Who it comes up against
10 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2 keeps the slot clearly.
With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audio Note P1 SE gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
9 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50 MKII keeps the slot by a whisker.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Audiolab 9000P, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
8 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference
Against the Anchored brief, the NVA P50SA MKII keeps the slot clearly.
With the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair), the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
4 lost · Cavity-Native, Characterful, Romantic
Against the Cavity-Native brief, the Leema Neutron keeps the slot decisively.
With the Leema Hydra II, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the Rega Aura Reference MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Leema Hydra II gives up vocal presence under the Cavity-Native weighting.
S/N exceeding 112dB A-weighted, THD <0.002%Audiolab 9000P/Q HomeTheaterReview specs + Audio Tailor review
wider sound stage, considerably deeper, more secure imagingAVForums Audiolab 9000P/Q review
2 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line) keeps the slot decisively.
With the EAR Yoshino 890, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the Rega Aura Reference MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the EAR Yoshino 890 gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.
868L line preamp, Tim de Paravicini valve designEAR Yoshino 868L + multi-decade Stereophile heritage
2 lost · Artisan, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier keeps the slot clearly.
With the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units), the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the Naim NVC TT MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on tonal body.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units) gives up vocal presence under the Artisan weighting.
not for listeners who prefer warm and cozy soundHifi Pig + audiolab.co.uk
wider sound stage, considerably deeper, more secure imagingAVForums Audiolab 9000P/Q review
1 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the Audio Note M2 Phono keeps the slot decisively.
With the Audio Note P1 SE, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the Naim NVC TT MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on tonal body.
On its own merits the Audiolab 9000Q is the stronger preamplifier — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Audio Note P1 SE gives up midrange truth under the Intimate weighting.
not for listeners who prefer warm and cozy soundHifi Pig + audiolab.co.uk
Audio Note pre with onboard phono, classic SET-friendly voicingAudio Note M2 Phono + Stereophile heritage