UPDATE - PLEASE READ *before commenting*! darko.audio/2021/12/audiolabs-6000a-play-a-christmas-tale/ 1) Got a question? Please ask it of the Darko.Audio KZread community (and not me) as I'm now busy making the NEXT video 2) All comments here are moderated by a third party: instagram.com/p/CTWcokaszpW/ 3) Polite comments that advance the conversation are most welcome (but no URLs, please)

I really appreciate your thoughtful comments about how a critical review can effect the employees of the company. Your in-depth discussion about the operational quirks was perfectly handled and very useful.

@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461

2 жыл бұрын

🤗 I CONCUR 👏👏👏😍😍😍

Having done a fair bit of mastering in my day, I can say that the gaps between tracks on an album are carefully considered and often quite intentionally set. Like music itself, the silences are as important as the sounds between. I appreciate this video very much. Thank you.

Other reviewers of this Play product didn’t even mention this issue, so thank you for bringing it up. I would look into the 6000A and add my own streamer as I hear the amp is great.

@Cencolor

2 жыл бұрын

Mine doesn’t have any gap, so maybe it’s a lack of software update or his internet has issues

@peterlarkin762

2 жыл бұрын

See Darkos update on the issue.... It's not one.

@DarkoAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Actually, Peter it IS still an issue. Gapped playback is gapped playback no matter how small or large the gap. Perhaps you would be kind enough to re-read my update post. AND while you're there, perhaps pay closer attention to the fresh issues introduced by Transfer mode, chief among them the inability to browse for the next song or album whilst listening to the current one.

That long a gap between tracks is not nit-picking at all.

Omg thank you! I've been wondering wtf a RHCP button was for several years of your videos. Brilliant. Love it. At our home we have a remote with a little picture of Danny DeVito, available to any guest who doesn't like the song that's playing. "This is a democratic household, if you don't like the song, don't complain about it, just use da veto"

I could not hate my Audiolab 6000a play more than I do, even if I tried my bestest. Twice a day it changes the source, on its own. It constantly hums, and after a few hours it starts buzzing and humming. The remote has no source change function, so I can't place the damn thing further from me, to not hear it, like in the basement, two stories down, so I have to interact with it, and keep myself from smashing the dreaded thing when changing back the source. Researching the issues I found the internet to be full of the same reports with it.

Thanks for this! I wonder why Andrew Robinson's review doesn't mention this gapped playback issue.

@rogier2124

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, good point! Andrew’s reviews are always very good and informative. And he praised this amp but I can’t remember any comments on the gaps of the built in streamer. Maybe he didn’t try gapless albums or playllists.....

Thanks a lot for this video, Merry Christmas and happy 2022 and... Keep the good work !

Thank you so much for proper testing of unit that include player. Many reviewers will simply not mention gapless playback and mandatory phone when using DTS Play-fi

I greatly appreciate the way you framed your criticism of the non-gapless playback and why. Thank you for including kindness in your review.

I'm 48 years old, i have worked in the hi-fi industry for 25 years and I have to say this is the most intelligent and fairest review of a product i have ever seen or read. Well done sir.

Glad John finally gave some attention to the Audiolab 6000 series. Nearly bought the 6000A Play but with the lack of gapless playback went for the POWERNODE 2021 instead. I am loving it!

Hi Darko, thanks for the review. Just one little comment, the new version of the App DTS Play-FI is now "gapless", a big improvement. Thanks. Regards....

absolute love the way you make videos and point out UX issues that might bother many people!

This amp was on my shortlist and no other reviews mentioned this issue at all. Thank you for preventing me from making a bad decision.

Outstanding as always John and thank you for confirming I should get the standard 6000A. Keep up the great work.

thanks for using the playback to introduce us to some of your favorite albums, I was searching and saving all of the music you mentioned 😂

Another great review and as a fellow albums listener THANK YOU. Not that I’m shocked because musically we are very similar. Seems like the album concept is a lost art. Great as usual, thanks and happy holidays!

Hi John. I have a 6000A and a node 2i to get around the gaps. Works great. I did research before my purchase and glad I did. Thanks for the info. This gap issue needs to be known to anyone thinking about the 6000A play. Have a great new years !!!! Love your YT Channel.🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘Cheers from Canada 🍻🍻🍻

You always bring new points of view to the table. Even if I didn't agree with you, I must say thank you John. You are like fresh air in the audiophile world.

Relieved, I have one and thought you were going to slaughter it. Luckily I have not used DTS play and stick to Spotify, Sonos connect, and CD which all work extremely well - Happy New Year.

