British audio brand Audiolab, known for manufacturing high-performance integrated amplifiers and multi-chassis amp systems, has announced the expansion of the company’s flagship 9000 series with the new 9000Q preamplifier and 9000P stereo amplifier. This marks the first time in eight years that Audiolab has released a combined pre/power amp product, the last release being the highly acclaimed 8300XP.
For the past decade, Audiolab’s range has been organized into three distinct tiers – 6000, 7000, and 9000, with each series including an integrated amp capable of operating as a preamp, power amp, or both. But Audiolab has never released a dedicated preamp and power amp component until now.
The new 9000Q preamplifier and 9000P stereo power amplifier join the 9000N network streamer, 9000CDT CD transport/media player, and 9000A integrated amplifier in Audiolab’s flagship 9000 Series.
Sharing the familiar 9000 Series aesthetic, the 9000Q preamplifier is engineered to handle digital and analogue sources with equal accomplishment. Solidly built and finished, its crisp lines are complemented by two rotary controls and a left-aligned 4.3” colour display.
“As well as encapsulating Audiolab’s combined ethos of design, functionality and performance, design-lead Jan Ertner and his team were tasked with ensuring that each 9000 Series component is the best we’ve ever produced,” explains Audiolab’s Director Jamie O’Callaghan. “The 9000A had to be the finest integrated amp, the 9000CDT the best CD transport, and the 9000N the most accomplished network audio streamer. We believe we’ve achieved this goal in every case, delivering exceptional performance at prices befitting a flagship range but still affordable for many.”
Combining graphics and data in the same style as other 9000 Series components, the 9000Q’s IPS screen displays a variety of information such as volume level, input selection, and format data. It also gives access to the amp’s menu system, which includes options such as digital up-sampling, input sensitivity adjustment, balance control, and automatic standby switching.
Bass and treble tone controls are a new feature added to the 9000Q’s menu system. Although microprocessor controlled, these, like the volume control, operate entirely in the analogue domain and offer precision adjustment of +/-6dB in 2dB steps. Individual settings can be assigned to different digital and analogue inputs. For example, a streaming source and a turntable might benefit from different EQ. These tone controls can also be removed entirely from the signal path if preferred.
As with other 9000 Series components, various display options include a VU-style meter showing real-time decibel levels for the left and right channels as music plays. The display can also be simplified, dimmed or turned off completely, as the user prefers.
The 9000Q incorporates digital-to-analogue signal conversion, enabling digital sources to be connected directly without an external DAC. A USB Type B input caters for PCs, Macs, smartphones, tablets, and digital storage devices, alongside four S/PDIF digital inputs – two coaxial and two optical. There are also four line-level analogue inputs – three stereo RCA, and one stereo XLR for balanced connectivity – plus a phono input for a turntable.
Those wishing to stream wirelessly can take advantage of the 9000Q’s high-spec Bluetooth facility, which is Bluetooth 5 compliant for optimum range, speed, and reliability. Decoding is included for high-definition Bluetooth formats aptX HD and LDAC, as well as aptX Low Latency, regular aptX, AAC and SBC.
A pair of stereo RCA outputs allow two stereo power amps to be connected in bridged mode, for example alongside stereo XLR. The latter benefits from the 9000Q’s balanced circuit topology and ‘Direct XLR’ option, which enables a fully balanced signal path from input to output.
Further flexibility is provided by ‘AV Direct’ mode, which delivers direct throughput from one of the 9000Q’s line-level inputs – useful for connecting an AV processor or another device with its own volume control. There is a fixed-level stereo RCA output too, which also bypasses the volume control, plus a headphone output and a pair of 12V trigger outputs for automated system power up/down.
DACs from ESS Technology’s excellent 32-bit Sabre family are now used by many manufacturers, but none rival Audiolab’s experience of designing circuits with these chips. The company was an early adopter of the groundbreaking ES9018, released in 2009 and famously used by Audiolab’s classic 8200CD and M-DAC components which launched the following year.
Since then, Audiolab devices have featured successive generations of Sabre chips, culminating with the ES9038PRO – a preeminent DAC from the top tier of ESS’s current range. The DAC’s eight channels are fully utilized to deliver a balanced stereo signal, eradicating noise and distortion alongside proprietary Audiolab circuitry including an ultra-precision master clock. This makes the most of the chip’s HyperStream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, enabling secure signal-to-noise performance and dynamic range.
The 9000Q’s hi-res audio support can handle PCM to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD to 22.5MHz (DSD512). Every significant hi-res and lossless audio format can be accommodated including FLAC, ALAC, AIFF and WAV, as well as compressed legacy formats. Full MQA decoding is also included, and the preamp is certified to work seamlessly in a Roon audio environment.
The 9000Q’s audio circuitry includes a low noise 40VA toroidal transformer and numerous high-grade reservoir/smoothing capacitors and regulators. Audiolab has also improved the phono stage developed originally for the 9000A, ensuring vinyl is treated with the same care as digital sources. It uses sophisticated input filtering and an upgraded power supply. The phono stage handles moving magnet (MM) cartridges but is designed intentionally to not be switchable to suit low output moving coil (MC) types, for good reason. Phono stages built into integrated amps and preamps that cater for both MM and MC cartridges are usually a compromise; a good MC cartridge will benefit greatly from a high-quality offboard phono stage. Rather than cover both bases, Audiolab decided to focus solely on making an excellent MM phono stage – for users of this more common cartridge type, this is all the phono stage they will need.
The 9000Q’s power supply incorporates 11 regulated supply rails including numerous ultra-low-noise regulators, with extensive measures against contamination and cross-coupling. Critical to its performance, the DAC circuitry includes multiple discrete regulators supplying power separately to the left and right channels for each stage of the digital-to-analogue conversion process. In comparison to the already excellent DAC in the 9000A integrated amp, a separate transformer winding isolates a ‘noisy’ part of the DAC circuit by supplying it directly, thus elevating sound quality even further.
The 9000P draws on Audiolab’s expertise built through more than four decades of Class AB amplifier research and design to deliver its best power amp yet. Building on the 9000A integrated amplifier’s power amp stage, it features a dual-mono circuit topology with separate power supplies for the left and right channels, producing excellent detail resolution and spacious, well-defined stereo imaging.
With a rating of 100W per channel into 8 ohms, the output stage uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) design, delivering superior linearity and excellent thermal stability as the idle current is kept independent of the temperature of the output transistors. A powerful, low noise 320VA toroidal transformer combines with 60,000uF reservoir capacitance and four output transistors per channel, specifically configured to improve linearity under difficult load conditions and capable of delivering maximum output current of 15A per channel.
This high current drive capability ensures the output stage stays under minimum stress, leaving the rest of the amplifier free to operate under optimal conditions. Along with the generous power output, this enables the 9000P to drive power-hungry speakers with ease.
“Robust, versatile design has been at the heart of the Audiolab brand since the arrival of the original 8000A in 1983,” adds O’Callaghan. “To fulfill its role as Audiolab’s best-ever preamplfier, the 9000Q needs to reflect this versatility in a way that’s relevant to discerning music lovers in 2024 and beyond. This means equal accomplishment with all manner of digital and analogue sources, from smartphones, computers and streamers to CD players, tuners and turntables, striking an ideal balance between useful versatility and absolute sonic purity.”
The Audiolab 9000Q preamplifier and 9000P stereo power amplifier are available from December in a choice of silver or black, at MSRPs of $2,699 and $1,999, respectively. They will be sold exclusively in Canada through Erikson Consumer.