How to use DAC of Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier with mobile and laptop/tv

[navjyot]

Hi All,
A beginner. So have basic doubt. Planning to buy Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier. Have bookshelf speaker already. Experts in this forum suggested this amplifier for my speaker. this amp has bluetooth and inbuilt dac.

Inputs of the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier

• 4x S/PDIF digital audio (2x optical; 2x coaxial)
• 4x analogue audio (3x line level; 1x MM phono)
• Power amp input
• USB for firmware updates
• 12V trigger

Have couple of doubts.
1. i think i can connect my mobile to this amp via bluetooth and play music from my mobile. kindly confirm.
2. someone told me that i can connect my tv to this amp if my tv has optical output. which cable to use for that?
3. i just have laptop/mobile/tv. if i am not buying any streamer, then can i use the inbuild dac of amp with my mobile/laptop/tv. if yes, how? which all cable will i need?

any other suggession like purchasing streamer etc etc.

NOTE: dont have any cd/vinlyl records etc etc. planning to use online sources(like amazon prime, youtube etc etc) for listening music

Regards
Navjyot.

 

[hemya]

Instead of that you could buy the Marantz NR1200 or Denon DRA 800H or Yamaha RN 803 (these are the slightly cheaper than the Audiolab). These are network streaming amps and using the respective app on your mobile you can play music directly via the amp using services such as spotify/amazon music etc. These also have bluetooth.

For optical out use , you may opt for the AmazonBasics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable - 6 Feet. This can be used with all of the above mentioned amps. However the Marantz and Denon are Network AV amplifiers, so you can simply use HDMI to connect your TV to the amplifier

For your needs these options should be more than enough. An audiolab would be overkill at this point. My 2 cents....

 

[fLUX]

Hi Navjyot

The job of a DAC is to convert Digital Content into Analog. The AudioLab(AL) 6000A has an inbuilt DAC , pre & power amplifier. The DAC would convert the content into an analog format & pass it on the amplifier section, the pre & power amplifier section will feed the audio signal with the neccesary power the speaker demands and as per the volume limits you have set. To answer your questions

1. Yes you can play via bluetooth , it would use the DAC of the AL when you use bluetooth from your phone.
2. Buy an Optical cable https://hifimart.com/product/dac-arp010-optical-fibre-cable-html/ to connect amp to your TV
3. Bluetooth from mobile and Optical connection would use the DAC from your audiolab. If you use an RCA to 3.5 MM/AUX (not sure if there is an output for AUX in AL amp) output cable to connect the amp your mobile phone , the DAC of your mobile would be used.

Would suggest to set the above up first and then determine your need for a streamer.

P.S - Just noticed that you have not already purchased it , as suggested by @hemya please explore the Marantz NR1200,Denon DRA-800H & Yamaha RN-803 as all of the above come with inbuild wireless streaming capabilities. Which speakers do you plan to pair them with ?

 

[skumar]

For optical out use , you may opt for the AmazonBasics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable - 6 Feet. This can be used with all of the above mentioned amps. However the Marantz and Denon are Network AV amplifiers, so you can simply use HDMI to connect your TV to the amplifier

TVs now-a-days have ARC port only (no TV-Out HDMI port), can we use TV-ARC to connect to the 3 network receiveres mentioned above?

 

[navjyot]

Instead of that you could buy the Marantz NR1200 or Denon DRA 800H or Yamaha RN 803 (these are the slightly cheaper than the Audiolab). These are network streaming amps and using the respective app on your mobile you can play music directly via the amp using services such as spotify/amazon music etc. These also have bluetooth.

For optical out use , you may opt for the AmazonBasics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable - 6 Feet. This can be used with all of the above mentioned amps. However the Marantz and Denon are Network AV amplifiers, so you can simply use HDMI to connect your TV to the amplifier

For your needs these options should be more than enough. An audiolab would be overkill at this point. My 2 cents....

Hi,
Thanks for sharing your view. I have booked castle knight 2 speakers. I had discussed with anil(from hifimart) and few members of this forum. And everyone suggested Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier. hence planning to go with that amp only. do u feel, marantz NR1200 will be a good match for my speaker?

