Audiolab 9000N Hi-Fi Streamer

The Audiolab 9000N hi-fi streamer is designed to go with the flagship Audiolab 9000 series amplifier. It has been developed over three years to offer stable, high-resolution digital music playback. A world-beating DAC is combined with a capable streaming platform to deliver the ultimate streaming solution.

You have immediate access to Qobuz and Tidal as well as full access to hi-res MQA content. Also, there are hundreds of internet radio stations and you can access locally stored files on USB or NAS. The versatile 4.3-inch screen can be used as a VU meter as well as to show track information.

Audiolab's most sophisticated streamer to date, the 9000N features the high-end ESS Sabre ES9038Pro 32bit DAC and gives you access via Audiolab's app to Tidal and Qobuz with support for high-res content.

Unlike many lesser streamers, the 9000N also features full decoding of MQA files with a full three-stage unfold process occurring internally - not just the final unfold as is the case with many MQA renderers. This makes it a great choice if you subscribe to Tidal's Hi-Fi Plus subscription option.

Versatile 4.3in on-screen display

The Audiolab 9000N Streamer features a large 4.3-inch display that can be used to show a VU meter as well as information about the playing track. The front is kept simple and elegant with only two controls. Moreover, the display shows a plethora of information, including full-colour album artwork. The display can be used as an analogue or digital VU meter and can also be turned off completely as desired.

The intelligent Audiolab app

The Audiolab app can be used with the Audiolab 9000N Streamer as well as other Audiolab devices. This intelligent app can create user-defined playlists, folders, and album groups. Moreover, all the compilation functions are easily accessible. Qobuz and Tidal users are well catered for as Hi-res and MQA files can be easily identified with icons in the app itself.

Unusually, the Audiolab 9000N Streamer offers wireless playback over a WIFI connection. It does not depend on a wired Ethernet connection. Lastly, you can also use Airplay II as well as Tidal or Spotify Connect.

Roon ready

Roon is a music software platform that works with compatible devices such as the Audiolab 9000N Streamer. Roon has one of the most comprehensive user interfaces and will direct the flow of music to whatever device you select. Bit-perfect high-resolution playback is made simple with Roon-enabled devices.

Powerful Digital circuits

The Audiolab 9000N Streamer is based on a Quad Arm® Cortex®-A53 core MCU with 1.8 GHz per Core. This powerful system ensures seamless and fast operation. Moreover, the fast processor features faster loading for album artwork files and other system functions.

Audiolab is renowned for its high-performance DAC circuitry. Next, the Audiolab 9000N Streamer features the ES9038PRO. This eight-channel DAC chip represents the best of ESS Technology’s current Sabre range. Moreover, the surrounding circuitry is designed to make the most of the chip’s HyperStream II architecture.

Additionally, the Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technology gives amazing dynamic range and ultra-low distortion. These DAC chips are difficult to use and Audiolab has perfected the circuit design to ensure that they work to their best potential.

Versatile connectivity

The output of the Audiolab 9000N Streamer is via either balanced XLR connectors or standard RCA connectors. There is also an optical or coaxial digital output. Notably this unit can provide an MQA pass-through signal. This can be fed straight to a high-end DAC and remains untouched throughout. The MQA signal can be obtained from streaming services such as Tidal or Qobuz. Other connections include wired Ethernet as well as USB. There is also a trigger input and output.

Why a separate streamer?

The best digital systems, such as the Audiolab 9000N Streamer, feature a separate streamer. These can be used to connect to online streaming services such as Spotify or online radio stations. Lesser systems may integrate the streamer with an amplifier. This can lead to mutual inference and a degradation of the sound. Moreover, the Audiolab 9000N Streamer can be used with an external DAC for the purists who listen to MQA audio files.

In addition to this, the 9000N supports Spotify, TuneIn internet radio and UPnP systems. You can also play digital files stored on USB drives. It's also Roon tested so will integrate well into a Roon environment.