This is my first "serious" Amplifier. Used mostly cheap amplifiers before that (JVC, Kenwood, Yamaha).
I decided few years ago to invest in a good stereo system for a 2000$ budget, And from all my searching and listening for 2 months I decided to go for the Audiolab 8000S and Elac BS-53 shelf speakers.
There was some annoying problems when i started using the amplifier :
1. there was some minor humming noise at medium volume level (Not that I reached that level, But I wanted it to be PERFECT)
2. The seperation between the sources wasn't good enough ("Solve" it by using one source in the end)

Anyway, I got used to love the amplifier after few months of using it.
Just a bit after a year I had it, I plugged in KOSS porta pro headphones, Which for some unknown reason burned one of the amplification side and i needed to take it for a 200$ repair.
Now, After using it for about 3 years, It started to make some funny noise on one of it's side - And yes, You guessed it right - The other side was burned this time....
I really like the way this amplifier sounds and push the speakers, But as far as reliability - I wont take it with me to a deserted island if I needed to hear music there.....

One of the legends of hi-fi,built like a yankee aircraft carrier,more features then most modern amps,
and above all the sound,dynamic,open soundstage,good,not-in-yer face bass,and most imprtantly
a nuetrual sound that doesnt get in the way of your CD/Speakers/Turntable etc.

Downside? well no tone controls is a def minus esp if you have bright or very bassie speakers.
Im on my 3rd 8000s after briefly flirting with a Naim pre/power combo,good but not as good as
the Audiolb,so its back in my rack,next stop is a 8000c/8000p combo mehtinks.
Oh and if your thinking of getting a chinese flavour Audiolab,forget abou it! they dont sound a patch
on the Brit made ones,the volume has to be turned up twice as high to get anything near a decent sound
and even then its nowhere near as good(or well built)for that matter,the one i had came with its
top cover already bent! so do your self a big favour and look around for good second hand Brit
ones,you know it makes sense!

One of hi-fi's legends,currently on my 3rd one! built like a yank aircraft carrier,design is either retro cool or
rubbish,i love it and so to the millions who have bought it and its older 8000A sister.
The sound is as so often described as 'neutral' as in it doesnt come between any of your scources,which is why for years 'What Hi-Hi?' used Audiolabs as their reference system.
Do illustrate how good they are ive recently upgraded to a Naim pre/power combo and after a few months have gone back to the Audiolab so disapointed was i with the Naims,which while also beautifully built,and powerfull sounding with a big bold bass,just dont have the refined power of the 'Labs.

Oh and dont even think of buying the Chinese Audiolabs,the sound thin and weak in comparision,you have to turn the volume knob twice as high to get a decent sound and even then,they just dont sound like a brit built Audiolab,nothing does so save your money and look out for second hand 8000s or better yet 8000C/P combo.

Price Paid £350

Having recently realised that my 8000A is 25 years old and now got the kids moved into a room of their own I thought it was time to treat myself to an 8000S. It is teamed with the Audiolab CD player and tuner from some years ago. It is nice to be able to get equipment over such a long period that matches (my S is in black). And equipment that keeps on running too. One light bulb has gone in the CD display but that is all. I am using Spendor SP1 speakers - again 25 years old, sitting on Tangent stands of the same vintage, loaded with gravel and spiked into the floor.

I was expecting a modest improvement in the sound; the 8000A still sounded good after all these years, but the S is a significant step up. The big difference is more dynamic range. Everything else is just sharper, with a good soundstage to either side of the speakers, and depth too.

Like other reviewers I am already hauling out old CDs and rediscovering great music. Which is what this is all about!

Hopefully the S will last another 25 years even if I don't.

The best amp in the world for the money. I paid £300 and could not believe the speed and dynamics. Not much of a writer when it comes to reviews I only want to say the stuff that counts and this amp is better than my cyrus 8 but only just. Another level can be achieved with the addition of the power amp.