 

[navjyot]

Hi Navjyot

The job of a DAC is to convert Digital Content into Analog. The AudioLab(AL) 6000A has an inbuilt DAC , pre & power amplifier. The DAC would convert the content into an analog format & pass it on the amplifier section, the pre & power amplifier section will feed the audio signal with the neccesary power the speaker demands and as per the volume limits you have set. To answer your questions

1. Yes you can play via bluetooth , it would use the DAC of the AL when you use bluetooth from your phone.
2. Buy an Optical cable https://hifimart.com/product/dac-arp010-optical-fibre-cable-html/ to connect amp to your TV
3. Bluetooth from mobile and Optical connection would use the DAC from your audiolab. If you use an RCA to 3.5 MM/AUX (not sure if there is an output for AUX in AL amp) output cable to connect the amp your mobile phone , the DAC of your mobile would be used.

Would suggest to set the above up first and then determine your need for a streamer.

P.S - Just noticed that you have not already purchased it , as suggested by @hemya please explore the Marantz NR1200,Denon DRA-800H & Yamaha RN-803 as all of the above come with inbuild wireless streaming capabilities. Which speakers do you plan to pair them with ?

Hi,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. The speakers are Castle knight 2.

 

[raghupb]

If using Optical from TV, set the TV to output PCM stereo to the IA.
Default maybe PCM but check just in case it spits multi channel.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[saketgyani]

Hi,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. The speakers are Castle knight 2.

Anil recommended Castle Knight 2 to me too when I was looking for speakers a year ago.
Auditioned them and fell for them!
Too bad, I didn’t buy them then.
Shall upgrade soon!
So I auditioned them with a Marantz amp, don’t remember which one though.
but it sounded really nice, the combination.

 

[hemya]

Hi,
Thanks for sharing your view. I have booked castle knight 2 speakers. I had discussed with anil(from hifimart) and few members of this forum. And everyone suggested Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier. hence planning to go with that amp only. do u feel, marantz NR1200 will be a good match for my speaker?

I suggested the streaming amplifiers as all the sources you mentioned that online services will be your source.

I had bought a Marantz PM 6006 in 2016 from Hifimart and then moved on to the Denon DRA800H in June this year which I got from hifimart too. Regarding the pairing of your speakers with the Denon or Marantz...I think Anil would be the best person to talk to.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Navjyot, you need to decide what are your priorities within your budget. Audiolab also has an all-in-one product (not sure if in India yet), the 6000A Play, but it is priced at $1299 (https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audiolab-6000a-play). That may seem too high, but that's what a good int amp combined with streamer-DAC would cost! The AV receivers provide the functionality at a much lower price, but then would they do justice to the 2 channel serious music listening (and to those speakers)? Please check that.

You are getting the Bluetooth and digital inputs with the 6000A, which is significant. If your listening is mostly old Hindi songs, it might suffice. (At a later date you can add a streamer to the mix when your budget allows). There are options like Allo etc. which some FMs can help you with.

One can either go for a AV receiver and get full functionality today, but which then has to be entirely replaced to get better sound that the speakers are capable of, or goes for slightly limited functionality with the best musical amp in the budget which can serve for years, and needs only a streamer to be added later while protecting the investment already made.

 

[navjyot]

I suggested the streaming amplifiers as all the sources you mentioned that online services will be your source.

I had bought a Marantz PM 6006 in 2016 from Hifimart and then moved on to the Denon DRA800H in June this year which I got from hifimart too. Regarding the pairing of your speakers with the Denon or Marantz...I think Anil would be the best person to talk to.

ok. thanks.

 

[navjyot]

Navjyot, you need to decide what are your priorities within your budget. Audiolab also has an all-in-one product (not sure if in India yet), the 6000A Play, but it is priced at $1299 (https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audiolab-6000a-play). That may seem too high, but that's what a good int amp combined with streamer-DAC would cost! The AV receivers provide the functionality at a much lower price, but then would they do justice to the 2 channel serious music listening (and to those speakers)? Please check that.

You are getting the Bluetooth and digital inputs with the 6000A, which is significant. If your listening is mostly old Hindi songs, it might suffice. (At a later date you can add a streamer to the mix when your budget allows). There are options like Allo etc. which some FMs can help you with.

