Audiolab 6000a or Marantz PM8006

[amrutmhatre90]

Audiolab 6000a uses ES9018K2M
SMSL SU9 DAC uses ES9038Pro
Topping D50s DAC uses ES9038Q2M


Following are some details on them:

ESS SABRE PRO 8-channel Audiophile DACs
ES9038PRO
ES9028PRO
ES9026PRO

ESS SABRE 8-Channel DACs
ES9018
ES9016
ES9008
SABRE9006A

SABRE HiFi Mobile DACs
ES9218p
ES9118
9018Q2C
ES9023

SABRE HiFi Stereo DACs
ES9028C2M
ES9028Q2M

ES9018C2M
ES9018K2M

ES9016C2M
ES9016K2M

ES9010K2M

But more than these things, how one DAC is implemented matters the most. The filtering used, the analogue section, the quality of the power supply.

 

[amrutmhatre90]

Please share some pictures.

Here you go, Audiolab sits below the AVR.

 

[amrutmhatre90]

Which streamer software are getting played, looks like volumio ?
If yes, what ui is that?

Yup volumio, its Manifest UI for paid versions. But something similar also can be found by a plugin called "Now Playing"

 

[SanVJ]

Here you go, Audiolab sits below the AVR. View attachment 67946

View attachment 67947

Great setup bro. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Bloom@83]

I’m not sure if keeping a heavy AVR on top of the Audiolab is a good idea.

 

[fLUX]

Here you go, Audiolab sits below the AVR. View attachment 67946

View attachment 67947

@amrutmhatre90 Is that a laptop cooling pad , have you seen the temperature drop post using it ?

 

[amrutmhatre90]

I’m not sure if keeping a heavy AVR on top of the Audiolab is a good idea.

No other place to keep until my carpenter comes back from his native and reworks on the existing cabinet. don't want to keep it on top of AVR as the hot air from Denon can go inside Audiolab with the laptop cooler on.

@amrutmhatre90 Is that a laptop cooling pad , have you seen the temperature drop post using it ?

Yes, it's a laptop cooling pad. It definitely worked for me, the AVR stays warm and doesn't get hot or untouchable.

 

[Murlidher]

Found this nice review rightly titled heaven and hell with audiolab 6000a

 

[prozkater]

@amrutmhatre90 Since you have experience with both Audiolab 6000A and Pm8006, in your opinion, which amp do you think will pair better with the wharfedale linton heritage and diamond 12.2? Currently using the 12.2 and thinking of upgrading to the Lintons in the near future. So I will be using it with the 12.2 before upgrading. I have a smsl d300 dac and smsl da9/a300 connected to the 12.2 for now. I wonder if the pm8006/6000a will be a significant upgrade over my current setup. I prefer a rich warm sound as compared to a brighter/analytical sound but I also hate muddy/confused sounds if that makes any sense.

 

[amrutmhatre90]

@amrutmhatre90 Since you have experience with both Audiolab 6000A and Pm8006, in your opinion, which amp do you think will pair better with the wharfedale linton heritage and diamond 12.2? Currently using the 12.2 and thinking of upgrading to the Lintons in the near future. So I will be using it with the 12.2 before upgrading. I have a smsl d300 dac and smsl da9/a300 connected to the 12.2 for now. I wonder if the pm8006/6000a will be a significant upgrade over my current setup. I prefer a rich warm sound as compared to a brighter/analytical sound but I also hate muddy/confused sounds if that makes any sense.

Guess what,
I have upgraded to Lintons as well !!! I have been living them for quite some time and enjoying.
Though Audiolab has less power on paper, Lintons go well with Audiolab as I assume they are from the same parent company.

I haven't tried the Marantz with Audiolab, my friend who owns the Marantz has Evo 4.2 but feels it lacks low end (speaker freq)
When he heard the Audiolab with Lintons, his jaw dropped and said there is no need for sub and it sounds fantastic.
Though the Audiolab is neutral with Lintons it doesn't at all feel bright or analytical.

The inbuilt dac is also of a good quality, I had paired my Audiolab with Denafrips Ares II before selling the Ares. And this combo was spectacular!
I regrated selling the denafrips as soon as I moved to Audiolab's Dac! Within minutes I noticed the magic was missing.
But that Dac costs almost as the Audiolab!

I even paired Audiolab with Wharf Diamond 11.2's and I liked the combo, the Diamonds may have slightly muddy low end, which audiolab tries to grip to some extent, but with Marantz it was noticeable.

Best is to audition the combo!
If I was you, I would sell all SMSL Dac's or power amps and just get the Audiolab and Lintons!
Simple setup which sounds awesome!

 

[prozkater]

Guess what,
I have upgraded to Lintons as well !!! I have been living them for quite some time and enjoying.
Though Audiolab has less power on paper, Lintons go well with Audiolab as I assume they are from the same parent company.

I haven't tried the Marantz with Audiolab, my friend who owns the Marantz has Evo 4.2 but feels it lacks low end (speaker freq)
When he heard the Audiolab with Lintons, his jaw dropped and said there is no need for sub and it sounds fantastic.
Though the Audiolab is neutral with Lintons it doesn't at all feel bright or analytical.

The inbuilt dac is also of a good quality, I had paired my Audiolab with Denafrips Ares II before selling the Ares. And this combo was spectacular!
I regrated selling the denafrips as soon as I moved to Audiolab's Dac! Within minutes I noticed the magic was missing.
But that Dac costs almost as the Audiolab!

I even paired Audiolab with Wharf Diamond 11.2's and I liked the combo, the Diamonds may have slightly muddy low end, which audiolab tries to grip to some extent, but with Marantz it was noticeable.

Best is to audition the combo!
If I was you, I would sell all SMSL Dac's or power amps and just get the Audiolab and Lintons!
Simple setup which sounds awesome!

Great, since there is no way I could audition audio gears from my place, the audiolab it is then. As for the smsl d300, I absolutely love this dac as compared to my previous dacs (i.e. ifi zen dac v2, ifi zen one signature, topping d10, e30, e50 and smsl su6), so even if it does not pair well with the audiolab and linton combo, I will probably use it elsewhere. Thank you so much for the input.

 

[amrutmhatre90]

Great, since there is no way I could audition audio gears from my place, the audiolab it is then. As for the smsl d300, I absolutely love this dac as compared to my previous dacs (i.e. ifi zen dac v2, ifi zen one signature, topping d10, e30, e50 and smsl su6), so even if it does not pair well with the audiolab and linton combo, I will probably use it elsewhere. Thank you so much for the input.

hope your chase for the sound you like stops here