About The Audiolab 9000N Music Streamer
Developed to be the perfect digital streaming companion for the flagship Audiolab 9000 series, the new 9000N is the result of over three year's development and innovation to provide a critically stable, high-resolution wireless (and wired) digital music playback.
The Audiolab 9000 series exemplifies Audiolab's reputation for delivering class-leading amplifiers and, more recently, CD playback. Having forayed into entry-level streaming with the wildly successful, multi-award-winning 6000N Play and, more recently, the 7000N Play, the more high-end 9000N has been eagerly anticipated!
The 9000N answers the 9000 series and its natural progression towards a more premium hi-fi solution while answering overwhelming customer demand for a solidly built and impeccably finished streaming component.
Flexible & Capable: The format of the 9000N reflects the crisp elegance of the 9000A and matching CDT. Equipped with rotary controls and an absence of buttons (except for the power switch), the 9000N also implements the 4.3in colour screen, as found in the rest of the series – the perfect window for presentation for your digital music files… including full-colour album artwork!
The screen displays a variety of information in a more visually appealing way than most other streaming devices, many of which have traditionally relied upon the accompanying app for operational feedback and user control and interface. The 9000N's display offers full menu controls, an array of options, and user settings, including multi-language selection and general display options.
Most impressively, the 9000N display presents details of format data, playback information and, as mentioned above, full-colour album artwork display. Album artwork is visible in the default playback screen but can also be expanded for an artwork-emphasised playback screen. The display can even be set to display a VU meter in 'analogue' or 'digital' form, showing real-time decibel levels for the left and right channels – a satisfying graphical representation of the music as it plays. For a more minimalistic option, the display can be dimmed or turned off completely, as the user prefers.
Stream Like A Dream: Proudly developed to combine an incredibly capable and equally stable streaming platform with Audiolab's digital know-how, world-beating DAC implementation and signal flow, and the intuitive 9000 series general user interface, for the ultimate streaming solution.
The Audiolab 9000N App offers immediate access to Qobuz and Tidal, with full access to hi-res and MQA content, as well as Spotify, TuneIn internet radio and UPnP music server systems and digital audio files stored on USB HDD devices.
The app offers intelligent search functionality and full access to, control of and even the creation of user-defined playlists, folders and album grouping functions. File information, track detail and app-in-app search, select, and compilation functions are easily accessible. Qobuz and Tidal users will be pleased to know that, unlike some other apps and platforms, the hi-res and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) tracks can be easily identified with icons within the app itself, with no need to hop between the service and device apps to find such content.
Unlike comparable technology from other manufacturers, the 9000N offers wireless playback over a Wi-Fi connection, not solely dependent on the, albeit sometimes preferable, Wired /Ethernet connection. This, along with the full album artwork and ESS9038Pro DAC chipset integration, represents several advanced features for the 9000N to boast.
Yet, it is also not limited to the Audiolab 9000N App; the 9000N also offers playback via Airplay II as well as Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect for those who prefer the proprietary streaming service app.
And to add to the impressive list of digital audio platform compatibility, the 9000N is Roon Ready. Roon Ready devices are network players with Roon's own streaming technology built right in, connected over your Ethernet or Wi-Fi network. These devices make bit-perfect high-resolution audio simple because they require no configuration, they give you access to the best audio quality and they provide stable, reliable playback.
Digital Circuitry: The hardware is based upon a Quad Arm® Cortex®-A53 core MCU with 1.8 GHz per Core. This powerful 'brain' behind the system ensures seamless, rock-steady operation and additional benefits such as album artwork caching; for faster loading of the accompanying artwork files, thus enhancing the user experience and visual aesthetic.
Ever since the much-admired M-DAC launched more than a decade ago, Audiolab has been famed for the performance of its DAC circuitry. The 9000N incorporates the ES9038PRO – an eight-channel DAC chip representing the pinnacle of ESS Technology's current Sabre range. This is accompanied by proprietary circuitry to make the most of the chip's HyperStream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technology for unprecedented dynamic range and ultra-low distortion.
No company knows more about making the most of Sabre DAC technology than Audiolab, having worked with it for years through several product generations. Although consistently technically excellent, these DAC chips are also challenging to implement to maximum effect and must be integrated into a product's circuit design with care to extract their full sonic potential. The post-DAC active filter is a critical element, and Audiolab has developed a new circuit that is perfectly tailored to make the most of the ES9038PRO.
The 9000N also delivers full decoding of MQA hi-res streaming technology. This means that the complete 'three unfold' decoding process is performed internally, as opposed to just the final unfold in the manner of an MQA 'renderer', making the 9000A an excellent amplifier for subscribers to TIDAL's Hi-Fi Plus tier where Tidal Masters (MQA) content can be found. It is officially Roon Tested, too, ensuring it works seamlessly in a Roon audio environment.
Versatile Connectivity: As any Audiolab fan would expect, the 9000N incorporates state-of-the-art digital-to-analogue signal conversion. The 9000N offers connectivity via analogue XLR or RCA outputs. As a standalone MQA full decoder, it can be used with any amplifier or secondary pre-amp system that offers analogue connections. Further magic is employed through the digital output and option 'MQA Pass through functionality'. For users who may employ an equally powerful DAC (9000A owners, for instance), the 9000N can stream and throughput an untouched MQA signal (from Tidal or Qobuz, for example) which that secondary DAC can then decode. This offers further functionality and versatility, not to mention a totally unadulterated signal flow – a benefit for the purists.
