MX DAC and IMO the 9000A was better.
My point was that if you feed it a high end DAC like the Chord Hugo TT2 via the analogue ins, it outclasses the built-in DAC.
You'd expect this in a £2,000 integrated amp, of course - but the 9000A has the capability to sound better with digital via its analogue inputs than via its own DAC.
DAC better in this old CD player....this is not serious 😂
Hugo tt2 is out-classed by a topping dac. It's time to say it as it is.
I agree. I think the DAC is superb! I reckon the early 9000As weren't using the 9038 PRO!
The MF M5si (costing slightly less) and the M6si (at a bit more), though older designs, should be able to give this a run for its money in terms of sq though maybe not in terms of functionality.
Agreed, it's a very nice amp - although not quite the same market, arguably.
My experience with MF M6si wasn’t good. At the time compared to the Roksan Blak, the MF sounded anemic.
But does it have the neutrality and hard side dynamics or the 8000A, which is what made it so great, with the really good MC/MM?
I enjoyed this review. I had an 8000a which was replaced by an 8000c/p which drove the original AE109s beautifully. I had a 6000a Play (with an integrated streamer 🤣) matched with the 109 mk2s - again a good match. I bought the 9000a recently and was wondering if theyd be a good match for the AE509's? As you have reviewed both, what do you think?
I'm not surprised you found it difficult to drum up much enthusiasm for this amp. I had a 6000a for a bit and I thought it was cold and lifeless. It's not the same product I know but I'm sure there's a strong family resemblance.
No, no, no. The 9000 is WAY better than the 6000.
Isn't the Rega Elicit Mk5 a genuine competitor?
Yes, although arguably a bit more specialist and less mainstream.
Musical fidelity M3 Nuvista, makes the speakers disapear?
I have a suggestion on a comparison the Vincent audio SV-237MKII around the same price as the 9000a
Great call. I reviewed this years ago and was quite taken by it. Not sure who's importing Vincent in the UK, nowadays, though?
Hi Dave & Michael. Nice session again! About competitors in this price range: i think the the Marantz 40N could be one?
Hi Mike and David,
I am on the fence about choosing the 9000A (discounted demo unit) and the Bluesound Node (as transport) over the Cambridge Evo 150 for my Sonus Faber Lumina Vs. Which of the two options do you think will give the livelier presentation?
(I enjoy your videos very much by the way!)
Thank you Stig - most kind. I have not heard the Bluesound, although it has rave reviews.
The Audiolab is pretty dynamic and I would be surprised if the node is as much... but you would need to do the comparison.
Apologies for the rubbish answer. Mike
I have a bluesound node, and to be honest if you don't need the features and have a separate dac, get a wiim mini for £89. I have both ! And use the wiim mini.
How does the internal DAC compare with the M-DAC?
Ive just purchased a Audiolab 9000A. I haven't got and M-DAC but I have got an RME ADI-2 DAC fs that is highly rated for it's price. Although they do sound slightly different I wouldn't like to say which is best. Found that the Minimum Phase (Fast Roll-Off) filter with upsampling turned on works the best on the Audiolab especially for HiRes audio giving very good imaging and a nice none digital sounding but detailed treble.
Now it’s over a year since the review how would you compare this against the similar priced Rega Elicit mk 5 and the much cheaper Elex mk 4 both of which seem to offer similar features? To be honest I am fancying the Elex at £1200 but if you think the Audiolab or Elicit are superior I would consider them as well. I intend to partner with Audiolab 9000CDT and Wharfdale Evo 4.4 speakers. I ask because I am housebound and rely on expert advice as it is virtually impossible for me to visit a hifi dealer.
even at -78 vol....no inputs connected,,, after 1 hour 9000a,, 7000a seem to reach about 40-45c temp... amb temp being 20c,,,,, meanwhile 6000a barely reaches 23c,,,, do u see this
No, sorry, our review sample seemed quite stable, or perhaps we have been using the Musical Fidelity A1 too much.
Mike
Totally see this. Actually I find the 9000A warm up needs to be easily more than 2x the 7000A.... after which the 9000 is a MUCH better amp. After 30 minutes the 7000 & 9000 sound similar.
In the same price point... the newish Rega Elex and Elicit have DAC's and MM stages....just saying lads :)
Thanks Paul. I haven't heard either yet, so can't comment on their quality - but would expect them to be excellent on Rega's past form.
@@MrVinylista No problems David. Well worth checking them both out if you can, but we all know how Mr Gandy LOVES reviews...
Very interesting review and joyful discussion. Just a small question. How does it compare with a Hegel amp, H95 or 120? Keep on :)
Now there's a question. I've reviewed the Hegel Röst and H95 fairly recently, and I think I'd say that the Audiolab has a similar sort of sound - quite dry and detailed with lots of power and grip; it's certainly much closer to these than it is, say, the Exposure 3510. I think personally I might just tend towards the 9000A over the Hegels from memory, but it's very difficult to be definitive as I've not done an A/B comparison. I'll try call a Hegel in.
@@MrVinylista thank you very much for your response. In this price range the Hegel H120 is the main competitor although slightly more expensive. I have ordered a new pair of Proac D2R and I’m searching for an amp with good quality electronics and sonic performance. I’m not listening in very high volumes so for me sonics matter the most. I’m in between those two amps, my biggest concern is if those two amps can drive the proacs sufficiently. Any piece of advice would be appreciated 🙏
@@routinecanwait1153 With a healthy quoted sensitivity figure of 88.5dB and 8 ohm nominal impedance, I'm pretty sure that both the Audiolab and Hegel would drive your D2Rs with ease. Good choice of speaker, by the way!
@@MrVinylista Thank you 🙏
I was looking for exactly this, thank you!. If I may, I think another good competition in this tier is rega elicit mk5. I would love a side to side compare between this, the 9000a and the H120.
If only the (older?) Audiolab and TAG phono sockets didn't all disintegrate - self-destructive plastic (chinesium?)
Give me any Farlowe amp, and I'd be happy .
LCD screen in 2023… not OLED :( damn :(
You don’t want an OLED on a piece of hifi, they do fade away and die after time and not always easy to get replacements
I shall be sticking with my old 8000a it is simply better
I wonder how much of this amp is really Audiolab, and how much it is just a generic Chinese IAG amp with an Audiolab badge stuck on. For example, if you inside the Leak Stereo 130 and the Quad Vena II, both are nearly identical IAG products but with a different look and "brand identity".
This is another Jan Ertner design - he's Audiolab’s chief electronics designer and led the design team for the 9000 Series, 6000 Series, and the new 7000 Series. I would imagine there is a degree of platform sharing with the Leak and Quad, but to my ears the 9000 is streets ahead of the Leak in terms of sound. It's also a good deal better, by the way, than the last Philip Swift era Audiolab 8000As.
The nad m10 is near same price
Made in China so lower labour costs than Exposure.
Too bad my cartridges are MC.
The dac in the cd player was better, i find that very hard to believe.
Why are you guys reluctant to review products from named Chinese brands, as opposed to "British" brands, manufactured in China ? You reviewed a Rose network streamer but never considered something like the Eversolo DMP-A6., at a third of the price. Yes, arguably the A6 is the most overhyped hi-fi product of the decade but it would be great to hear what you guys would make of it. By the way, David, not only have I respected your input for decades but i'm also a proud owner of NS 1000's 😊