The screen displaysa variety ofinform ation in a m ore visualy appealing way than m ost otherintegrated am ps– volum e level,input selection, form at data and m ore. It gives ac es to the am p’s m enu system , which includessuch optionsasdigitalupsam pling, inputsensitivityadjustm ent,balance control, autom atic standby switching, and volum e curtailm entwhen the am p ispowered up.It can even be set to display a VU m eter in ‘analogue’ or ‘digital’ form, showing real-tim e decibellevelsforthe leftand right channels – a satisfying graphical representation ofthe m usicasitplays.And it can be dim m ed orturned of com pletely,as the userprefers. Clas ichi-f i forthe m odern age Functionaly, the 9000A builds upon the highly suc es ful6000A,which launched in 2018 and remains one of Britain’s best-seling integrated am ps. The 6000A recognised thatwhile an am plifierisstilthe beating heart of any high-performance audio system ,justasithasbeenfordecades, a truly versatile integrated am p now needs to coverm any bases– digitaland analogue sources, wireles connectivity for portable devices,aphono stage forplaying vinyl,and am plification for headphones as wel as speakers. The 9000A isborn from the sam e idealbut greatly enhanced in every area – cuting-edge digital audio technology, m as ivelyupgraded analogue circuitry,m ore connectivityand aperform ance thatelevates the open,detailed and engaging sound for which the 6000A is fam ed to an entirely diferentlevel. The 9000A’slead electronicsdesignerisJan Ertner– the sam e m an responsible forthe 6000A,aswelasm anyotheraward-winning audio com ponents overthe years.He was posed the significantchalenge ofcreating Audiolab’s best-ever integrated am plifier – the very productcategory thatbroughtthe brand to prominence – expanding the
Above: The9000A’sGUI,displayed onits4.3incolourscreen,givesac es to setings, form atdata,and even aVU m eterdisplayin ‘analogue’or‘digital’form .
The 9000A’slead electronicsdesignerisJan Ertner– the sam e m an responsible forthe 6000A,as wel as m any otheraward-winning audio com ponents overthe years. He was posed the significant chalenge of creating Audiolab’s best-ever integrated am plifier – the very productcategorythatbroughtthebrand to prom inence– expanding the 6000A’s high leveloffunctionality whilst delivering flagship perform ance. The 9000A delivers everything expected oftrulyhigh-end hi-fi,butata price thatrem ainsem inentlyreasonableinreturnforthequality on ofer. Versatile connectivity The 9000A incorporates state-of-the art digital-to-analogue signal conversion, enabling digital sources to be connected directly without an external DAC. A USB Type B input caters for PCs, M acs, smartphones, tablets and digital storage devices, alongsidefourS/PDIFdigitalinputs–two coaxialand two optical.There are also fourline-levelanalogue inputs – three stereo RCA and one stereo XLR for balanced connectivity–plusan M M phono inputforaturntable. Those wishing to stream wireles ly from sm artphones, tabletsand com puterscan take advantage ofthe 9000A’s high-spec Bluetooth facilty, which is Bluetooth 5 com pliant for optim um range and speed.Decoding is included forhigh-definition Bluetooth form ats aptX HD and LDAC,as wel as aptX Low Latency,regularaptX, AAC andSBC.
W hile thiswealth ofconnectivityisim pres ive,the 9000A
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