Audiolab 6000A MKII Integrated Amplifier Black

The Audiolab 6000A MKII is the second generation of Audiolab's acclaimed integrated amplifier, sitting at the heart of the 6000 Series beneath the step-up 7000A and the flagship 9000A. It builds on the five-star original 6000A with a substantially revised power supply, upgraded DAC, new HDMI ARC input, and Bluetooth 5.1 — delivering a genuine step forward in both sound quality and connectivity at the same price point.

Amplification & Power Supply

The 6000A MKII uses a Class AB topology with Complementary Feedback (CFB) circuitry, delivering 50W per channel into 8Ω and 75W into 4Ω. Maximum current delivery has been increased from 9A on the original 6000A to 11A, giving greater control over demanding loudspeaker loads. The power supply centres on a 200VA toroidal transformer with increased secondary voltage and reduced impedance compared to its predecessor, feeding four 15,000µF reservoir capacitors — 30,000µF per rail. These improvements are drawn from the engineering developed for the flagship 9000A and the 7000A.

Digital Section & DAC

At the core of the digital stage is the ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M, replacing the ES9018K2M used in the original 6000A. It supports 32-bit/768kHz PCM and features ESS’s HyperStream® II architecture with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator for improved noise performance. A new Class A active filter stage sits after the DAC, refining the analogue output before it reaches the preamp. The digital board accepts two coaxial and two optical S/PDIF inputs supporting up to 24-bit/192kHz, plus a new HDMI ARC input for direct connection to a television — a feature absent from the original 6000A.

Analogue Inputs & Phono Stage

Three RCA line-level inputs are provided alongside a dedicated Moving Magnet phono stage. The MM input offers 47kΩ/100pF loading and +54dB of gain through a low-noise circuit with precise RIAA equalisation, making it suitable for direct connection to a turntable without an external phono stage. Line input gain is +8dB with an input impedance of 10kΩ.

Bluetooth & Wireless

The 6000A MKII upgrades to Bluetooth 5.1 with support for aptX and aptX HD codecs, matching the module used in the 7000A. This allows high-resolution wireless streaming from compatible smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Operational Modes

Three configurable modes extend the amplifier’s versatility. In Integrated mode, the pre and power stages operate as a conventional integrated amplifier. Pre mode provides a dedicated preamplifier output via the rear-panel RCA pre-out, useful for driving an external power amplifier or active subwoofer. Pre-Power mode separates the stages entirely, allowing an external processor or signal chain to be inserted between them — particularly useful when integrating the 6000A MKII into an AV system.

Headphone Amplifier

A dedicated headphone amplifier uses current-feedback circuitry for high gain bandwidth and slew rate, delivering dynamic and detailed performance across a range of headphone types via the front-panel 6.35mm output.