Audiolab 6000A MkII - A Class-leading Amp Upgraded

6000A MkII – a class-leading amp upgraded…

Audiolab elevates its popular entry-level amplifier to MkII status, integrating technologies from the

upmarket 7000A and 9000A to deliver premium performance and versatility at an affordable price

Cambridgeshire, England -- Since launching in 2018, Audiolab’s 6000A integrated amplifier has been a

consistent best-seller, lauded by critics and loved by its owners for its useful range of facilities and

adroitly balanced sound – high-performance audio at an affordable price. Almost seven years on and

the 6000A remains the cornerstone of the company’s entry-level 6000 Series, which also includes CD

transport and network streaming components.

In 2023, the 6000 Series was joined by two new ranges pitched at higher price points – the mid-tier 7000 Series and flagship 9000 Series. Both these ranges include amps built up from the 6000A’s essential template, upgrading the hardware to deliver enhanced specifications and performance. It is from these technical developments that the 6000A MKII now benefits, upgrading key components and elevating critical circuitry to re-affirm the 6000A’s status as the benchmark at its price.

Externally, the 6000A MkII appears identical to the original model – same chassis, same controls, same

central OLED display. Under the lid is a different story; numerous upgrades have been applied,

encompassing the DAC section, phono stage, transformer and power supply circuitry. Around the back, an HDMI ARC input has been added – this is still a rare facility for a high-performance stereo amp to offer, but one that consumer research shows is increasingly in demand.

Amplifiers have formed the beating heart of high-performance audio systems for many decades. But a

truly versatile integrated amp now needs to cover many bases – digital and analogue sources, wireless

connectivity for portable devices, a phono stage for playing vinyl, and amplification for headphones as

well as speakers. What makes the original 6000A a modern hi-fi classic is the way it combines all these

elements in an affordable package that is consistently strong across every parameter.

Led by Jan Ertner, Audiolab’s electronics design team has reviewed every element of the 6000A’s circuit design to elevate performance in a meaningful way. Whatever the connected source, be it analogue or digital, everything benefits from these improvements – more detail, more clarity, more focus.

Versatile connectivity

The 6000A MkII incorporates state-of-the-art digital-to-analogue signal conversion, enabling digital

sources to connect directly without an external DAC. Like its predecessor, there are two coaxial and two optical S/PDIF inputs, handling hi-res sample rates up to 192kHz.

To this complement of digital inputs, the 6000A MkII adds HDMI ARC (compliant with HDMI 2.1/eARC) for seamless AV system integration. This allows the amp to connect to a TV using a single HDMI cable, with the added convenience of being able to use the TV remote to power the amp on/off with the TV, adjust volume and so on. Thus, the TV and everything connected to it – from streaming devices to video game systems – receive a huge sonic upgrade superior to any soundbar. The 6000A MkII joins Audiolab’s upmarket 7000A in offering this facility.

The 6000A MkII also shares the 7000A’s Bluetooth module, an upgrade on the original 6000A’s Bluetooth offering. Bluetooth 5 compliance delivers improved range and speed, with support for multiple codecs including aptX HD.

For analogue sources there are three line-level RCA inputs, plus one for a turntable. Audiolab has

improved the 6000A’s MM phono stage to deliver a high-definition, low-noise performance, with precise RIAA equalisation and input filtering to ensure vinyl is treated with as much care as digital sources.

Digital circuitry

Ever since the much-admired M-DAC launched 14 years ago, Audiolab has been famed for the

performance of its DAC circuitry. The M-DAC was one of the first consumer audio products in the world to incorporate ESS Technology’s groundbreaking Sabre32 Reference DAC chips, sharing its use of the ES9018 chip family with other renowned Audiolab components including the first-generation 6000A.

The ES9018K2M used in the 6000A remains a high-quality DAC chip but is now 12 years old. Audiolab has switched up to a new-generation 32-bit Sabre chip for the 6000A MkII – the ES9038Q2M, the same chip used in the upmarket 7000A amp. This is accompanied by proprietary circuitry fed by a dedicated power supply, designed to make the most of ESS Technology’s HyperStream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator for ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.

