Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest article from Audio T Brighton. This month, we’re in for a streaming treat, featuring the Audiolab 9000N Streamer/DAC/Pre-amp.

Audiolab have been a well known and respected hi-fi brand since the original Audiolab 8000A integrated amplifier stormed onto the scene, designed by Philip Swift and Derek Scotland, back in 1983. The 8000A was a huge commercial success for the brand, loved both by reviewers and the public, and is still considered a design classic today.

Nowadays the Audiolab brand is owned by the IAG group and although there is an undoubted family resemblance to the amps of yore, the equipment offered today is cut from a different cloth, albeit with some sonic inheritance from the past. Let’s see what they have to offer.

Let’s get personal...

It seems I've owned far too many brands of Hi-Fi in my life—this is the second blog in a row where I have a personal story to tell. At this rate, I'll have owned as many Hi-Fi brands as Pep Guardiola has had consecutive losses by the time this blog is published!

Along with one of my mates, we were both proud owners of an Audiolab 8000A integrated amplifier during the mid-eighties. I kept my Audiolab 8000A for about 10 years and during that time it offered a sterling service, being my first “serious” amplifier and my mate has kept and is still using his to this day! Equipped with tone controls and a good MM/MC phono stage, the 8000A offered a fine, crisp and neutral sound with plenty of detail, dynamics and punch. It was a pleasure to use.

Will the modern day Audiolab 9000N streamer carry on the brands fine reputation in 2024? Let’s see.

The Audiolab 9000N

The Audiolab 9000N is a streamer/DAC/preamp, available in a black or a silver finish. I have to say, in my view, that the black finish melds with the display interface of the unit more successfully, but your mileage may vary and after all, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

9000N connectivity and app use...

The Audiolab 9000N is a fully-fledged streamer based around the technology developed by Lumin, a competitor whose experience in the digital field has been utilised by Audiolab in offering a user interface and sound characteristic commensurate with a streamer of this price class - more on that later.

The Audiolab 9000N allows standard unbalanced RCA or balanced XLR analogue output connectivity into any standard integrated amplifier or preamplifier so the Audiolab 9000N can also be used as a digital hub into an external DAC using Coaxial or Toslink SPDIF digital outputs if wished. Optionally, from within the App, users can select a fixed level for output for superior sound quality, albeit sacrificing the digital volume control the preamp section allows for convenience.

A matching integrated amplifier, like the Audiolab 9000A, enhances the unit’s flexibility while delivering a cohesive visual and sonic pairing. Here at Brighton Audio T, we regularly use the Audiolab 9000A amplifier, and it impresses with its excellent sound quality and competitive price point. For those who enjoy spinning CDs, the Audiolab 9000CDT compact disc transport is the perfect addition to complete this impressive line-up.

Inputs on offer comprise of an asynchronous USB-type B input, an Ethernet port for wired Internet streaming and a USB-type A input for attaching a memory stick or an external SSD drive music file playback.

Like all user interfaces, getting used to the Audiolab app layout and its use takes some acclimatisation. However, the app connects easily and accesses network drives and streaming services as well as most, and I found it straightforward enough after a couple of uses. The ability to configure how the app functions is common to several UPnP apps on the market and this can be done according to your own personal taste.

For a more extensive look into the operation of the Audiolab 9000N have a look at the App User Guide or the 9000N User Manual.

Sounds like it was designed in an audio lab by audio professionals...

The Audiolab 9000N is equipped with the latest ESS 9038PRO Sabre 8-channel DAC chip, using proprietary circuitry and the latest Hyperstream 2 architecture with Time Domain Jitter Elimination Technology for ultra-low distortion and unprecedented dynamic range.

Access to streaming services is comprehensive, with Qobuz, Spotify and TIDAL all being available, with local streaming from a Home server/NAS completing the package. For some audiophiles the availability of now being fully ROON Ready will elevate its appeal, especially given the ingress into the music playback market this software has now made.

Sound quality from the Audiolab 9000N is exceptional for the price class, with a very detailed and refined quality, exhibiting good width and depth in the soundstage, something which is usually the reserve of more pricey units. It sounds neutral and yet is sweet enough to avoid being too “studio like”, without the usual clinical tendencies associated with digital playback - praise indeed!

Summing-up

The Audiolab 9000N is nicely constructed and offers consumers great flexibility in streaming and digital format playback. Sonically it is at the head of its class and when suitably partnered with commensurate equipment like its siblings from the Audiolab stable, the 9000A amplifier and 9000CDT CD transport, it presents a compelling choice. The Audiolab 9000N is highly recommended!

As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so do get in touch to book a demonstration.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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