8000CD Pdf Audiolab Cd8000 Cd Player Review

User Manual: 8000CD

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Australian Hi-Fi

Audiolab’s new 8000CD player is radically

different from any CD player in Audiolab’s

long and glorious history, including the

previous one that shared the same model

number. It’s because the International

Audio Group, which now owns Audi-

olab, gave long-time Audiolab designer,

Nick Clarke, a free hand to re-design the

8000CD player, so he took the opportu-

nity to completely redesign the circuitry,

taking advantage of Crystal Semiconduc-

tors’ latest generation of 24-bit, 192kHz

sigma-delta digital-to-analogue converters

(DACs) that lift CD sound to a level that

rivals—some say betters—that of the

DVD-A and SACD super-fidelity formats.

Even better, Clarke has built in added

flexibility by allowing owners control

over the way these new DACs convert

the digital signals into music, permitting

a choice of a standard ‘brick-wall’

filter—preferred by those who like a more

clinical sound—or a less aggressive filter,

for those who like their music to sound

sweeter and more musical. He’s even

Audiolab

8000CD CD Player

built in a circuit that allows you to

‘de-activate’ the SPDIF digital output

so that if, like many people, you don’t

use this output, you can benefit from

a reduced r.f. field and an increase in

power supply capacity.

The Equipment

The very first thing you’ll notice about

the 8000CD is that it’s solid! The reason

is that its solid steel chassis is not only

double-skinned, but also fully galvanised.

The reason it has to be solid is that it has

one of the largest power supplies I’ve ever

seen in a CD player. Indeed the left and

right channels are each powered by their

own independent power supplies, each of

which has its own toroidal transformer.

The second thing you’ll notice is

the superb front-panel display. Instead

of those arcane little symbols to tell

you what’s going on inside the player,

Audiolab’s display uses plain English.

What a great idea! Rather than displaying

two vertical bars when you’re in the

paused mode, for example, the Audiolab

instead just shows the word ‘Pause.’

This may seem like a small thing, but

when you actually use the player, it

makes operation more comfortable

and ‘friendly.’

Many manufacturers cut costs by

stripping functions from their players

that they think you might not use—

which is very annoying if you’re one of

those who use them. The only feature I

could find missing from the 8000CD is

an A–B repeat function, otherwise the

Audiolab has everything you could need,

including the other repeat modes (Repeat

Track, Repeat Disc and Repeat Program).

The track programming mode is far more

extensive than usual, allowing you to

program up to 60 tracks to play back in

any order and allows multiple use of the

same track number.

Not only are there the standard track

search functions; there’s also a search

function that allows you to locate index

points within a track, which will make

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Brand: Audiolab

Model: 8000CD

Category: CD Player

RRP: $1699

Warranty: Three Years

Distributor: International Audio Group

Pty Ltd

Address: Unit 30 398 The Boulevarde

Kirrawee

NSW 2232

T: (02) 9521 4844

F: (02) 9521 4222

E: iagaus@bigpond.com

W: www.audiolab.co.uk

Audiolab

the 8000CD a favourite with classical

music buffs, since a great many classical

CDs contain index marks so you can

easily locate individual movements

within a work, or the start of particular

variations, such as the 33 in Beethoven’s

Variations on a theme by Diabelli, or the

32 in Bach’s Goldberg Suite.

Display brightness is adjustable

through four different levels and can be

switched off entirely. Audiolab notes in

its manual that ‘Some listeners prefer to

listen with the display switched off. Others

feel that sound quality improves when the

digital traffic involved in the display is

disconnected.’ Presumably it’s those who

are concerned with unnecessary ‘digital

traffic’ that will be pleased by Audiolab’s

inclusion of an ‘SPDIF Off’ facility, which

turns off the digital output on the rear

panel. Turning the SPDIF output on and

off is a simple front-panel procedure

that can be altered very quickly any

time you like—though it does involve

having to turn the player on and off, so

unfortunately, you can’t make a quick

A–B comparison to see which mode you

prefer.

The same is true of the process for

selecting your preferred output filter.

Rather than use arcane technical

terminology Audiolab refers to these

two filters as ‘Fast’ and ‘Slow’—the ‘Fast’

setting being the ‘Brick Wall’ filter.

Although I said in the introduction that

the Fast filter would be preferred by

those who like a more clinical sound,

and the Slow filter by those who like

their music to sound sweeter and more

musical, this is not strictly true because

it is complicated by the fact that your

preference for one or the other will be

enormously affected by the design of

your amplifier and your speakers. To

use the most extreme example, you’ll

find that if you use an amplifier with a

Class-D (digital switching) output stage,

you’ll find the ‘Fast’ setting will give

far better performance than the ‘Slow’

setting. This will also be true—but to

a lesser extent—if your amplifier has a

conventional linear output stage, but a

switch-mode power supply. Once it’s set

to your preference, the player stores the

filter type in memory until you change it,

even if you switch the player on and off.