One can either go for a AV receiver and get full functionality today, but which then has to be entirely replaced to get better sound that the speakers are capable of, or goes for slightly limited functionality with the best musical amp in the budget which can serve for years, and needs only a streamer to be added later while protecting the investment already made.

ok. thanks.

 

[navjyot]

Navjyot, you need to decide what are your priorities within your budget. Audiolab also has an all-in-one product (not sure if in India yet), the 6000A Play, but it is priced at $1299 (https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audiolab-6000a-play). That may seem too high, but that's what a good int amp combined with streamer-DAC would cost! The AV receivers provide the functionality at a much lower price, but then would they do justice to the 2 channel serious music listening (and to those speakers)? Please check that.

You are getting the Bluetooth and digital inputs with the 6000A, which is significant. If your listening is mostly old Hindi songs, it might suffice. (At a later date you can add a streamer to the mix when your budget allows). There are options like Allo etc. which some FMs can help you with.

One can either go for a AV receiver and get full functionality today, but which then has to be entirely replaced to get better sound that the speakers are capable of, or goes for slightly limited functionality with the best musical amp in the budget which can serve for years, and needs only a streamer to be added later while protecting the investment already made.

Hi Sachin,
Thank for the detailed reply. Agree with your point of having limited functionality with best musical amp. So the digital inputs of 6000A can be used only by streamer or somethimg similar. Not using laptop/mobile using some cables/app?

 

[navjyot]

Anil recommended Castle Knight 2 to me too when I was looking for speakers a year ago.
Auditioned them and fell for them!
Too bad, I didn’t buy them then.
Shall upgrade soon!
So I auditioned them with a Marantz amp, don’t remember which one though.
but it sounded really nice, the combination.

Hi,
In my case, i read some post of @SachinChavan regarding speaker audition. I shared my requirement and asked for suggestion. He explained lot of things in detail. And suggested Wharfedale Denton, Castle Knight and Quad. As he had Castle knight, i also thought of Castle Knight as my first preference. He even took the pain of sharing few recording of old bollywood songs to give me the feel of how they sound. Talked with Anil from Hifimart and he recommended Wharfedale EVO4.1 or Castle knight. Suddenly came to know that Castle Knight 2 are back for sale. So Booked it.

Regards
Navjyot.

 

[hemya]

Navjyot, you need to decide what are your priorities within your budget. Audiolab also has an all-in-one product (not sure if in India yet), the 6000A Play, but it is priced at $1299 (https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audiolab-6000a-play). That may seem too high, but that's what a good int amp combined with streamer-DAC would cost! The AV receivers provide the functionality at a much lower price, but then would they do justice to the 2 channel serious music listening (and to those speakers)? Please check that.

You are getting the Bluetooth and digital inputs with the 6000A, which is significant. If your listening is mostly old Hindi songs, it might suffice. (At a later date you can add a streamer to the mix when your budget allows). There are options like Allo etc. which some FMs can help you with.

One can either go for a AV receiver and get full functionality today, but which then has to be entirely replaced to get better sound that the speakers are capable of, or goes for slightly limited functionality with the best musical amp in the budget which can serve for years, and needs only a streamer to be added later while protecting the investment already made.

Yes Navjyot...this dilemma is endless. In fact there has been an ongoing thread on stereo setup and the type of listener one is and the joy of the journey and how one FM wants to move away from HiFi and move back to basics. If you have the time do check it out. It is very enlightening.

I started with an 5.1 HT setup...converted that to with just a 2.1 setup and when my AV receiver died I moved to a dedicated 2 channel setup with an Integrated Amp. I find bluetooth cumbersome and so was looking at streaming options and could have added a streamer to the mix, however I decided to go for an AV receiver for the convenience which the HEOS app offers in Denon/Marantz.

However to continue the journey of discovering nuances of a system and building one, I now play around a bit with a vintage setup. It is something you will discover as you go along.

Point being, you have to be very lucky to settle down with what will be your first setup. This is a wonderful journey and enjoy it and keep learning.

Good luck!!

 

[navjyot]

Yes Navjyot...this dilemma is endless. In fact there has been an ongoing thread on stereo setup and the type of listener one is and the joy of the journey and how one FM wants to move away from HiFi and move back to basics. If you have the time do check it out. It is very enlightening.