I bought it two weeks ago. I sent it back to the store today morning. As an amplifier is wonderful. Very nice, detailed sound. The streamer is hell... It stops playing music whenever it wants. I have a 1Gbit connection with WiFi6 routers. No issues with LAN at all. Doesn't matter - "connection lost". I tested CA CXN V2 earlier - no problems with LAN - either wired or wireless. These gaps long so much that you think that it is another connection lost. What's more, sometimes it cut some chord from songs !!! You lose 10 or 20 ms from the end of the song and the first 10-20 ms from the next song. It is a nightmare. Instead of relaxing Christmas time with music, it drove me crazy. I wanted to throw it out the window. I am sorry Audiolab. Your Amplifier 6000A is wonderful. This ... DTS Play-Fi is a disaster.

Extremely informative. Thanks John!

Just picked up an Audiolab 6000a Play on sale for $1300 USD. More than satisfied with the purchase. Since I use Spotify Connect for most of my playback (also stream Roku TV via the optical input from my TV), the gapless playback issue hasn't been an issue at all. The sound quality is indeed fantastic. DTS Playfi has been easy to use, and was easy to connect. Largest issue I had was simply getting my Wifi connected on the right network - has to be same network your phone is on (I have a guest network). Took me like 30 minutes to get wifi hashed out. No big deal. Love love love this thing. Paired with Polk S65 towers.

To split hairs there's a fairly long gap when turning over a vinyl 😄

What John said about the 'cadence' of knowing (even subconciously) the length of the gap between tracks on a familiar album, is absolutely spot-on for me! And I have been listening to that Talking Heads album for the same number of years!

John can’t wait for nad m10 v2 review. I hope it coming soon. Maybe with deeper explanation of changes in new model and for analogue inputs issues in previous model … merry Christmas 🎄best wishes

Nice job Darko , I have pop the hood video review up 😃 but just the regular 6000a love mine for 2 years now 216k subscribers dang John I been with ya since 30k 😆

Node, rock solid, gapless, no issues... Trying to hook up a Play-Fi device right now, I have to go through this hour long routine every time I try to use this particular device, a real PIA! I need another Node!

Gapless playback has finally arrived! Please change title to: "Audiolab's 6000A Play is HEAVEN!" 😜

@Audiophilesdoteu

Жыл бұрын

Yes, no longer hell ;)

@n.docking1003

Жыл бұрын

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Absolutely brilliantly helpful and insightful review. To my knowledge,you’re the only reviewer who has spotted this (or at least shared it) and explained the impact. Really like the look of this amp, but the gapless issue is a real shame.

Can you switch the both speaker sets off and on individually, I like to connect 1 set to listen to in my kitchen, and main room, currently use a Arcam amp.

Brilliant thoughtful discussion about this Audiolab amplifier. Likin' your work!

I have the 6000A (not play) and initially struggled to like it after upgrading from an Arcam A29. The Arcam just seemed more gutsy although less revealing and detailed as the 6000A. Finally I tested a Fiio external DAC which I found a lot better than the 6000A internal DAC. Taking your advice I bought a Schiit MODI 3 and finally I am happy. I have the punch and the detail. All I can say is that the 6000A is a fantastic sounding amp for the price. I even tried switching from my KEF R300 speakers to an old pair of B&W DM110 speakers and it still sounds fantastic!

Hello John, thanks for this great video. I absolutely love my 6000 cdt and 6000A play. Great sound for the money. As a, as you call it, playlist listener i don’t mind the gaps. What i don’t like is the use of DTS play-fi. IMHO this app is not very intuitive, some parts of the software are very slow. It makes you tap buttons while it would have been better to wait a few extra seconds. I made a lot of errors while using this app…even after a few months. To be honest, it almost spoiled the fun. (I don’t have Spotify), i listen to apple music using an old ATV with a toslink connection. I’m very glad you mentioned a few workarounds, thanks!! I’m looking forward to your next video 😄

Thanks for the warning, and for the comparison about the clarity or detail found in the M10 v2. For gapless albums, my Chromecast ultra is doing it well with my wav files on my android using Poweramp! Even the included equalizer is working via WiFi, amazing.

I'm glad I bought the regular 6000A instead, which I use with a Raspberry Pi 4 with HiFiBerry Digi 2 Pro as streamer. Works great. Glad I went this route. Gapless playback is a must, I completely agree with you. However I also have a Powernode here, and while it doesn't reach the sonic fidelity of the Audiolab, it comes close, and the convenience factor is so much higher with it. Plus you can easily turn it into a surround setup, which also works really well. Connection to the rear happens wireless, and the Bluesound rear speakers are good enough. So that's really tempting as well.