For those who need a refresher course

on filtering, all CD players contain filters

to remove frequencies above 20kHz so

they can’t interfere with music playback.

The filters that cut in very gradually,

so their action is like a gentle slope,

removing higher frequencies only little

by little with increasing frequency, are

known as ‘Slow’ filters. The filters that

cut in quickly and dramatically above

20kHz are the ‘Fast’ or ‘Brick Wall’ filters.

The most significant effects on sound,

other than those mentioned previously,

are that fast filters have no effect on

the level of sounds below 20kHz, but

do affect their phase, whereas slow

filters don’t affect phase, but do have a

small effect on level, tending to roll-off

response slightly between 10 and 20kHz.

Listening Sessions

As usual, I checked the transport drawer

logic first with an old CD, just to see if

it would stop properly in the case of an

accidental disc misload, or a tray blockage,

(for the simple reason that I don’t want

to ruin any discs in my collection—as one

player did once) and found the Audiolab’s

tray logic was impeccable, with the tray

stopping almost the instant I deliberately

blocked it, and the motor turning itself off

automatically, to prevent a potential burn-

out. Not only this, but that ‘Plain English’

display read-out sprang into action, show-

ing the words ‘Tray Blocked’ rather than

some arcane error code (or worse still, no

display at all!).

Once a disc was playing, however, I

did find the 8000CD’s time read-out a

tad confusing, because I couldn’t see any

indication of whether the digits that were

being displayed represented the elapsed

or remaining time or whether they

pertained to the particular track that was

playing or the entire disc. It’s pretty easy

to work out which is which by pressing

the ‘Time’ display on the remote handset,

which quickly cycles through the four

available time modes, but a front-panel

indicator would make things even easier.

It’s a simple-enough software update, so it

could be included on future models.

Operationally, the Audiolab 8000CD

is a delight to use, with a quick, rapid

response to key presses, whether on the

front panel or the infrared remote. It’ll

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play CD-R and CD-RW discs as well as

ordinary CDs. The front panel switches

have a longer travel than you’d expect,

but they felt good to use. I loved that the

remote gives direct track access to double-

digit tracks just by pressing the two

numbers in succession. That is, pressing

‘2’ followed by ‘3’ sends the player to

track 23. The ‘autoplay’ also speeds things

along.

I’d like to be able to write here that I

preferred one filter over the other, but I

didn’t. Certainly I thought the sound was

brighter and a little ‘sharper’ with the

Fast filter, but although this worked well

for many CDs I played, mostly—but not

exclusively—orchestral works, I found a

great many discs where I greatly preferred

the 8000CD’s sound using the Slow filter

setting. Again, as a generalisation, I liked

the Slow filter setting for listening to

jazz and rock CDs. Since the differences

were relatively subtle, I’d probably set the

Audiolab to ‘Slow’ for day-to-day use (and

in fact this is the default setting) and

only switch to ‘Fast’ for a critical listening

session with a CD I’d established sounded

better with the ‘Fast’ filter.

In either mode you’ll find there’s a

nice weight and feel to the bass, so it

comes through hard when required, but

doesn’t sound overly heavy or ponderous,

and the pitching is impeccable. The

midrange performance was wonderful as

well, with a clean, very detailed sound

and a great delivery of presence—and

ambience!—on properly-recorded discs.

It’s across the midrange particularly that

you can hear how the total background

quietness (yes, I had the SPDIF switched

off) allows you to pick subtle vocal

inflections and instrumental details that

are glossed over by lesser CD players—

and the music sounds all the better for it.

Test Results

Audiolab’s 8000CD turned in a superb per-

formance in every respect. Distortion was

exceptionally low, with the overall THD+N

figure coming in at 0.009%—though this

is increasingly looking like it’s actually

the limit of the CD test disc, since many

new high-end players are returning exactly

the same result. What many can’t do is

deliver the clean –20dB signal shown in

the accompanying graph of the Audiolab’s

output. This is the average level you’ll

typically find on CDs (allowing 20dB of

headroom for peaks) and you can see that

played on the Audiolab, there’s absolutely

no distortion visible at all. Equally im-

portant is the noise floor: you can see it’s

right down at –130dB. This superb result is

reflected in the signal-to-noise ratio (which

includes the contribution from the power

supply, visible as the peak at the far left of

this graph) which came in at 101dB.