It's fun fun fun. The 8000S loves music

Speaker connection

Soundstage depth could be deeper

This is a review for the older, UK built Audiolab 8000S which are still widely available on the second hand market and judging by their prices on ebay are still hugely popular. Whether or not you think it wise to fork out as much as GBP300 on an amp that must now be over ten years old is a matter only you can decide. The alternative is the Chinese built version that is available. I have heard this and was reasonably impressed but given that it was in a dem room with speakers I wasn’t familiar with it’s hard to say which is better, or even if they are comparable. There’s a mixture of good and bad points made in the hifi press and on hifi forums. Much is good and that which is negative seems to stem from suspicions of the Chinese build rather than actual experience. I tend to look favourably on the new versions based on what I’ve heard but, in a sense I defaulted to the argument that I would buy them in sequence as it were, coming up from the much loved (or in some quarters hated) 8000A.

The thing with the Audiolab sound, as with a number of other manufacturers with a ‘trademark’ sound, you either love it or you don’t. I have previously owned amps by Marantz, Linn, Cyrus and Arcam and I most certainly wouldn’t swap back as good as they all were for different reasons. I regularly listen to a friends Naim system, a CD5i and Nait 5i, it’s fantastic, it really is. All those five star reviews are well deserved, particularly accurate are those in Hifi World, agree with every word. Would I go and buy my own Naims, well I could afford it, but I’m not going to. I prefer my Audiolab with an Arcam 72. I’m not saying it’s better I’m just saying I prefer it. And what follows in my analysis I hope will explain why.

Build quality is good, the solid unbustable quality you would hope for, no modern day bling here. Only one caveat, as far as I’m concerned; it’s those chunky speaker connections that don’t accept banana plugs in the conventional way. You can use them if you put them in vertically through the holes intended for bare wires. This isn’t really satisfactory since the collars tend to come loose and very quickly compromise sound quality. The only real choice is between bare wire and spade connections.

Six line inputs, three with corresponding outs (tape loops) but no phono. The one unusual feature of this amp is the ‘mode’ facility that enables the amp to be switched, via a control on the front panel, to use as a preamp or power other than the usual integrated status.

So how does it sound? The snappiest description would be to say that this a very sophisticated version of the 8000A. A wide, spacious soundstage that gives clear insight into the recording coupled with extreme detail, noticeably more than the 8000A or any of the other amps I have mentioned in their GBP500 or so guises. For me it brings music alive in a spine tingling way and keeps me up until 3 in the morning. Audiolabs have long suffered a reputation for a sterile sound but I’ve never heard it yet. It won’t suffer a cheap CD player, as with any recording it will tell you just what’s going on though perhaps it’s a little kinder than the A. It doesn’t do rhythm in the way that a Naim will but it doesn’t lack excitement, with the speed and timing ability on offer it can’t fail. I listen to a lot of blues, of every kind, I think I’d notice if it was failing in this department. Tonal quality is another criticism of the Audiolab and I must confess I find this baffling but to be fair I rarely listen to classical music and I know professional reviewers would use acoustic instruments as a gauge of tone and timbre. It might be a weakness but I don’t register a problem listening to acoustic (non-classical) music. It could be that speaker matching has something to do with this too. In my experience the Audiolab is happy with Ruarks, the better Missions, I’m currently using the 751Freedoms. And they’ll happily partner the older Monitor Audios. I sometimes use a pair of Studio 2’s. I’ve not heard it with the newer ones yet.

Its one weakness I feel is a slight lack of depth in the soundstage; probably the only way to ameliorate this is through the upgrade path by adding the 8000P power amp. It does take a long time to get into it’s stride even buying second hand I found this a problem. I can only assume the previous owner had not used it for a while. The moral is turn it on and leave it on! It’ll last longer that way.

All in all the Audiolab 8000S is a superb amp that holds up against more recent competition. I strongly recommend you hear one if you have the chance, if you liked the sound of the 8000A you’ll love it and it has a remote for all of us armchair athletes.

