Source: Press Release, Last Accessed: 2015/09/30
Audiolab, one of Britain’s most revered audio brands, has redesigned its most famous component to deliver an entirely new level of performance. The 8300A is the latest in a long line of Audiolab integrated amplifiers that began in 1983 with the 8000A – one of the most influential British audio products of all time.
The original 8000A was the quintessential "step-up" amplifier, delivering build quality, reliability, functionality and performance that were a clear level above the classic ‘budget’ amps of the time. It proved a tremendous success, its crisp, clean sound quality offering an upgrade path well trodden by music fans in the UK and beyond throughout its 14-year lifespan. The 8300A is the second component to be announced from Audiolab’s new 8300 Series, hot on the heels of the 8300CD CD player/DAC. While the 8300CD is a careful evolution of its predecessor, the 8300A is a full redesign of the product it replaces, the 8200A. According to the press release, the amplifier's external design is refreshingly clean and simple; still recognizably Audiolab, albeit sporting the updated 8300 Series aesthetic. Inside, the changes are more radical – a clean-sheet circuit design resulting in unquestionably the best integrated amplifier that Audiolab has ever made.
At the amp’s heart is a powerful dual-mono power amp section, delivering 75W per channel into eight ohms, with a maximum current delivery of 15 Amps into difficult loads. This is significantly more powerful than the outgoing 8200A, which was rated at 60W into eight ohms, but greater power delivery is only part of the story. The output stage of the discrete power amp circuits uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) topology in combination with conventional emitter follower circuitry. A 300VA toroidal transformer supplies the two mono amplifiers using separate secondary windings, followed by 2x15000uF reservoir capacity per channel (60000uF in total). The preamp section is kept as simple as possible to maintain signal purity, with line input signals simply passing through a unity gain buffer and a precision analogue volume stage. The latter covers the range from -80dB to +8dB in steps of 2dB, 1dB and 0.5dB (step resolution increasing with volume position).
The inclusion of a phono stage is another important enhancement. Turntable users will appreciate the care with which this new stage has been designed, fed by its own power supply and delivering a high-quality, low noise performance with both MM and MC cartridges, thus removing the need for an off-board phono stage. Externally, the most obvious addition is an OLED display in the center of the amp’s fascia, showing volume level, input selection, mode of operation and MM/MC phono setting. Around the back, five line-level RCA inputs nestle alongside the phono input, plus a balanced XLR input for suitably equipment source components (including the 8300CD). Two preamp outputs, a power amp input, a 12V trigger loop and a full set of loudspeaker binding posts for bi-wiring complete a comprehensive array of connectivity options. The 8300A is already available.
For more information: http://www.audiolab.co.uk