I started with an 5.1 HT setup...converted that to with just a 2.1 setup and when my AV receiver died I moved to a dedicated 2 channel setup with an Integrated Amp. I find bluetooth cumbersome and so was looking at streaming options and could have added a streamer to the mix, however I decided to go for an AV receiver for the convenience which the HEOS app offers in Denon/Marantz.

However to continue the journey of discovering nuances of a system and building one, I now play around a bit with a vintage setup. It is something you will discover as you go along.

Point being, you have to be very lucky to settle down with what will be your first setup. This is a wonderful journey and enjoy it and keep learning.

Good luck!!

Agree completely. Hence wanted to purchase quickly and then enjoy music.....

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Hi Sachin,
Thank for the detailed reply. Agree with your point of having limited functionality with best musical amp. So the digital inputs of 6000A can be used only by streamer or somethimg similar. Not using laptop/mobile using some cables/app?

The digital in can be connected to any device that has an optic or coaxial out. Laptops usually have USB out. So, unless there’s a USB to coaxial/optical converter available, you’d need to connect the laptop to the 6000a with Bluetooth. Same with mobile.

Do check if using a Chromecast audio (available cheap) will solve the issue. Knowledgeabls FMs, please advise. Read the first user review in this page:

Google Chromecast Audio Media Streaming Device - Google : Flipkart.com

Buy Google Chromecast Audio Media Streaming Device only for Rs. 3399 from Flipkart.com. Only Genuine Products. 30 Day Replacement Guarantee. Free Shipping. Cash On Delivery!

dl.flipkart.com

 

[raghupb]

The digital in can be connected to any device that has an optic or coaxial out. Laptops usually have USB out. So, unless there’s a USB to coaxial/optical converter available, you’d need to connect the laptop to the 6000a with Bluetooth. Same with mobile.

Do check if using a Chromecast audio (available cheap) will solve the issue. Knowledgeabls FMs, please advise. Read the first user review in this page:

Google Chromecast Audio Media Streaming Device - Google : Flipkart.com

Buy Google Chromecast Audio Media Streaming Device only for Rs. 3399 from Flipkart.com. Only Genuine Products. 30 Day Replacement Guarantee. Free Shipping. Cash On Delivery!

dl.flipkart.com

Chromecast audio is no longer manufactured. Used ones do pop on the forum and disappear in a blink
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Bloom@83]

Hi All,
A beginner. So have basic doubt. Planning to buy Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier. Have bookshelf speaker already. Experts in this forum suggested this amplifier for my speaker. this amp has bluetooth and inbuilt dac.

Inputs of the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier

• 4x S/PDIF digital audio (2x optical; 2x coaxial)
• 4x analogue audio (3x line level; 1x MM phono)
• Power amp input
• USB for firmware updates
• 12V trigger

Have couple of doubts.
1. i think i can connect my mobile to this amp via bluetooth and play music from my mobile. kindly confirm.
2. someone told me that i can connect my tv to this amp if my tv has optical output. which cable to use for that?
3. i just have laptop/mobile/tv. if i am not buying any streamer, then can i use the inbuild dac of amp with my mobile/laptop/tv. if yes, how? which all cable will i need?

any other suggession like purchasing streamer etc etc.

NOTE: dont have any cd/vinlyl records etc etc. planning to use online sources(like amazon prime, youtube etc etc) for listening music

Regards
Navjyot.

Hi

Your choice of Audiolab is absolutely fine. Alongwith your CK speakers it would match superbly. Please go ahead.

For streaming - simply purchase the Auris Blume HD Bluetooth receiver from amazon - costs 9K - and connect it to your amp using coaxial or optical cable (prefer coaxial ) . This device is used by many FMs here and is reported to be one of the best Bluetooth streamers. It has its own internal DAC so you can also directly connect it to your line level inputs via RCA , or else use Coaxial in which case your Audiolab internal DAC would be used. Both should give very fine results.

Hopefully I have clarified.

 

[Vishram karande]

Agree completely. Hence wanted to purchase quickly and then enjoy music.....

@ navjyot, will you please write your review, people will get the benefit.