John Darko
Audiolab’s 6000A is a popular sub-€1000 amplifier — and for good reason. It combines 50wpc into 8 Ohms with a price-appropriate DAC (with coaxial and TOSLINK inputs), a halfway decent MM phono stage and three operational modes: pre-amplifier, power amplifier and integrated. Build quality is above average for the price point.
This week brings news of a second-generation model. The 6000A MKII maintains the original’s three operational modes but upgrades the transformer and power supply to (again) offer 50wpc of Class A/B loudspeaker power into 8 Ohms. Like the original, MKII 6000A will also push 75wpc into 4 Ohms.
Translated to English from the German press release: “At the heart of the 6000A MKII is a powerful 200VA toroidal transformer, supported by four 15,000 µF storage capacitors, for stable performance and dynamic music reproduction.”
So, what’s new?
The DAC has been upgraded to a circuit built around an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M chip with its coaxial and TOSLINK ingress augmented by HDMI ARC and aptX HD Bluetooth. The original 6000A used had an ES9018K2M-based D/A converter.
Only one photo accompanies the German press release (see above) which doesn’t tell us if the MM phono stage has been carried over to the MKII version. Neither does it tell us if the 6000A MKII will be offered as a DTS:PlayFi-equipped streaming variant. Perhaps Audiolab would prefer we use the 6000A MKII’s Bluetooth input; or an outboard streaming device like its 6000N Play.
At the time of writing, Audiolab Deutschland’s website has yet to be updated with details of the new model.
What we do know is that the 6000A Play MKII will be available from mid-March for €899 in a choice of silver or black finishes.
Further information: Audiolab Germany