Distortion at very low levels was

equally good. The graph shows the output

spectrum with a dithered test signal at

–90.31dB. You can see that once again, no

distortion is visible. The elevated level of

the noise floor (to around –125dB) is an

artefact of the dithering process.

Frequency response was exceptionally

flat across the bass and midrange, but

rolled off a little above 2kHz, to end up

0.15dB down at 20kHz. Remember to

take into account the extraordinarily

expanded scale on this graph (0.05dB per

vertical division). Channel separation was

also exceptional, averaging more than

125dB right across the audio band.

You can see the effect of the two filters

in the two graphs showing distortion

with a 20kHz/0dB test signal. With

the slow filter, there’s a 24.1kHz signal

sitting at around –30dB that’s caused by

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Audiolab 8000CD CD Player

Readers interested in a

full technical appraisal of

the performance of the

Audiolab 8000CD should

continue on and read the

LABORATORY REPORT

published on the following

pages. All readers should

note that the results

mentioned in the report,

tabulated in performance

charts and/or displayed

using graphs and/or

photographs should be

construed as applying

only to the specific

sample tested.

LAB

REPORT

Treble performance is balanced

beautifully against the midrange.

Speaking only in terms of balancing

volume levels—yes, the extreme highs

are perhaps a touch forward in the ‘Fast’

mode, and perhaps a touch recessed in

‘Slow’—the differences are so slight that

a third setting, midway between the two,

would be an exercise in futility. However

there’s more to the filter differences than

mere level, and it’s here that your CDs,

amplifier and speakers that will come

into play in determining which mode

to choose. The biggest point to note here

is the obvious: that with the 8000CD

at least you’re in control of the choice!

Conclusion

This is a fabulous CD player, but so un-

prepossessing that you really have to use

one—and hear one—to fully appreciate

just how great it really is!

greg borrowman

Continued on page 93

TEST RESULTS

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interaction between the 20kHz test signal

and the 44.1kHz sampling frequency,

along with a second harmonic peak

at –105dB (at 48.2kHz). With the fast

filter, the level of the 24.1kHz signal has

been reduced to –110dB and the second

harmonic completely eradicated. (The

peak just to the right of the 38.4kHz

Audiolab 8000CD Compact Disc Player Serial #: 231G001938

Analogue Output Measurements: Result Unit/Comment

Output Voltage 2.3878/2.3872 volts (Left/Right)

Frequency Response: -0.15/+0.003 dB (20Hz-20kHz) Slo Filter

Channel Separation: 125dB 1kHz

THD: 0.009% @ 1kHz @ 0dBFS

Channel Balance: 0.0021 dB @ 1kHz

Channel Phase: 0.03/0.00/0.07 16Hz/1kHz/20kHz (degrees)

Group Delay -5.35/+1.45 degrees (1k-20k/20k-1k)

S/N Ratio (No Pre/emp) 101 dB (weighted)

S/N Ratio (Pre-Emp) 101 dB (weighted)

De-Emphasis Error 0.15/0.84/0.35 dB (1kHz/4kHz/16kHz)

Linearity Error @ –60.00dB/–70.00dB 0.04/0.01 dB (Not Dithered)

Linearity Error @ –80.59dB/–85.24dB 0.01/0.04 dB (Not Dithered)

Linearity Error @ –89.46dB/–91.24dB 0.09/0.18 dB (Not Dithered)

Linearity Error @ –80.70dB/–90.31dB 0.04/0.06 dB (Dithered)

Digital Output Measurements:

Digital Carrier Amplitude 132mV Audioband

1.13V/1.35V Differential/Common Mode

Audioband Jitter 3.8/0.023 nS/UI (p–p)

Data Jitter 3.5/0.019 nS/UI (p–p)

Deviation -54.3 ppm

Frame Rate 44097.603

Eye-Narrowing (Zero Cross) 0.6/0.002 nS/UI (p–p)

Eye-Narrowing (200mV) 3.3/0.02 nS/UI (p–p)

Absolute Phase Normal Normal/Inverted

Bit Activity 23 At Digital O/P

Power Consumption 8.04 watts

line is 44.1kHz signal that, because it’s

introduced after the filter, is the same in

both graphs).

IMD (not shown) was particularly low,

with regenerated 1kHz coming in lower

than –90dB. However, it’s the tabulated

results that contain perhaps the greatest

surprise, in the form of the spectacularly

low jitter: a set of the best I’ve ever seen

and particularly important in light of

the fact that low jitter levels have been

proved to correlate with high marks in

listening sessions. Overall, the technical

performance of the Audiolab 8000CD is

nothing less than excellent.

Steve Holding

Continued from page 42

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Audiolab 8000CD CD Player