Audiolab 6000A & 6000N PLAY REVIEW
Reviewed by Terry Ellis October 2019
Introduction
The Audiolab 6000A & 6000N PLAY are two of three entry level HiFi components from the UK manufacturer designed to offer class leading performance. flexibility with great functionality but do they achieve this goal
Audiolab 6000A more than just an amplifier
The 6000A is a 50 watt per channel class A/B amplifier that features a carefully designed circuit from Jan Ertner but this is far from where it ends. The 6000A can be used a slave power amplifier ideal for using as part of a HiFi/ Home cinema setup. It features a DAC section with bluetooth connectivity. The DAC chip is an ESS Sabre 32bit Reference ES9018 often seen in much more expensive equipment and its the same chip used in Audiolab's legendary M-DAC.
If that wasn't enough its also a moving magnet phono stage and a very good headphone amplifier offer truly amazing versatility at its price point of £599. But for all the extra features does it function to a high level in its core role, as an integrated amplifier - I put it to the test in my review system, hear the results in the video below
If that wasn't enough its also a moving magnet phono stage and a very good headphone amplifier offer truly amazing versatility at its price point of £599. But for all the extra features does it function to a high level in its core role, as an integrated amplifier - I put it to the test in my review system, hear the results in the video below
The 6000N PLAY & PLAY-Fi
The Audiolab 6000N PLAY is a Wireless Audio Streaming Network Player. It will stream music from your favourite streaming services such as Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music and you can play music from your network if you have music stored on a NAS or similar. For the price tag of £449 its really to hard to argue with the 6000N.
The 6000N with the exception of the 6 present buttons on its front is completely controlled using the DTS Play-Fi app which is free to download. I quickly learned the basics of Play-Fi and within an hour had pretty much total grip on how to use it. It took me longer to work out other aspects and I know how frustrating it can be to learn new applications so I made a guide and review video to help users get going much faster
The 6000N with the exception of the 6 present buttons on its front is completely controlled using the DTS Play-Fi app which is free to download. I quickly learned the basics of Play-Fi and within an hour had pretty much total grip on how to use it. It took me longer to work out other aspects and I know how frustrating it can be to learn new applications so I made a guide and review video to help users get going much faster
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed my time with the Audiolab 6000A and 6000N PLAY they really impressed on me how great entry level HiFi can be by being well built, fully featured with very good sound.
I tested both 6000 units in my budget office system and in my high end review system in my dedicated listening room and the sonic traits carried over from one system to the other. Its generally a smooth and clean sound with a nice amount of drive and rhythm. There is a solid bass foundation that has a good amount of control. The pairing are a fun listen with the right music and will scale up to do a good job of refinement and finesse when the music demands it
For their respective price points both the 6000A and 6000N PLAY offer fantastic value for money as they deliver in pretty much every important area at this price point
I tested both 6000 units in my budget office system and in my high end review system in my dedicated listening room and the sonic traits carried over from one system to the other. Its generally a smooth and clean sound with a nice amount of drive and rhythm. There is a solid bass foundation that has a good amount of control. The pairing are a fun listen with the right music and will scale up to do a good job of refinement and finesse when the music demands it
For their respective price points both the 6000A and 6000N PLAY offer fantastic value for money as they deliver in pretty much every important area at this price point