Thank you John, those examples you put out between the two brand of tv’s made a lot of sense. I am in the process of buying a new tv, and I came to a point due to so much information that I hit a brick wall and procrastinating on a final decision. I have not bought a tv since mid 90’s! But after listening to your explanations why you chose the Samsung. I now feel that I’m a lot closer and on the right track on a purchase, so thanks again.

Love your work John. Back in April I chose the 6000A + Raspberry Pi streamer for the exact same reasons you detail in your review. Gapless playback is a must have IMO. And I am very happy with my purchase, not just for sound but also aesthetic reasons.

Hi, would you suggest pairing this Audiolab with KEF LS50 Meta or the Rotel A11 Tribute??

Would not adding tidal connect, qobuz connect, amazon music connect, etc, like it already has spotify connect, solve the dts playfi issue, as then everything can be operated directly from the native streaming app, and dts playfi is only needed for the initial connection?

Very even-handed review. Important to me to know this information as we get farther from long-play listening.

still got my trusty Audiolab 8000A. Comprehensive tape record function, still sounds great. not inclined to replace it. Even has (whisper it) tone controls.

Excellent focus on something that to me too is a huge niggle! Seems the bitrate and sample rate keeps increasing (almost unnecessarily) but this fundamental issue seems to be overlooked as if it doesn't matter! I love Floyd, Waters, Billie Myers, and listening to live albums and as you say, that gap destroys the connection with the music! I guess I'm a budget audiofile and use headphone a lot to listen. There is so much low cost gear out there to allow even those on a small budget to better enjoy music, and I love that you cover DIY to high end with such careful balance to you opinions.

I have the 6000a Play as part of a bedroom setup. The streaming is done through a Bluesound Node. I look at it this way, the 6000a Play offers the option of streaming if I choose to use it in my ever changing gear situation. In the meantime I am using it as an amplifier which I think is excellent.

Very interesting remarks, and the whole presentation is great, thank you!

Oh man, couldn't live with that, for all the gappy reasons you put so well.

Hi John, I absolutely love your work and always get giddy when I am notified of a new video of yours. I would really love to see you review the Marantz PM7000n to see how it compares with amplifier/network streamer rivals in its price range such as this Audiolab. Keep up the good work my friend 👏🏼

Blue Sound Node with the non-streamer version sounds like a winner to me. Particularly if we'd heard more about the sound of the product in question for the sake of assessing symmetry with our existing spears, system, etc

Hello. I have Marantz pm6006 + Dali Oberon 3. I want to buy: 1. DAC Topping E50 and play from laptop and 2. Audiolab 6000n play. As an audiophile performance what's better?

That's why I went for the 6000a, you must always do your homework .

@vivenreddy

2 жыл бұрын

Which streamer did you get?

I listen to music on KZread withmy phone. Will I be able to listen on the Audiolab 6000a?

Not Audiolabs fault? That can't be true. They decided to use this system. So while it might be DTS's problem to solve, Audiolab did choose to implement that system over Roon or Chromecast or whatever.

@richybeattie

2 жыл бұрын

Audiolab are owned by IAG who acquired the rights to use DTS PlayFi in all its brands back in 2018. A commercial decision which Audiolab product designers are likely to have had little to nothing to do with but have to live with.

I appreciate your channel. What’s amusing is most of the musical interludes sprinkled in are mostly low fi sounding. ;)

Thank you!🙂 You saved me there, - I think I will go for the non-play version then. And the just A (and not play) version, still has bluetooth (aptx). Maybe I will be buy a separate streamer down the line. I am very excited about comparing the internal dac, with my old, Hegel HD10 dac. Cheers!

I'm going to order the amp only not the play, but what connector is best for a CD player, coax or optical?

Thanks John good review and very diplomatic. I’ve got audiolab’s 6000CD transport and love it but could not find a 6000 amp play review or one in stock. I ended up with a Hegel H90. I agree the gaps that long would annoy the hell out of me.

Another excellent review. Do you think the Audiolap 6000A non play version and the cambridge cxn (v2) would be a good match with the sonus faber lumina II or KEF LS50 Meta? Do you think you can get a much better all in one solution for $2k or £1.4kor€1.6k rather than buying seperate amp and streamer

Great review as always, thanks John. It appears that some of your viewers might have misunderstood the problem somewhat. The amp itself is fantastic - and obviously if you have anything connected to it that supports gapless playback then there are no issues at all. In my case, I have the 6000A Play hooked up to my PC, so any music played on that can be done gapplessly (not a word), depending on the app I use. If you have a CD player hooked up to the amp, it will play gapless if the CD supports it, if you have a turntable hooked up to it, it will play however the vinyl is pressed, and so on. John is specifically talking about the DTS Play-Fi app and it's inability to currently play gapless albums, which I am disappointed in too. Hopefully Audiolab will take note of this and pass their comments on to DTS, so DTS can fix the app.

