AUDIOLAB 9000Q

Inspired by the award-winning 9000A integrated amplifier, the 9000Q transcends the ordinary to deliver an extraordinary listening experience. This refined preamplifier embodies a symphony of innovation and craftsmanship, with functional enhancements that elevate your listening journey. With its tone controls and fully balanced signal paths, the 9000Q lets you explore your music with unmatched versatility and precision. Embrace the power of sound and let the 9000Q ignite your passion for music, transforming every note into a powerful emotional experience.

The new 9000 Series builds on its success and the predecessors of the 8000, 8200 and 8300 Series, expanding and incorporating the same award-winning concept into more models. This expansion aims to appeal to a wider audience and bring its benefits to larger audio systems and solutions with the new 9000Q preamplifier and 9000P power amplifier.

The 9000Q follows the series' smart aesthetic: solidly built and impeccably finished. To the untrained eye, it bears a striking resemblance to the 9000N with dual rotary controllers and the same acclaimed 4.3" color TFT screen.

Design and construction

As a new dedicated preamplifier solution, the 9000Q is much more than a scaled-down version of the 9000A integrated amplifier. It’s a beast of a preamplifier! Designed by Jan Ertner, the lead designer of the 9000 Series components (as well as many other Audiolab components over the years), the 9000Q is a dedicated preamplifier with improved design that can only be described as greatness improved.

Starting with the extensively completed DAC section, the Audiolab 9000Q features an improved implementation of the ES9038PRO DAC chip. Building on years of experience and class-leading adoption of ESS DAC chipsets, the 9000Q employs the 9038PRO eight-channel DAC chip, the highest standard in the current Sabre range. This is complemented 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 extremely low distortion, making it the perfect preamp interface for high-resolution digital audio files (and for audiophiles!).

By separating the “pre” concept from the integrated amplifier solution, the 9000Q can further improve as a dedicated preamplifier, and this extends to an upgraded MM Phono input with a new single-stage Class A circuit, which would make the 9000Q an exceptional phono stage.

Tone controls and inputs

The 9000Q also uses a new custom transformer. Designed as an improvement over the 9000A due to a preamp that requires to deliver current on demand, and with all the Audiolab know-how, it allows for a controlled performance with all the crisp detail and Audiolab sonic signature.

A step up from the already impressive performance of the 9000A “Pre,” the Audiolab 9000Q incorporates new tone controls for treble and bass adjustment, accessible via the menu and with a range of +/-6dB in 2dB increments. This allows for subtle fine-tuning to suit room performance, speaker or power amplifier capabilities, or even just personal preference.

Designed to be a dedicated hub for a multi-source, multi-format hi-fi system, the 9000Q houses a multitude of inputs. It caters for analogue and digital sources with 3 x line-level AUX inputs, a balanced XLR stereo pair, a dedicated phono input for the aforementioned dedicated phono preamp, as well as 2 x COAX (S/PDIF up to 192kHz 24-bit), 2 x Optical (S/PDIF up to 192kHz 24-bit), a Bluetooth 5.1 receiver and a USB PC input.

Through these inputs, the preamplifier comes into play.

The 9000Q provides a fixed-level AUX output and three variable Pre-outputs (2 x RCA, 1 x XLR). The three variable outputs are isolated and can be used simultaneously without any impact on performance.

With additional features such as a source configuration option that allows for a fully balanced stereo XLR signal path. A direct path from input to output that passes only through the 4-channel analog volume control.

AUX 3 can also be set to "AV Direct". This allows connection from an external pre-out or AV processor with its own volume control.

And let's not forget the headphone amplifier section, which employs wide-bandwidth, high-slew-rate current feedback circuitry; the 9000Q delivers dynamic, detailed and engaging performance across all headphone types, with that added Audiolab edge of consistent signal integrity across all inputs.

Technical specifications