Industry veterans, Audiolab, struck hi-fi gold back in 2010. Following the release of their ‘8200’ series of components, the British-based manufacturer went on to receive a wealth of accolades – so many, in fact, that Audiolab claim that since their release, no other brand has won more awards in the UK hi-fi arena.
But alas, time waits for no manufacturer and the range now finds itself ready to be replaced by Audiolab’s latest venture, the 8300 series. These new boxes are being released into a thriving audio marketplace, and they definitely have some pretty big boots to fill. Let’s see how Audiolab have got on!
The 8300 series features classy looking CD player and amplifier.
Initially it looks as though Audiolab have decided to slim down the range somewhat, with 8300 models currently consisting of an amplifier, CD player and monoblock power amplifier. The brand’s (excellent) M-DAC digital-to-analogue converter is still in production today, so it is unknown at this point whether a newer incumbent is incoming. Today, we’ll be specifically looking at the 8300A and 8300CD amp and CD player.
Fresh out of the box, the series maintains the cool, clean lines that Audiolab products are renowned for, but with a modern variation on the theme. Both amplifier and CD player now feature a super-swish OLED display, and both have been functionally streamlined and improved in comparison to their predecessors. So, where the 8200 series amplifier had small, almost industrial-style control knobs, the 8300 has much more hand-friendly dials. Likewise, the 8300CD forgoes the traditional CD tray in favour of a ‘slot-loading’ mechanism, giving the front a pleasingly minimalist aesthetic. On the style front at the very least, Audiolab have certainly ‘upgraded’ these new models, and they’re definitely some of the more attractive components we’ve seen come into our store in recent years.
The 8300A is a vinyl lover’s dream.
Around the back and under the bonnet, both machines are as well-specced as you’d expect at the price point. The 8300A kicks out a chunky 75wpc, powered by a top-notch toroidal transformer. According to Audiolab its Active Current Delivery “also ensures a completely clean sound up to the point of clipping, then its advanced microprocessor limits the output, which guarantees no audible distortion, even at its louder output of 75W RMS” – a very good thing! A ‘dual-mono’ style layout, plus the separation of the pre-amplification and power stages ensures clean signal-processing across the board. XLR connections are fitted as well as five pairs of line-level RCA’s and a moving magnet phono-stage – perfect for vinyl lovers!
The 8300CD utilises similar architecture to its predecessor, and to the mighty M-DAC. Featuring the ESS Sabre32 9018 DAC chip and offering multiple digital inputs on the rear panel (including USB), the player is capable of offering upto 32-bit / 384khz upsampling. Even DSD playback is supported, with anything DSD64 to DSD256 available. The modern CD player has to try to make the most of its lot, and 8300CD makes sure that the ageing format can sit proudly alongside newer methods of music playback and live in perfect harmony. It can even be used a digital pre-amplifier, ideal for using with the aforementioned monoblocks.
After a decent period of running in, it was time to get down to some listening. A number of speakers were used during the session, and the 8300 performed admirably with all of them. Our Focal Aria 948’s were eventually settled on, and these provided an excellent match for the Audiolab’s sonic properties.
We tested the 8300’s metal with The King of Limbs by Radiohead.
We tested the system by listening to my all-time favourite band, Radiohead. Their last album, The King of Limbs, had some proclaiming its use of percussion and rhythm as a further fantastic progression of their sound, and others decrying its relative lack of ‘tunes’. I fall in the prior category and opener, Bloom, is for me some of their best work. It’s a particularly dense track, and the 8300’s gave an astounding rendition.
The instrument separation and detail retrieval were exceptional both at the price and in comparison to pricier equipment that we had to hand. Colin Greenwood’s bass guitar was weighty, helping Phil Selway’s superlative drumming to give the track a solid groundwork. There was a hugely impressive sense of scale to the recording that some cheaper components struggle to show off. Audiolab’s inclusion of digital ‘filters’ on the CD player allow the sound to be tweaked further to the listener’s taste, but no matter the selection, the whole album had the same sense of urgency, scale and fantastic detail retrieval.
My winter listening is always something that mirrors the darker and colder days. One of my favourite albums in particular for this time of year is a collaboration between the Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto and German-born electronic artist Alva Noto. Their third album together, UTP, also features the musical talents of Ensemble Modern, and is a sublime work of electronic glitches matched to live orchestral instrumentation, arranged by Sakamoto himself. Again, the Audiolab showed itself to be an almost unrivalled performer in its price point. The sustain and decay of notes, the level of detail eeked out of the performances, the soundstaging – all were exemplary. This is the kind of music that permeates and fills a room with ambiance. Here, it did that pretty much perfectly, and the whole album from start to finish was an absolute joy to listen to.
As mentioned earlier, Audiolab had a tricky battle ahead of them in attempting to replace such widely praised equipment, but with 8300 series they’ve well and truly outdone themselves. In near enough every perspective, from design to playback, connectivity to usability, the 8300 is an improvement on its hugely successful predecessor. A triumph!
Follow these links to find out more about the 8300A and the A300CD.
Author – Chris, Liverpool store