Hey John! My Audiolab is now gapless! I just got the Sept 22nd update and I'm listening to How the West Was Won. No gaps!

@jeffcats88

Жыл бұрын

Same here with my Audiolab 6000N. The last main issue with it has finally been resolved; I'm glad I stuck with it! I'm a huge fan of the sound of Audiolab DACs.

@tyares

Жыл бұрын

Does it support airplay 2 now, just curious as a potential buyer

Really like darkos room now. I was skeptical at first but it’s really grown on me.

A) I’m glad you changed your mind on not doing a formal review on this. After listening the podcast, I thought your experience was important to share on your channel. B) When you actually showed the gapped playback, my jaw dropped. Obviously I believed you before, but actually seeing it in action kind of blew my mind.

What are my options then if I want such quality of sound, but need gapless playback and at least wake/sleep option with Alexa?

It stops every time after +/- 30 min, how to set the 6000A propely in "Never" mode? Anyone, thanks.

just got this today and loving this beast already

@ramipo1

8 ай бұрын

do you satisfy? inspite all the things said about gliches in wi fi?

I went to buy the play in person today at B&H in NYC. They only had the non play version in stock. I grabbed it and now I’m happy I did.

Good evening, I like your passion for audio, the devices, softwaee and music tastes you bring to your video's. Having an ecliptic tatse for music it frustrates when gaps in audio occur. Having audio on cassette tape, minidisc, vinyl and CD you are waiting for the note, sound, vocal to have precise timing as intended whether is it supposed to flow or not between tracks, another good example of this is The Art of Noise were tracks are linked. I have been found winding an invisible crank to get to the next track when a superficial gap/pause has been instigated. All the best.

Hi John interesting video this one I have the audiolab 6000A and as you suggested I have a network player for steaming and of course works great I have also used Bluetooth through the amp which also sounds great and of course no gaps but is Bluetooth to much of a drop in quality for you? The 6000A is a brilliant amp I’m running mine in the preamp mode at the moment with two power amps with speakers bi amped and sounds brilliant I’ve had audiolab for over twenty five years. Thanks for all your great video.

John, I really liked this video. It takes tremendous time and effort to decipher the ins and outs of the streaming ecosystem. I have many friends that “…just want Bluetooth…” because it is easy most of the time and sounds decent to them. For some of us we want more, like listening to classical pieces or Dark Side of the Moon. I have made a few expensive mistakes however have gotten to the point where I keep the streaming separate. As opposed to the “all in one where I believe the streaming market, service providers and hardware/software manufacturers, is too volatile.

Anyone else has the problem with the Play-Fi app that for Mediaserver folder structure navigation it looses all it's folder content when you're going back in navigation? If I missed the right folder I have to go back until server selection. This is so annoying.

Enjoyed the review. How about a Part II with something on the DAC's three filter settings, the phono section, etc? Thanks!

Great review. Very 2021 (and about to be 2022) in that the big issue is we have a really good amp for the money let down by software.

Anyone tried the 6000a play pre + power mode to connect it to a KC62 and using the HPF? The HPF works but I get a static noice out of my speakers when I do so.

Sorry if my question is obvious to some, i'm new to pre amp thing: was wondering if you can add this sort of amp to existing AVR? Have a Yamaha Aventage AVR and it works well for streaming services... Im unsure what Integrated/pre power/ and pre-amp means?? If I want to add some power just to front main speakers can this sort of amp be used and all streaming still be managed via my Yamaha AVR? All im trying to boost is power to mains for music listening and would like to still use AVR remote and app as controller etc

@Lucas-qo5go

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I believe you can just connect the front mains to the input of the audiolab. Then when you wanna just stream music you can stream directly to the audiolab and and bypass the receiver all together

You are so right about gapless. Hearing an album is an experience.

Get the 6000a without the play, pick up a wiim mini streamer. Less money, no gaps. Great streaming!

Can 2 people pair their phones with indyvidual spotify accounts and use it as like a chromecast with spotify connect??

I bought four Google Cromecast audios for 100 euros while they were still for sale. I connected them to the amplifiers through good dacs, and I now have very good streaming for all services on four different systems.

