Integrated amplifier

Slotting between the 6000 and 9000, the 7000 blends premium features into a price category that follows the mantra of class-leading performance.

Outwardly resembling the sequential series and thus offering a visual aesthetic match at the brand level, the Audiolab 7000A improves on the 6000A with a true 70W per channel output, a new DAC, a new color IPS LCD screen and more! More compact than the 9000 series, it retains sharp ergonomics, high quality engineering, a useful range of amenities and excellent all-round acoustic performance and connectivity.

Classes A and B

audiolab makes no concessions to the genuine nature of our power rating. The 7000A's discrete Class AB power amplifier stage delivers 70W per channel into eight ohms, with a maximum current delivery of 9A amps into difficult loads. A new standard in audiolab amplifiers, the power amplifier's discrete circuit output stage uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) topology, ensuring superior linearity and excellent thermal stability, as the quiescent current is kept independent of the temperature of the output transistors. Critically specified by Jan Ertner (audiolab's chief engineer); the newly designed power supply features a substantial 250VA toroidal transformer, followed by a 4x15,000uF reservoir capacitance (60,000uF in total), helping the amplifier maintain firm control of the music whilst allowing for excellent dynamic range.

Give your source a name

Whatever the input source – analogue, digital, wireless or TV – the 7000A has been crafted with the same level of detail you’ve come to expect from Audiolab, all with the latest technology to be fully equipped to cover many bases, while maintaining a price point that keeps the Audiolab brand at the forefront of quality home audio. Dual analogue inputs cater for CD players and line-level sources, dual Coax and SPDIF inputs expand it for digital sources while an aptX Bluetooth receiver offers a solution for wireless audio playback and smart devices. Following the growing trend for high-quality audio electronics to be directly integrated into the living room and become the centrepiece of your home audio system, the 7000A takes connectivity to a new dimension with a built-in Audio Return Channel (ARC) connection for use with displays, bringing Audiolab dynamics to TV app-based music playback and home theatre. And let’s not forget the direct connection to your PC via USB.

Flagship DAC

As standard with Audiolab integrated amplifiers, the 7000A reaffirms the natural integration and synergy with an ESS ES9038Q2M chip. Improving on the 6000A with this latest iteration and taking lessons from the 9000A, the 7000A utilizes ESS Technology’s 32-bit HyperStream architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator. Like the 9000A, the 7000A utilizes a post-DAC filter based on Class A topology and proprietary DC-coupled high-gain electronic amplifier designs to deliver ultra-low noise and high dynamic range for digital audio connoisseurs.

Streaming Technology

Additionally, the 7000A also features full MQA decoding, the high-resolution streaming technology from a custom-designed MQA-certified DAC solution. This means that the full “three-step” decoding process is performed in-house, rather than just the final development a la an MQA “renderer,” making the 7000A an excellent system choice for Tidal “HiFi Plus” tier subscribers where Tidal Masters (MQA) content can be found.

The situation is changing

The 6000A is applauded for its ability to offer an integrated phono preamp solution. The 7000A builds on this with a further improved phono stage for moving magnet phono cartridges, using an improved version of the high-quality, low-noise MM phono circuit and precise RIAA equalisation that sets the benchmark in ‘integrated’ phono preamp solutions. The same goes for the dedicated headphone output. Enhancing the versatility of the 7000 Series, the dedicated headphone amplifier with current feedback circuitry satisfies the head-finest in the audiophile! Its wide gain bandwidth and high slew rate ensure dynamic, detailed and engaging performance with all types of headphones – more boxes ticked for this most integrated of integrated amplifiers.

Improved interface

As the engineers in the audiolab camp have learned with every model and series; greatness can be improved upon. Taking the 6000A as the standard, audiolab know that the regular audio enthusiast's thirst for specification and features would mean that the eagerly anticipated linear upgrade from the 6000A would instinctively also offer an improved display and general user interface (GUI); hence the vibrant and visually informative 2.8″ (48 x 64mm) IPS display. The detailed but simple-to-use GUI also carries through a general theme of information and structure from the 9000A, just in a more compact style. The GUI includes settings for the digital phase lock loop of the D/C converter

Satisfying Graphics

(DPLL), brightness and operating modes. It can also be set to display a VU meter in either ‘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. Like all Audiolab hi-fi electronics, the Audiolab 7000A once again offers remarkable sonic coherence, a plethora of source and connectivity options and crisp styling. Regardless of source material and format, the 7000A is lively and engaging but never loses focus on musicality and detail. Breadth, depth and tight pacing are assured. The benchmark in this price range is high – it’s now in the domain of the 7000 series!