The Audiolab 6000A might be the only amplifier you will ever need. Based firmly around the 8300A series, the new 6000A encorporates a MM Phono stage, Digital and analogue inputs, Bluetooth Wireless streaming and a dedicated Headphone Amplifier. All bases covered. Employing a Sabre ESS DAC you know you are getting the best digital conversion from your streamer or digital files.
The sound of science
Outwardly, the 6000A bears strong resemblance to the 8300A with its rotary controls and large, central OLED display. Unlike its costlier, analogue-only sibling, it incorporates high-quality D/A conversion, enabling digital sources to be connected directly without an external DAC. It supplies four digital inputs, three line-level analogue inputs, an input for a turntable, wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and a dedicated headphone amp, in addition to its ability when driving loudspeakers.
Digital circuitry
Much effort has been made to ensure the 6000A’s digital circuitry delivers the level of quality one might expect of a high-performance standalone DAC. As ever, Audiolab has turned to the ES9018 Sabre32 Reference chip family to perform D/A conversion, utilising ESS Technology’s 32-bit HyperStream architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator to deliver ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.
No company knows more about making the most of this technically excellent, but challenging, DAC technology than Audiolab. If the circuitry that surrounds the ES9018 is not of sufficient standard, the resulting sound can seem a little cold and hard; treat it right, however, and the level of musical expression that this chip digs from the digital signal is captivating. Audiolab’s original, universally acclaimed M-DAC was one of the first home audio components to incorporate an ES9018 chip back in 2011, and the company has been honing its implementation ever since.
Analogue circuitry
The 6000A’s discrete Class AB power amp stage delivers 50W per channel into eight ohms, with a maximum current delivery of 9 Amps into difficult loads. The output stage of the discrete power amp circuits uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) topology, ensuring superior linearity and excellent thermal stability, as the idle current is kept independent of the temperature of the output transistors.
A substantial 200VA toroidal transformer, followed by 4x15000uF reservoir capacity (60000uF in total), helps the amp to maintain firm control of the music whilst enabling excellent dynamic range.
The preamp section is kept as simple as possible to maintain signal purity, with line input signals passing to a precision analogue volume stage. The latter covers the range from -80dB to +8dB in steps of 2dB and 1dB (step resolution increases with volume position). Much effort has gone into the physical layout of the 6000A’s circuitry, protecting the sensitive preamp section from noise interference. This, plus the use of independent low-noise power supplies for critical stages, helps to deliver a performance that rivals significantly more expensive analogue amplifiers, even before taking the 6000A’s impressive digital circuitry into account.
Turntables and headphones
In recognition of the recent vinyl revival, Audiolab has included a phono stage for moving magnet phono cartridges – a high-quality, low-noise, JFET-based circuit with precise RIAA equalisation.
Similarly, an increasing number of people are using headphones for music listening, so Audiolab has incorporated a dedicated headphone amp with current-feedback circuitry. Its gain bandwidth and high slew rate ensure a dynamic, detailed and engaging performance with all manner of headphone types – more boxes ticked for this most integrated of integrated amplifiers.
Specifications
| Gain (max.) | +8dB (Line)
+55dB (Phono MM) |
| Input Sensitivity | 720mV (Line, Volume = 0dB)
3.1mV (Phono MM, Volume=0dB) |
| Input Impedance | 10K (Line)
47K//100pF (Phono MM) |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) | < 0.0004% (Line, 1KHz @ 2V, Volume = 0dB) |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz-20kHz (+/-0.1dB) |
| Output Voltage | 2.3V max. (Volume = 0dB) |
| Output Impedance | 120 ohm |
| Signal-to-Noise Ration (S/N) | > 110dB (Line, A-weighted) |
| | >76dB (Phono MM, A-weighted) |
| DAC | |
| D to A converter | ES9018K2M |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) | < 0.0006% (1KHz @ 0dBFS) |
| Output level (0dBFS, 1KHz) | 2.05V |
| Max. Sampling Frequency | 192KHz |
| Signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) | > 112dB (A-weighted) |
| Digital Filters | Fast Roll-off , Slow Roll-off , Minimum Phase |
| Power Amplifier Section | |
| Gain | +29dB |
| Rated Max. Power Output | 2 X 50W (8 ohm, THD<1%)
2 X 75W (4 ohm, THD<1%) |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz-20kHz (+/-0.3dB) |
| Input Sensitivity | 720mV |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) | <0.003% (1kHz @ 40W/8ohm) |
| Signal-to-Noise ratio (S/N) | > 110dB (A-weighted) |
| Max. Output Current | 9A |
| Headphone Amplifier | |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) | < 0.01% (1kHz, 50mW) |
| Output Impedance | 2.35 ohm |
| Load impedance | 20-600 ohm |
| General | |
| Standby Power Consumption | <0.5W |
| Power Requirements | 240V ~ 50 - 60Hz |
| | 230V ~ 50 - 60Hz |
| | 115V ~ 50 - 60Hz |
| | 100V ~ 50 - 60Hz |
| Dimensions (mm) (W x H x D) | 445 x 65.5 x 300 |
| Carton Size (mm) (W x H x D) | 512 x 467 x 146 |
| Weight | 7.8kg (Net) |