Although always technically excellent, Sabre DAC chips are challenging to implement to maximum

effect and must be integrated into a product’s circuit design with care to extract their full sonic

potential. The post-DAC active filter is a critical element and Audiolab has developed a Class A circuit

perfectly tailored to make the most of the ES9038 chip family; this was implemented in the 9000 and

7000 Series amps and the 6000A MkII now benefits too.

Five user-selectable digital filter settings (an increase on the original 6000A’s three) allow the listener to adjust the sound to suit the source – particularly useful given the variable quality of digital formats and streaming services. Whether connected via HDMI, S/PDIF or Bluetooth, every digital source benefits from the outstanding quality of the 6000A MkII’s DAC stage.

Analogue circuitry

The original 6000A’s discrete Class AB amp circuitry has been widely praised for its impressively

balanced performance across all critical parameters at an affordable price. The 6000A MkII builds on the same design by upgrading the 200VA toroidal transformer and power supply circuitry.

The new transformer’s secondary windings deliver increased voltage, together with reduced impedance

for better control of the power supply voltage. The transformer is followed by four 15,000uF reservoir

capacitors (30,000uF capacitance per rail, 60,000uF in total) for the power amplifier’s supply. This helps the amp maintain firm control of the music whilst enabling excellent dynamic range.

Like its predecessor, the 6000A MkII’s main output stage uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) design for superior linearity and thermal stability. The amp’s power rating remains the same at 50W per

channel into 8 ohms, but the maximum current delivery into difficult loads has increased from 9A to

11A, helping to ensure the amp drives a wide range of speakers to high volume levels with ease.

Headphone listeners are well served too, thanks to the 6000A MkII’s dedicated headphone amplifier.

With its current-feedback design and high slew rate, a dynamic and detailed performance with all manner of headphones is assured – a far cry from the elementary headphone outputs of most integrated amps.

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 -78dB 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 MkII’s circuitry, protecting the sensitive

preamp section from noise interference. This, plus the use of independent low-noise power supplies

for all critical stages, helps to deliver a performance that rivals significantly more expensive analogue

amplifiers, even before taking the 6000A MkII’s impressive digital circuitry into account.

The 6000A MkII’s power supply circuitry is further enhanced by integrated filtering technology, another upgrade over the original 6000A. This removes RFI/EMI from the incoming mains supply, reducing differential-mode noise (exacerbated by cheap switch-mode power supplies in many home appliances) and common-mode noise (aggravated by airborne interference from phones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). This sinks the noise floor further, imbuing even greater sonic focus and clarity.

Pre and power operational modes

As is traditional with Audiolab’s integrated amps, right back to the classic 8000A from 1982, the 6000A

MkII offers three distinct operational modes which reflect its discrete internal architecture and enable it

to adapt as its user’s requirements evolve. The primary mode is ‘Integrated’ – this combines the pre and power amp stages, for the connection of digital and analogue sources to the amp’s inputs and a pair of speakers to its binding posts.

‘Pre-Power Mode’ disconnects the pre and power amp stages. This allows the 6000A MkII to be used

solely as a power amp – for example, connected to an AV processor in a home cinema system. It also enables additional signal processing to be added, by connecting the amp’s ‘preamp out’ socket to an

external processor, then returning the processor’s output to the amp’s ‘power amp in’ socket.

Finally, ‘Pre Mode’ disables the power amp stage, turning the 6000A MkII into a standalone DAC/preamp.

This enables external power amplification to be added, thus providing a possible upgrade path.

Versatile features, virtuoso performance

Replacing an amp that has been among the UK’s best sellers for more than half a decade is no easy task,

but by building on the original’s firm foundations with a range of judicious updates the 6000A MkII is

perfectly poised to continue its predecessor’s legacy. As a package – a high-quality, affordable integrated amp equipped for the modern age – it represents excellent value-for-money.

For the past seven years, the 6000A’s balance of sonic attributes has ensured its popularity with critics

and consumers alike, and the new MkII version is clearly cut from the same cloth. It takes everything the 6000A does so well, updates it and elevates it to the next level with enhanced clarity and focus.

Deep, fleet-footed bass; an articulate midrange and expansive soundstage; treble that sings with sweet

precision – the 6000A MkII delivers an adroitly balanced performance with all manner of music, from

rock and electronica to classical and jazz. It delivers an open window on the music being played, as all

great hi-fi should, engaging the listener with natural, unforced energy that is fully reflective of the

source material.

The new, improved Audiolab 6000A MkII is available from April in a choice of silver or black, at an RRP of £699 – just £50 more than its best-selling predecessor.