Free Shipping on US orders above $49
Deeply Groovy Award - The Audiophile Man
Five Hearts - Hi-Fi Pig Magazine
A Beast of a Preamp That Elevates Your Listening Journey
The Audiolab 9000Q preamplifier embodies the audio excellence of the flagship 9000 series. Inspired by the award-winning 9000A integrated amplifier, the 9000Q transcends the ordinary to deliver an extraordinary auditory experience. This refined preamplifier embodies a symphony of innovation and craftsmanship, featuring functional enhancements that elevate your listening journey.
With its tone controls and fully balanced signal paths, built-in MM phono stage, and built-in dedicated headphone amp, the 9000Q empowers you to explore your music with unparalleled 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.
Award-Winning Performance
Audiolab's 9000P power amp and 9000Q preamp won a Deeply Groovy Award from Paul Rigby, The Audiophile Man.
"Let me say this before I go any further. The 9000P and 9000Q go together so well. If you grab both and hook them together, they fit like a hand in a glove. Connecting these two boxes together and pushing music through the pair is a joy in terms of the listening experience. They are so compatible."
"Music is smooth to the ear, and it moves in a serene manner. There are no bumps along the sonic road. Listening to the both the P and the Q is like listening to a slow-moving river on a lazy sunny, summer afternoon. It is pure relaxation. It’s just a joy to be in their company."
Top Rating from Hi-Fi Pig Magazine
The 9000Q snagged a top rating of Five Hearts from Hi-Fi Pig Magazine. According to Janine Elliot, "The Audiolab might not look as beautiful as a TAG McLaren from old, but it performed better, and with the excellent knowledge from Jan Ertner and his team they should be proud of the sound, build, and design of this series. The Audiolab 9000 was very clean and portrayed the music just as it left the wires or ether…"
"This is a very polite and well-behaved performer that certainly minded its own p’s and q’s."
Raising the Bar for Preamps in its Price Category
The 9000 series builds upon the success and precedents 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 deliver its benefits to more extensive audio systems and solutions with the new 9000Q preamplifier and 9000P power amplifier.
The 9000Q follows the smart aesthetic of the series – solidly built and impeccably finished. At a casual glance, it bears a striking resemblance to the 9000N with dual rotary controllers and the same acclaimed 4.3” color TFT screen.
All-in-all, the 9000Q raises the bar for preamplifiers within its price category, as the 9000 series strides forward as the series to beat – in terms of specification, price, performance with intrinsic detail, and unarguable quality.
It Can Be Described as Greatness Improved
As a new dedicated preamplifier solution, the 9000Q is far more than a trimmed down version of the 9000A integrated amplifier. It’s a beast of a preamp.
In detaching the ‘pre’ concept from the integrated amplifier solution, the 9000Q is allowed to further improve as a dedicated preamplifier. This extends to an enhanced MM Phono input featuring a new single stage Class-A circuit, which would make the 9000Q an exceptional phono stage alone.
Designed by Jan Ertner, the lead designer in the 9000 series components (as well as many other Audiolab components over the years), the 9000Q is a design-enhanced dedicated preamplifier that can be described as greatness improved.
"Proven Excellence"
"The two new Audiolab components 9000Q and 9000P have proven themselves to be excellent in testing," reports Carsten Rampacher, areadvd.de, December 11, 2024. "The characteristic clear design and the high quality of workmanship, even in the details, are immediately apparent after unpacking the two hi-fi components. Solidly formed aluminum dominates everywhere, and the preamplifier has an excellently implemented color display."
The Perfect Preamplifier Interface for Hi-Res Audio Files
Starting with the acclaimed DAC section, the Audiolab 9000Q has an improved implementation of the ES9038PRO DAC chip. Building on the years of experience, and class-leading adoption of ESS DAC chipets, the 9000Q employs the eight-channel 9038PRO DAC chip, the highest standard in the current Sabre range.
This is accompanied 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 ultra-low distortion, making it the perfect preamplifier interface for high-resolution digital audio files – and for audiophiles, too!
Tone Controls for Delicate Fine Tuning
The 9000Q uses a new, custom-specified transformer. Engineered as an improvement over the 9000A due to a preamplifier requiring current upon demand, and with all the Audiolab know-how, it enables controlled performance with crisp detail and the Audiolab sound signature.
A step forward from the already impressive 9000A ‘Pre’ performance, the Audiolab 9000Q incorporates new tone controls for treble and bass adjustment, accessible via the menu, with a range of +/-6dB in 2dB steps. This allows delicate fine-tuning to suit room performance, speaker, or power amplifier capabilities, or even just personal preference.
A Multitude of Inputs
Designed for dedicated management of a multi-source, multi-format, hi-fi system, the 9000Q accommodates a multitude of inputs. It caters to both analog and digital sources with 3 x line level AUX inputs, a balanced XLR stereo pair, a dedicated phono input for the phono preamplifier, as well as 2 x COAX (S/PDIF up to192kHz 24Bit), 2 x Optical (S/PDIF up to 192kHz 24Bit), a Bluetooth 5.1 receiver, and a PC USB input.
Essential Outputs, Expertly Implemented
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.
A source configuration option allows for the fully balanced stereo XLR signal path. A direct path from input to output only passes through the 4-channel analog volume control.
AUX 3 can also be set to “AV Direct”. This allows connection from an external pre-output or AV processor with its own volume control.
Two 12V Trigger Outputs allow for control of external devices, such as the 9000CDT and 9000N.
Dedicated Headphone Amp
Onboard is an exceptional dedicated headphone amplifier section, which employs current-feedback circuitry with wide bandwidth and high slew rate. The 9000Q ensures a dynamic, detailed and engaging performance with all manner of headphone types, with that extra added Audiolab sparkle from the consistent signal integrity from all inputs.
4.3" Full Color TFT Display
Following the 9000 series standard, the 9000Q uses the same 4.3” full color TFT display to offer access to a wealth of setting, functions, and information via an incredibly functional General User Interface.
It not only displays level, input, file format and signal information, but it also gives access to the amp’s menu system, which includes such options as digital upsampling, input sensitivity adjustment, balance control, automatic standby switching, and volume curtailment when the amp is powered up.
It can even be set to display a VU meter in ‘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. And it can be dimmed or turned off completely, as you prefer.