The 9000 series enters the streaming realms with a view of bringing the epitome of affordable high-end audio – build quality to be proud of, versatile functionality without a hint of compromise, and a performance that delivers every detail of the music and brings it to life in captivating style. It provides remarkable sonic consistency across all manner of digital and analogue sources, always musically engaging yet also refined.
Review's
"Audiolab has rounded out its premium 9000 series with a streamer/DAC of real charm. The modern-looking hardware design, plus excellent display and app, appeal from the off, and its performance is assured – music of any flavour is in its wheelhouse thanks to a clear, detailed and unfussy presentation." Hi-Fi News
Our Take
Audiolab certainly are swinging for the fences with their 9000 series and the 9000N is no exception. From a features point of view, it would be easier to list what's missing on the Audiolab 9000N streamer such is the extensiveness of its offering. We're used to seeing music streamers tick this box and that, no matter their price point, but Audiolab's flagship streamer must be one of the most versatile and feature-rich around. But, as ever with electronics it's really the insides that count and this is where Audiolab have put most of their efforts and it shows.
The 9000N's Linux-based streaming system runs on an ARM Cortex-A53 processor to support Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 as well as its own UPnP-based App, which has been developed in collaboration with high-end streaming pioneers Lumin. Hi-Res support in the 9000N goes all the way out to 32bit/768kHz for PCM and DSD512 for DSD with options for 352.8kHz or 384kHz upsampling and MQA support. The internal DAC is built around the higher-quality ESS 9030PRO chip with its eight decoder channels split four per side. To extract the DACs full sonic potential Audiolab has developed a new Class A active filter circuit that is perfectly tailored to make the most of the ES9038PRO.
Audiolab call the 9000N a "Streaming Tour de Force" and we can't help but agree.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Hi-Res Network Music Player
Design Philosophy & Core Technology
- ESS Sabre ES9038Pro 32bit DAC
- Quad Arm® Cortex®-A53 core,1.8GHz per Core
- Audiolab 9000N Streaming technology (IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac,2.4/5GHz)
- UPnP AV protocol with audio streaming extension (Open Home)
- Built-in Certified MQA Full decoder (via streaming & PC USB)
- Native support for Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, MQA, Qobuz and TuneIn Radio
- Roon Ready
- Gapless Playback
- High-resolution album artwork display
- USB storage / flash drive / USB hard disk (Single-partition FAT32, exFAT and NTFS) playback
- 3" (800 x 480px) IPS LCD screen
- iOS (11.0 or later) / Android (Android 4.0 or later) required for App control
Audiolab 9000N App Features
- Native support for TIDAL, MQA, Qobuz and TuneIn Radio
- Tidal MQA icons to easily identify high-res music
- Qobuz high-res icons to identify high-res music
- Volume control
- High-resolution album artwork display
- Artwork caching
- Intelligent search functionality
- Multiple Playlist complications & functionality
- Multiple tag handling
- Composer tag support
- Album-grouping in playlist
- Automatic internet links to artists / album / songs
- Saving and restoring of playlists (including Tidal and Qobuz)
Inputs
- 1 x Network Streaming
- 1 x PC USB (USB Type-B)
- 1 x USB-A (USB Stick or Hard Drive)
- 1 x Ethernet 10/100 / 1000 Base-T Ethernet
- 1 x 12V Trigger
Outputs
- 1 x Stereo Analogue RCA
- 1 x Stereo Analogue XLR
- 1 x Optical Digital
- 1 x Coaxial Digital
- 1 x 12V Trigger (Link)
Supported File Formats
- DSD Lossless: DSF (DSD), DIFF (DSD), DoP (DSD)
- PCM Lossless: FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), WAV, AIFF
- Compressed (lossy) Audio: MP3 MQA
Sampling Frequency
- PCM: 44.1kHz-768kHz (705.6kHz / 768kHz Fixed-point supported via Audiolab 9000N App streaming)
- DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, DSD512 (Native)
Digital Section
- Digital Output Voltage: 500mV +/- 50mVpp
- Output Impedance: 75Ω
- Frequency Response: -0.01dB (20Hz - 20kHz, ref.1kHz)
- Sampling Frequency: 192kHz / 24bit
Digital to Analogue Converter
- Variable Output Voltage: 0 – 2.05V
- DAC: ES9038Pro
- Frequency Response: +/-0.5dB (20Hz - 20kHz, ref.1kHz)
- Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.001% (1kHz @ 2.05Vrms)
- Sampling Frequency: 768kHz / 32bit
- Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): >116dB(RCA), >120dB(XLR)
- Output Impedance: 120Ω
General
- Standby Power Consumption: <0.5W
- Supplied Accessories: Mains Power Cable, Remote Control, User Manual
- Removable Power Cable: Upgrade to an IsoTek Power Cable for better performance
- Available Finishes: Black or Silver
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 444 x 89 x 333mm
- Weight: 6.2 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE