Audiolab 6000A Play Wireless Streaming Amplifier
Audiolab’s new 6000A Play combines two multi-award-winning audio components in a single chassis, to deliver a just-add-speakers streaming amplifier that handles all your analogue requirements, too. From internet radio and streaming over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to the hook-up of a turntable, CD player or TV, this amp has it covered – and with Audiolab’s quintessential sonic excellence to boot.
In a single chassis, the 6000A Play takes the circuitry from the 6000A stereo amplifier and marries it with the streaming architecture of the 6000N Play wireless streamer. The result of such a formidable fusion: a fully integrated, versatile and musically captivating streaming amplifier that delivers everything a modern music lover could ask for.
The 6000A Play’s Wi-Fi networking is powered by DTS Play-Fi: an app-controlled platform enabling high-quality, whole-home wireless audio, capable of streaming hi-res music up to 24-bit/192kHz and supported by a greater range of established audio brands than any other wireless platform. The free Play-Fi app (available for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire devices, Windows PCs and Apple and Android smartwatches) is an intuitive gateway to a wealth of music services, including Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz, HDtracks, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and SiriusXM. It is also your trusty music butler, able to serve up a streaming library stored on any DLNA-compatible NAS drive or media server on the same home network
Favourite playlists and radio stations can be assigned as shortcut ‘presets’ within the app, while Works With Alexa support enables voice-controlled playback when the 6000A Play is paired with any Amazon Alexa-equipped device.
Play-Fi supports a wide variety of file formats, including MP3, MP4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF. In standard mode, which is optimised for multi-room bandwidth, audio is streamed at up to 16-bit/48kHz – akin to CD-quality. By engaging Play-Fi’s Critical Listening Mode, hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz may be streamed to the 6000A Play over Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, without transcoding or down-sampling.
There are other ways to stream music to the 6000A Play wirelessly, other than via the Play-Fi app. Spotify users can connect directly from the Spotify app thanks to Spotify Connect, while smartphones and tablets can stream to the amp without connecting to the local Wi-Fi network thanks to aptX Bluetooth.
The 6000A Play is not all about streaming, however. Those with physical music collections on CD and vinyl are equally well catered for, thanks to four stereo RCA inputs – three line-level and one MM phono input. The built-in phono stage is a high-quality, low-noise design with precise RIAA equalisation, engineered especially for the 6000A Play to make the most of the marvellous music nestling within an LP’s grooves. There are five digital inputs too – two optical and two coaxial, as well as Ethernet – for those who prefer to connect their digital devices via cable rather than wirelessly.
Hi-res wireless streaming and multiroom connectivity
Network connectivity by Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable
aptX Bluetooth streaming
ESS Technology Sabre32 Reference DAC
Three user-selectable digital filters
Class A post-DAC active filter
Low-noise MM phono stage
Class AB power amplification: 2x50W into 8 ohms; 2x75W into 4 ohms
Three operational modes: Integrated Mode; Pre-Power Mode; Pre Mode
Dedicated current-feedback headphone amp
5x digital audio (2x optical; 2x coaxial; 1x Ethernet)
4x analogue audio (3x line level; 1x MM phono)
Power amp input
USB for firmware updates
12V trigger