Audiolab

9000A Stereo Integrated Amplifier

AUD $4,399 RRP

Do Audiolab amplifiers really need any introduction in 2023? If you’re not aware of the classic 8000A integrated, launched back in 1982, then you’re probably too young to be reading this! Suffice to say that it was a legend throughout the nineteen eighties and nineties, and its modern derivations continue to sell well today.

Now though, the company has something newer and better. The 9000A is a sort of reimagining of the original Audiolab’s magic formula, but for the modern world. The old 8000A was loaded with facilities for its time, and handy ones at that – and had lots of power for its era, and great connectivity too. All that is present and correct on this new version, but taken to another level. 

Jan Ertner, the company’s chief designer calls the 9000A, “the best integrated stereo amplifier we’ve ever produced”, no less. He continues: “This is the product category that put Audiolab on the map, so it was quite a challenge and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved. There are certainly no plans to create a larger integrated amp, but the 9000 Series will expand over time and separate pre/power units are a possibility.” A matching 9000CDT Compact Disc transport and 9000 Series streamer are also being launched to partner it, coming soon.

“Our aim was to create our best-ever integrated amplifier with clear Audiolab DNA”, Jan tells me. “We wanted to build on the success of the 6000 Series to create a clear path through the range, with three tiers from entry level to flagship. We’ve just announced the 7000 Series too, so there are now three clear levels – 6000, 7000 and 9000. Each component series includes an integrated amp, a CD transport and a network streamer, so there’s clarity to the overall range.”

Jan says that all current Audiolab amps, the new 9000A included, contain elements of the original 8000A’s electronic design but adds that a lot of knowledge has been amassed since 1982, which has made its way into today’s range. “When you listen to it,” he says, “you can hear that it comes from the same product family as the hugely popular 6000A, but it upgrades the sonic performance across every parameter. It’s designed to be an open window on the music being played, delivering natural energy and expression that’s fully reflective of the source material.”

He talks in terms of the 9000A being affordable audiophile hi-fi – something that reaches for serious performance levels but isn’t priced beyond everyone’s reach. That’s just what the 8000A was all about, back when Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet ruled the UK pop charts…

UP CLOSE

On powering it up, the most striking thing about the 9000A is the fine-pitch, full colour 4.3” display. Working alongside the three multifunction control knobs, this graphical user interface lends the new Audiolab an air of sophistication, because it allows its many facilities to be accessed the well conceived menu system. The result is a very uncluttered fascia – especially compared to the switch-fest that was the original 8000A. 

Jan continues: “The display can be adapted according to personal taste – for example, it shows the brightness level, the type of animation being used and how long it’s active for when a function has been accessed before it switches off. It’s fully customisable – it you don’t like the animated VU meter options then simply switch them off!”

The 9000A doesn’t come with network music playback built-in, Jan explains: “The only amps in our range that include onboard streaming are the 6000A Play, which takes the 6000A and adds hi-res network streaming via the Play-Fi platform, and the Omnia ‘just add speakers’ system. But for a flagship component range such as this it makes sense for each component to optimise performance for specific tasks. From a performance point of view, incorporating streaming of sufficient quality within the same chassis would have meant compromising performance in other areas. For those who require network streaming, we have the forthcoming 9000 Series streamer…”

Inside the box is a Class AB power amplifier section that puts out a claimed 100W RMS per channel into 8 ohms, and 160W into 4. Jan decided to retain Class AB operation despite Class D really starting to come into its own of late. “All Audiolab amplifiers,” explains Jan, “dating back to the original 8000A, are Class AB. We have a rich heritage in developing this form of amplification and have evolved our Class AB designs to reach the performance pinnacle offered by the 9000 Series. There’s nothing to stop us moving to Class D for future product designs if we want to, but while Class D devices have undoubtedly improved sonically in recent years, we still believe our Class AB design topologies deliver a more attractive mix of sonic qualities at our products’ price points.”

The 9000A’s hefty power amplifier section is a dual-mono design with separate power supplies for the left and right channels. A low noise 320VA toroidal transformer combines with 60,000uF reservoir capacitance and four output transistors per channel, to deliver a claimed maximum output current drive of 15A per channel. The amp has a choice of three modes, either ‘Integrated’, ‘Pre-Power’ or ‘Pre’; the second lets the amp be used solely as a power amp, and the third makes it work just as DAC/preamp. A high-current headphone section is also fitted.

As you would expect, a wide range of inputs is offered – all with selectable sensitivity via the menu system – including four S/PDIF digital inputs (two coaxial and two optical), four analogue line inputs (three stereo RCA and one balanced stereo XLR) and a moving magnet phono input for a turntable. No moving coil input is fitted – unlike the original 8000A – because Jan says, “moving magnet cartridges are used more widely than moving coil types. For the 9000A’s integrated phono stage, we decided to optimise moving magnet performance; the circuit design is upgraded from the phono stages found in the 6000A and 7000A amplifiers.”

This amplifier’s digital connectivity is excellent. There’s Bluetooth 5 compliant streaking for optimum range and speed, with aptX HD and LDAC, as well as aptX Low Latency, regular aptX, AAC and SBC. Digital audio is decoded via a top-spec ESS Sabre ES9038PRO eight-channel DAC chip, with HyperStream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technology. The post-DAC active filter has been specially tailored to make the best of this, Jan says. Support for PCM to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD to 22.5MHz (DSD512) is offered, “with every significant hi-res and lossless audio format catered for, including FLAC, ALAC, AIFF and WAV, as well as compressed legacy formats”, plus MQA and Roon functionality.