Similar Products Used:

Cyrus, Arcam, Audiolab, Marantz

Great control through a range of different music challenges that I have managed to throw at it.
Versatile range of options:- pre, pre-power, pre-power av and integrated!
The knobs on the console move when you use the remote - seriously cool!
Great sound.
Stylish looking unit.

No phono pre amp.
Takes a while to get really warm and ready to kick.

I narrowed down the choices for a new integrated amp to the 8000s, a NAD and an Arcam. The 8000s won me over with it's tight mid range and warmth. The amp definitely needs time to be warmed up as other reviewers have noted. However any amp will perform at it's best once warm so this really isn't an issue. I have a diverse music collection but one that is predominantly alternative in its focus. The 800os has a sincere neutrality that I loved the moment I first heard it. It is not highly coloured nor does it have an overarching bass that some of the others that I listened to had. In fact it's warmth seems to come from an ability to give an honest reproduction of sound that was probably intended by the album producers and sound engineers. At times the 8000s can be a little slow with it's bass response but again this is a minor problem and you really have to be listening hard to pick it up.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Pioneer A400, Technics.

Warm, musical and dynamic sound, especially the midrange and bass are superb. Great design. Remote control (contrary to other Audiolab models, 8000A & LX)

Clear but too dominant treble, thats all!

This is my second 8000S, got it a few months ago second hand. It's the original black edition which were made in England in the late 90's, not the new chinese edition in silver. The design is simple and cool, really love it!

It really has a lot strength. The sound is detailed and open but also warm, dynamic and musical with a lot of power and punch in the bass. In fact I only have one thing to blame: the treble seems to be too forward and dominant, which can create a clinical sound in some systems.

Similar Products Used:

Denon PMA 1500R, Atoll IN 50, Atoll IN 100

Power 60w at 25 amps control no distortion (even at 4 o'clock) looks great detail depth If it broke I would by another one straight away adaptable, I bought it because it could funtion in a multitude of ways

makes me want to spend loads of money on my stereo

I have no problems with this amp at all. People have reviewed it and said that it lacks bass, I have never experienced this problem. I have owned it for 5 years without problems or complaints. I use TDL RTL3 speakers which are big and bassy anyway. For people with bass issues I would recomend a change of speaker.

Similar Products Used:

arcam alpha 8 and 8p arcam alpha 9 and 9p

Very clear & detailed sound Slim build, good features on the Mode switch (Pre, Integrated, Pre/Power, Pre-Power AV) Good binding posts High current design Very low residual noise. Can act as a poweramp (from a DPL/DD/DTS processor), for AV L/R use. Remote also controls Philips-based CD Players. Reliable Tape loop is relayed so you can record with the amp off. Seperate listen/record controls- record one whilst listening to something else. All input switching (mutes before changing inputs, then un-mutes) & muting plus poweron/poweroff is via relays.

Can get very warm with hard to drive speakers, can trip the heat protection circuit Hard to get hold of matching poweramps- Audiolab no longer exist Must match well with neatural or warmer speakers, not harsh types.

I''m using a S with a PX for my Ruark Etude speakers, well worth bi-amping. Overall a very good simplistic amp with no gimmicks like tone controls, LCD volume display etc. If you can find these for £350-£450 they are a absolute bargain. Output is 60W into 8Ohm, but is more like 75W. Matching is important, for example do not match with a Technics CD player & B&W 601 speakers, as the overall sound will be too bright. I have a Rega Planet 2000 & Etudes and the sound is very musical & detailed sound, and enjoyable to listen to and not bright which would result in ear strain. Adding the PX adds alot more wideness & detail to the sound. As for Vincent commenting on no bass- it is not forced or bloated like cheaper Japanese amps/systems. Fast, punchy & deep and not in yer-face (ie Aiwa midi system)- it''s just there. I agree with Arash, one excellent amp. 5 out of 5 for both overall & value