Is it worth the Investment? Elevating the Game: Audiolab 9000a Review

The story of Audiolab 6000a

To me, the story of the success of Audiolab is fascinating. They are a new company, or at least new in the audiophile sense. They managed to create such a disruption in the Hi-Fi world with the Audiolab 6000a.

A device that took a lot of mature elements of sound in a sleek and affordable package. It came out of nowhere, and honestly, if you ask me, by the help of promotion from many satisfied reviewers elsewhere, but especially on YouTube, the Audiolab became a hit.

I love that device; it had its fair share of issues, but I love it. I love how incredibly rich its sound signature is, which opens in all directions. But there were some limitations to the sound which I wondered how they would address in later devices.

Sequel anxiety

It is a similar fear you have when watching a really good movie, and you think they can't top this with a sequel, no way. These were my thoughts going into this device.

And something more, this is the vision of Audiolab who feels that this is the top of their lane, their vanguard, the flagship device that should satisfy most people, that there is no reason to upgrade higher and more if you are an audiophile.

That is a serious playground now that they are playing, and a lot of small insecurities around sound need to be exposed more in this review as you deal with a more mature device.

Immediacy of Audiolab 9000a

And I think that is a good segue into explaining the immediacy of a Hi-Fi device.

That first impression, that immediate hook and draw that is supposed to tell you, "I am so glad I bought this device." And… there is nothing like this here. And you sink a little bit, you think, is something wrong? Like this device is 2300 euros, what am I missing here?

Certainly, I can tell how rich the midrange is, how everything coming out of my speakers sounded more mature, detailed, and textured.

 Lack of Uniqueness?

But wait, many amps in this price range do that. It is not that you will have an amp costing more than 2000 euros sounding weak in its presentation. But those that stand out are the amps that provide excellence in some part of the dynamic scale. For example, Rega Elex has an impressively detailed treble and extraction. This is in the realm of discovering new horizons. This is a bit more expensive amp, but you understand where your money went. For example, Naim Nait XS3 is also exceptionally insightful with its more balanced approach.

This means that you need unique traits to pull you out of the crowd now more than ever.

And especially as diminishing value seriously creeps in here, as you climb the ladder of upgrades and invest more in your Hi-Fi gear… the more you give, the Hi-Fi gives back less. It happens, it is what it is. It is not that Audiolab 9000a is deep in that diminishing territory; I think it stands on the verge of that. But it is something that you should keep in mind when upgrading.

First Impression

All those thoughts came to my head while I was listening to this amp, about diminishing value, saturation on the market, features versus value… I got lost in my thoughts. And the first impression was lukewarm, not bad by any means but not impressed either.

And I have a great companion for it: an Audiolab 9000cdt with Focal Aria 926 and Denafrips Ares II. Also, I have reviews for these speakers and CD player, and I will eventually review that DAC, so please check them out.

I have to repeat again, it is not a bad device, but every time when I review something, I ask myself why I would recommend this device, and how much value do you get from the price this device asks. It has been an ethos of mine for this channel.

Changing the mindset to open new perspectives

And days passed, and I am listening to it on a daily basis, mixing speakers, mixing music genres.

As I was listening, I thought about changing my mindset a little bit, and thinking about what I don’t like about this device.

Bass

Is it the bass where I have my grievances? But no… the bass was excellent, like this is completely different than what 6000/7000 offered. The bass was full and detailed, and commanding. This is the polar opposite of what I was used to from Audiolab. I was so happy with what it did to the bass, how commanding it became with a lot of tiny details, like you can feel not just the pressure and strength, but also how big the cabinet it came from was, and what materials were used. Hmmm… okay.

Midrange

Maybe I have an issue with the midrange, as midrange is the sweet spot in sound, all the best things happen in midrange. But no… the midrange is fantastic in Audiolab. I mean, we expected it with the airiness and scope of soundstage being a staple of Audiolab. The spiciness of clarity and textures in instruments makes the sound most visible but present. You know the more detail is stored, and with talented speakers, instruments become more real and larger. That helps dramatically in expanding the soundstage, as the more we hear, and the more intelligently Audiolab places these instruments in space, the more in awe we feel.

