Audiolab 9000A Integrated Amplifier Silver

The 9000A is the most powerful and fully featured integrated amplifier Audiolab has ever made. It sits at the top of the Audiolab range as the flagship of the 9000 series, designed by Jan Ertner — the same engineer responsible for the multi-award-winning 6000A and 8300A — and built to deliver the highest levels of performance the company can achieve in an integrated format. With 100 watts per channel into 8 Ohms, a flagship ESS Sabre ES9038PRO DAC, balanced XLR inputs, Bluetooth with LDAC support, and the same three-mode operational flexibility found throughout the Audiolab amplifier range, the 9000A is designed to be the single component at the centre of a serious, evolving hi-fi system.

Audiolab’s heritage stretches back to 1982 and the original 8000A — an integrated amplifier that became a benchmark for a generation. The 9000A carries that legacy forward with a clear mandate: offer serious performance, comprehensive connectivity, and genuine system flexibility at a price that undercuts the flagship competition. It competes directly with integrated amplifiers from Naim, Rega, Moon, and Copland, and brings a combination of digital capability and analogue engineering pedigree that few rivals can match in a single box.

Amplification

The power amplifier section delivers 2 × 100 watts into 8 Ohms and 2 × 160 watts into 4 Ohms through a dual-mono Class A/B configuration — the dual-mono layout optimising stereo imaging by keeping left and right channel circuits physically and electrically separated. The output stage uses Audiolab’s signature CFB (Complementary Feedback) topology, which ensures exceptional linearity and thermal stability by keeping idle current independent of output transistor temperature. A custom-specified 320VA toroidal transformer feeds 60,000µF of total reservoir capacitance (4 × 15,000µF), providing the current delivery — up to 15 amps peak — needed to control demanding loudspeakers with authority. The preamp section follows Jan Ertner’s minimalist design philosophy: short signal paths, precision analogue volume control, and independent low-noise power supplies for each stage, with dedicated feeds for each channel and for the most critical sections of the audio circuit. The result is a preamp THD figure below 0.0004% at 1kHz and a signal-to-noise ratio above 110dB — figures that would be impressive in a dedicated standalone preamp at several times the price.

DAC

The 9000A uses the ESS Sabre ES9038PRO — the flagship chip in the ESS range and a significant step above the ES9038Q2M used in the 6000A MKII and 7000A. This is a full 32-bit DAC with HyperStream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, supporting PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz and native DSD up to DSD512, with full MQA decoding (complete three-stage unfolding, not just rendering). The DAC section achieves below 0.001% THD and above 117dB signal-to-noise ratio — standalone DAC performance embedded within an integrated amplifier. User-selectable digital filters allow fine-tuning of the digital presentation to taste, enabling listeners to optimise the response for different source material, file formats, and partnering equipment. The four S/PDIF digital inputs (two coaxial, two optical) handle PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz, while the USB-B input unlocks the full resolution capability of the DAC up to PCM 768kHz and DSD512.

Connectivity

The 9000A provides comprehensive analogue and digital connectivity. On the analogue side: three single-ended RCA line-level inputs, one balanced XLR input (a feature absent from the 6000A MKII and unique within the Audiolab integrated range), and a dedicated MM phono stage with JFET-based circuitry and precise RIAA equalisation. On the digital side: two coaxial S/PDIF inputs, two optical TOSLINK inputs, and one USB-B input for computer audio. Bluetooth 5.1 supports aptX, aptX HD, AAC, and LDAC — the inclusion of LDAC being particularly notable, as it enables near-lossless wireless streaming at up to 990kbps from compatible Android devices. A 12V trigger input and output enable automatic power synchronisation with other Audiolab components such as the 9000CDT transport or 9000N streamer. A USB-A port on the rear panel is reserved for firmware updates.

Operational Modes

The 9000A continues the three-mode operational flexibility that is a hallmark of Audiolab’s integrated amplifier design. Integrated mode combines the preamp and power amp stages for standard operation. Pre-Power mode disconnects the two sections, allowing the 9000A’s power amplifier to be driven by an external preamp or AV processor, or enabling an external signal processor to be inserted between the pre and power stages. Pre mode disables the power amplifier entirely, turning the 9000A into a standalone preamplifier/DAC with its pre-out driving an external power amplifier — providing a natural upgrade path for listeners who want to add the Audiolab 9000P stereo power amp or 8300MB monoblocks to their system without replacing the 9000A’s preamp and DAC sections.

Display, Headphone Amplifier, and Phono Stage

New for the 9000 series is a 4.3-inch full-colour IPS LCD display — the first of its kind on an Audiolab amplifier. It provides clear source, volume, and file information, and offers multiple display modes including digital VU meters, LED-style level indicators, or a completely dark screen for minimal distraction. The front-panel 6.35mm headphone output is driven by a dedicated current-feedback amplifier stage with wide bandwidth and high slew rate, delivering engaging, detailed performance across a range of headphone types — substantially more capable than the elementary headphone outputs found on most integrated amplifiers. The built-in MM phono stage uses a low-noise JFET circuit with precise RIAA equalisation for direct turntable connection.

Choosing Between the 6000A MKII, 7000A, and 9000A

The 6000A MKII is the affordable entry point — 50 watts, the ES9038Q2M DAC, HDMI ARC, and a slim 65mm chassis. The 7000A (not currently in our range) adds more power and the same ES9038Q2M DAC in a taller enclosure with additional features. The 9000A steps up to 100 watts, the flagship ES9038PRO DAC (with measurably superior noise and distortion performance), balanced XLR inputs, LDAC Bluetooth, a full-colour IPS display, and significantly greater current delivery (15A vs 11A). It lacks the 6000A MKII’s HDMI ARC — a notable omission if TV audio integration is important — but in every other respect it represents a substantial upgrade in power, DAC performance, connectivity, and engineering quality. For listeners building a serious two-channel system around high-quality speakers and digital sources, the 9000A is the Audiolab to choose.

What the Press Says

• “Practicality, solid build and a strong performance all in a neat single package.” — What Hi-Fi? ★★★★☆