Overall, the 9000A offers a lot of functionality and connectivity for the money. But that’s to undersell it, because it’s more than just a box with sockets. Actually, it boasts a high degree of operational sophistication – it feels swish and very well-built and finished. The menu system is easy to use and has no annoying habits. One of the traditional virtues of the original 1982 8000A was that it felt like a grown-up and very well put together product, closer to Quad in the marketplace than any budget design, and this latest Audiolab is no different.

For my review, I tried the 9000A with a range of sources and loudspeakers. Chord’s Hugo TT2 DAC served up hi-res from my Sony Blu-ray disc player, and a Cyrus CD Xt Signature CD transport. I span vinyl on my Sony PS-8700 turnable tracking an Ortofon 2M Black LVB moving magnet, and streamed Bluetooth sounds via my Apple MacBook Pro. Speakers included Falcon Audio BBC LS3/5as, Quad ESL-989s and Yamaha NS-1000Ms, plus Mission 770s. Such was this amplifier’s power and current driving ability that it didn’t struggle with any of these, even at high listening levels. 

THE LISTENING

As you might expect, the new 9000A retains Audiolab’s distinctively crisp and detailed sound, but adds an additional level of musical insight, greater finesse and a more neutral tonality. It has more panache than both the lower models in Audiolab’s current range that I’ve heard, and also the original 8000A series of yesteryear. This, plus a good deal more power, takes its performance to another level – this new integrated can play a wide range of music in a very satisfying way, at high levels or into hard-to-drive loudspeakers, and never not sound engaging and enjoyable, whilst being consummately smooth and unruffled. 

For me, its two key defining characteristics are the strong yet relaxed power delivery – complete with excellent dynamics – and the overall insight it brings to any recording, without sounding overly forensic or fussy. For example, with the hardcore techno that is Tom & Jerry’s Dancer, the Audiolab pounded the song out with great weight via the unbalanced RCA analogue inputs. This early nineties techno track has throbbing sub bass that can knock many hi-fi amplifiers off their perches, but the 9000A held steady and kicked out vast tracks of controlled low frequency grunt. At the same time, the frenetic rhythm track – courtesy of a primitive, early eighties drum machine – banged and crashed along in perfect time. 

This is a pretty basic recording – the track was designed to dance to, rather than for couch-bound audiophiles – yet this amplifier didn’t make it sound overly harsh. However, cue up a well-recorded classic rock track, and the Audiolab really gets into its stride. Pink Floyd’s Us and Them is a prog favourite, and whilst not right up with the standards of modern recording, it still has a wealth of detail to be heard and a lot of dynamics contained within… 

The 9000A rose to the occasion, giving in intricate and immersive sound that, as per the Tom & Jerry track, kept the party going but still had delicacy and nuance. It gave a lovely, tactile vibrant sound with a smooth, velvety tone that I’ve not heard from cheaper Audiolabs, which, although very detailed, can seem a bit ‘matter of fact’. In terms of richness, this amplifier is still a fair way from a valve amplifier such as the PrimaLuna EVO100 integrated, for example, but is less tinselly or opaque than many solid-state amplifiers I can name.

Best of all is when this smoothness and sophistication partners up with the amplifier’s not inconsiderable output power – for example, on the crescendo of Us & Them, the 9000A carried the dynamics superbly. It’s certainly one of the most powerful amplifiers at its price, not just on paper but in terms of its actual delivery. It sounds gutsy yet reserved; it’s not about being showy or thuggish – you might say it walks softly and carries a big stick. 

This trait makes it great for a wide range of music, including jazz and classical. Herbie Mann’s great cover of Summertime (Live at the Village Gate) was lots of fun with the Audiolab via its built-in DAC. Here the amplifier’s subtlety and rhythmic dexterity were called into play, plus its ability to accurately recreate the recorded acoustic in space. The 9000A seemed to walk away from its reputation as a pugilistic pounder and put on its dainty ballet shoes. Suddenly it was excelling in recreating the gentle rhythms of Mann’s flute work, set in front of a drummer and percussionist playing supple, infectious rhythms on tom-toms. The excellent sense of space at the live venue was well carried, giving an immersive listening experience with excellent soundstaging to the left and right. I loved the vibrant sound of the glockenspiel with its ringing harmonics, and the shuffling, woody timbre of the double bass.

It’s fair to say that this Audiolab doesn’t really have a particularly strong personality – and I mean this in a good way. For example, Exposure’s rival 3510 has a thicker, warmer bass with sweeter midband tonality and fluffier treble - which predisposes it to certain types of music over others. The 9000A, by contrast, is more even-handed with differing programme material. Classical music is a great exemplar of this, as the latter’s handling of Haitink’s reading of Vaughan Williams’ The London Symphony showed. The opening Lento - Allegro Risoluto was very deftly handled by the Audiolab; it served up a very expansive recorded acoustic, with lots of fine detail within. Orchestral instruments had a pleasing lustre to them, but never sounded bright – even the rasping brass stabs. Overall this superb piece of music was rendered better than expected considering the modest price of this integrated amplifier. 

THE VERDICT

Across all sources, Audiolab’s new 9000A proved a highly capable performer that unlocks pretty much any type of music and lets the listener in. It has no obvious foibles or flaws that distract, and serious power output that takes the worry of driving tricky speakers out of the equation. It’s a great all rounder then, and very hard to fault at its price. Indeed I would say that so far it’s the company’s best ever integrated amplifier by a good way – and thus represents great value for money.

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