Audiolab 6000A with 6000CDT and Q Acoustics 5040 Speakers

Description

Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier with 6000CDT CD Transport and Q Acoustics 5040 Speakers

This package bundles the award winning Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier with the matching Audiolab 6000CDT CD transport and a pair of the highly regarded Q Acoustics 5040 floorstanding speakers. This is a superb combination that delivers true audiophile sound quality without the usual price ticket to match.

Audiolab 6000A Integrated Stero Amplifier

An amplifier remains the beating heart of any high-performance audio system, but in this day and age a truly versatile integrated amp needs to cover many bases – digital and analogue sources, wireless connectivity for portable devices, a phono stage to cater for vinyl playback, amplification for headphones as well as speakers… That’s a lot to pack in, whilst keeping performance high and the price tag affordable – and yet, that’s exactly what the 6000A delivers.

The Sound of Science

The 6000A bears strong resemblance to the 8300A with its rotary controls and large, central OLED display. Unlike its costlier, analogue-only sibling, it incorporates high-quality D/A conversion, enabling digital sources to be connected directly without an external DAC. It supplies four digital inputs, three line-level analogue inputs, an input for a turntable, wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and a dedicated headphone amp, in addition to its ability when driving loudspeakers.

Digital circuitry

Much effort has been made to ensure the 6000A’s digital circuitry delivers the level of quality one might expect of a high-performance standalone DAC. As ever, Audiolab has turned to the ES9018 Sabre32 Reference chip family to perform D/A conversion, utilising ESS Technology’s 32-bit HyperStream architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator to deliver ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.

No company knows more about making the most of this technically excellent, but challenging, DAC technology than Audiolab.

Analogue circuitry

The 6000A’s discrete Class AB power amp stage delivers 50W per channel into eight ohms, with a maximum current delivery of 9 Amps into difficult loads. The output stage of the discrete power amp circuits uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) topology, ensuring superior linearity and excellent thermal stability, as the idle current is kept independent of the temperature of the output transistors. A substantial 200VA toroidal transformer, followed by 4x15000uF reservoir capacity (60000uF in total), helps the amp to maintain firm control of the music whilst enabling excellent dynamic range.

The preamp section is kept as simple as possible to maintain signal purity, with line input signals passing to a precision analogue volume stage. The latter covers the range from -80dB to +8dB in steps of 2dB and 1dB (step resolution increases with volume position). Much effort has gone into the physical layout of the 6000A’s circuitry, protecting the sensitive preamp section from noise interference.

Premium CD Transport

The 6000CDT uses Audiolab’s reliable slot loading mechanism and a read-ahead digital buffer to reduce disc reading failures and deliver the highest level of digital signal extraction from a wide range of CDs, even capable of reading scratched and damaged CDs that are unreadable by conventional mechanisms. The on-board digital decoder utilises digital coax and optical outputs to deliver the maximum versatility.

The master clock is controlled by a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator, enabling the digital output from both coaxial and optical sockets to exhibit vanishingly low levels of jitter (digital distortion).

The coaxial output is fed from a differential line driver to ensure a flawless digital signal reaches the accompanying DAC – naturally, the 32-bit DAC section in the 6000A integrated amp is a superb sonic match.

Q Acoustics 5040 Floorstanding Speakers

Since its inception in 2006, Q Acoustics has earned a reputation for its innovative speaker designs, winning countless awards along the way. The company's latest 5000 Series continues the trend, taking a high-tech approach to speaker design with the aim of making true audiophile sound more affordable. This 5040 floorstanding model more than hits the brief, producing a detailed, dynamic performance that really immerses you in the music. Choose from four finishes including Holme Oak, Satin Back, Satin White and Santos Rosewood.

Package includes a free 3m pair of QED XT25 Pre-terminated speaker cables. (see below)