As a music producer myself, the ‘as they artist intended’ portion of this conversation is incredibly important. Im not of a generation where making vinyl was something I did, but back when CDs were how 99% of us listened to music, when making the final edits of CDs at the mastering studio, I’d take the finished version of the album home and listen closely to the cadence of the gaps, and willingly paid for another hour or two with the engineer to add a second here, or remove a second there, etc. That cadence was as important as the final mastering job to my ears and once I was happy I knew the record as a whole was ready to be heard by others. My approach is no different now, though technically speaking creating these edits and gaps is very different I’ll still play the whole album over and over again until the cadence is correct. So yes, this is important if and when people listen to complete (or partial) albums, even when there are more typical silences between tracks. Hats off to you for making a big deal out of this.

so this version of the amp is made for the spotify community and i'm all in!

Your review is well done. I am of the same mindset. Gap less pay is essential. Do you think there may be an update or fix that the manufacturer could release for this problem, is is fixable ?

How timely! I was thinking about buying one of these to accompany the 6000CDT I bought earlier this year. Great info!!

@stephenbates5237

2 жыл бұрын

Thomas I am also in the market for a CD transport and was eyeing the audiolab. How do you rate it? Just counted.. over 1000 cds so time to upgrade.

@ptbfrch

2 жыл бұрын

@@stephenbates5237 I'm no CD player expert, my passion is vinyl, but my CDs sound better than ever. I actually enjoy playing CDs now. I use mine with the optical Toslink to the built-in DAC in a PS Audio Sprout 100, with a pair of GR Research XLS Encore. It's a rather balanced system, but where I'd like to try the Audiolab amp. So to me the CDT has been amazing, and expanded my music universe to finally include our CDs for more critical listening.

Is it a good combination with Audiovector QR1?

This is not knit-picky. It should have never been acceptable to put this service out without gapless playback.

I just bought the 6000a play from Amazon a couple days ago to power Lintons 85. What is a good streamer to pair with the Audiolab 6000a?

Looks sweet. What are THD/IM %'s and damping factor?? Didn't see them listed on spec sheet. Just curious.

This is why I love John Darko!

Oh man why doesn’t the 6000A (non-play) support USB input? I’m looking for something exactly like this but with USB input. Any suggestions John?

I don't really understand - stream traveling through the phone - does it impact the quality? I mean are we limited to some kind of bit rate as we are on let's say Airplay?

I’ve tried the 6000a for 2 weeks now across my JBL studio, DCM TF350s, and a few others. I just can’t warm to the sound, it feels constrained for my tastes. The digital filters all sound bad to me, too much roll of and I prefer a more open, airy mid-high frequencies. Perhaps it pairs well with other speakers.. I’ll be returning it but I love the build quality and ease of use vs my aging Sony ES separates. Sound quality however isn’t worth the trade off I was hoping for.. Might try a Marantz Model40 at some point..

... Hi John, I am about to purchase an Amplifier streamer and have now narrowed it to the Audiolab 6000 play and Bluesound Powernode! I use Spotify connect. Great review but I’m still in two minds. Anymore advice??? ...

John I could not agree more. The gap thing would drive me nuts because I do frequently listen to whole albums end to end, especially those which are my personal favourites.

Did you test running a Chromecast audio into the DAC? It just wouldn’t work for me. It spat out horrible noises and generally never worked. Audiolabs took the unit back and said it was fully functional, explaining CCA just isn’t high quality enough to expect it to work with the 6000a. So I had to send it back and got a Primare i15 Prisma instead with Airplay, Chromecast and Upnp/Dlna out of the box.

Hello John, Could you get your hands on the audiolab 6000cdt. It’s highly praised..bit your opinion would be nice !

Hi john, is there a chance that you will review CXA 81? Tia

I had a pair of SVS Prime Wireless Speaker System using Play-Fi. I was not very happy with that System and sold it after a few months. I am totally with you, with the shortcomings of that Play-Fi System.

I have audiolab 6000N Play and it has the same issue. I am fine without gapless support but this thing keeps disconnecting from router on both wireless and wired connections, which ruins the listening experience.

Thx for pointing out this special issue 🙏 It's the reason why I decided to return the new audiolab omnia, which also have an incredible sound, but the dts-play fi "problem" ruined it for me 😕

I bought an Audiolab amp decades ago, it was the same design but in black, a recommended amp in HiFi magazines, never happy with it, sold it and got an A400. Ran that for 20 years then A400X, now back to another mint A400. Never a moments unhappiness with them. The 993 of amps, solid.