It is expanding in dynamic range from treble to bass with ease, but with a bit of shine. And that is what I found interesting, how much it pushes the listener to invest time and effort into understanding the finer points of the sonic spectrum. My, my, aren’t you mischievous one Audiolab, hiding your best self for those who invest most in you.

This is a midrange from a mature audio device, this midrange makes everything sound better. Vocals sounded great and present with dynamics in abundance. Every instrument is present and with enough tonal realism infused with sweetness, so not so much tonal realism haha at all, but not bad. Omg, what did I just say here? But sonic clarity and detail resolution in midrange is fantastic, so much to hear here and observe. So many microtonalisms that color the sound. Just fantastic midrange here.

Soundstage

Soundstage was great, really great. With talented speakers, it opens the sound and expands it greatly. It is a joy listening to music like this, how it envelops you in sonics from different lanes and highways that this amp and speakers build for instruments to separate and have their own track. It builds a house big enough for everyone, where it all works together in harmony.

Treble

And treble, treble is… okay. Okay for a device that costs this much. It rounds up enough details, and most importantly what I expect from my devices, it shaves and transforms high frequencies into manageable information that does not overflow. This, of course, heavily depends on synergy and how you pair, but when switching speakers, you notice what characteristics amps push and not. But still, there could be more passion. When the dynamic range of instruments rises to the occasion, they don’t expand all the way to the treble territory with enough details and verve. That can, in hindsight, be a weakness or strength depending on who you ask. It does not excite me enough.

DAC

So is it the DAC? Well, the DAC is great, 32 bit/ 768khz, DSD 512, MQA. Honestly, who needs more than that? It is ESS Saber 9038 PRO, flagship DAC. And it does sound like many Sabers prior to it, very generous in organizing files with hints of warmth. It still unfortunately cannot compare to external 500 euros plus DACs, but when I connected to Audiolab's DAC, I was satisfied. Good separation, organization, it uses strength to throw deep and big dispersion. It is really nice, and I can see a lot of people being satisfied with this and opting out of external DACs, as this does a great job. I love how it adds just that bit more subtlety to the sound and just pushes a bit more dynamic range than usual.

Audiolab 9000a maturing and blooming in front of me

And something hit me at that moment. The more I listened, the more Audiolab was carrying and doing heavy lifting, and pampering my listening sessions. But reserved all beside my back. And that shy boy of Audiolab 9000a is now every day becoming more mature and mature. And is now an older man, with 100 stories to tell, but he does not speak unless he has been sought out. And he is not a young man in his prime showing off all the muscle and technique, but someone who mastered the basics long ago and knows that true power lies in being balanced, and covering every single need of the listener.

Audiolab is that good of an amp. He is a patient man, and whatever I throw at it, it did organize, shape, and upgrade the sound to my speakers for them to sound great. Yes, Denon PMA 1700 can sound weightier and bigger. Primare i25 is more of a feature-rich amp, with incredible dynamics and bass, Marantz is more warm, Rega is a masterful detail extractor... But Audiolab is... Audiolab is a balance master. The one that many can enjoy.

Conclusion

And there lies a problem for me, as this is not something I can give my high seal of approval like the 6000a. It is a great device, don’t get me wrong, but it is a device that lacks unique character, it is an amp that is built to offer everything for everyone while not excelling in any specialty.

It has an incredibly rich and beautiful midrange. That offers great imaging, soundstage, clarity, and transparency. It even has a great bass, nice vocal layering, and weight. It could be more exciting in treble and dynamic range, but nothing for me to say that it is bad. So it honestly does everything, and it comes with a great DAC and a bunch of inputs and outputs

This might be your next end game amp, this might be your next biggest disappointment, and this might be your bridge of an amp to find something better, but nonetheless, it is a mighty device that shows Audiolab can fight with mature audio devices in the 2000 to 3000 euro price range.

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Keep daydreaming.

All the best.