Audiolab 8200 series

[Neil McCauley]

http://www.stereophile.com/home?page=4

[DSJR]

Yawn.....

I preferred reading about the Luxman CD concoction lower down the page :)

The Audiolabs will be built for peanuts in China or wherever and sold at a huge premium over the standard units, which seem to have lost credibility in recent years as the price has dropped. I wonder if cost saving capacitors have been fitted to the "new" 8000 series as happened apparently with the more recent Quad 909's?

[Haselsh1]

I'm sure you can all imagine the markup on Chinese built white goods sold within the UK retail sector. Ripoff Britain strikes again and us suckers just keep on paying for it.

We must get paid such a lot of money :-)

[DSJR]

That's just it... We may not be a third-world country, but we're CERTAINLY a "Second World" one now in the wide scheme of things.

The Chinese are just biding their time before they totally clean up the rest of the world. It's an economic war these days I reckon :(

[Neil McCauley]

Yawn.....

I preferred reading about the Luxman CD concoction lower down the page :)

The Audiolabs will be built for peanuts in China or wherever and sold at a huge premium over the standard units, which seem to have lost credibility in recent years as the price has dropped. I wonder if cost saving capacitors have been fitted to the "new" 8000 series as happened apparently with the more recent Quad 909's?

Now then, now then - it was only a point of potential interest. Meanwhile the PFM people (most of 'em who comment re Audiolab) seem rather impressed by the Audiolab CD player. As for me I've just bought the Mk2 XTZ CD player to dem my LFD gear through.

[Mark Grant]

The Chinese are just biding their time before they totally clean up the rest of the world. It's an economic war these days I reckon :(

:) When Tesco buy China, Tesco will rule the World :)
Everyone will eventually work at either Tesco or Amazon :)

-

[Butuz]

. As for me I've just bought the Mk2 XTZ CD player to dem my LFD gear through.

:eyebrows::cool:

Made in China for the win!!

Ps. Whats it like the new CDP?

Butuz

[southall-1998]

The Audiolab 8200 CDQ is a very good CD player in my opinion.

[technobear]

The Audiolab 8200 CDQ is a very good CD player in my opinion.

Ditto.

It's also a very good DAC, pre-amp and headphone amp.

Build quality is very good. There are no cheap crap components inside.

It sounds simply superb.

[jandl100]

I had a direct comaprison last week, in my own system, between the Audiolab 8200CDQ and my M2Tech Young DAC with battery PSU fed by a Pioneer stable platter cdp.

I was surprised how good the Audiolab was. :)
I did prefer the Young DAC, though - more musically sophisticated and involving to listen to, I thought. Although the Audiolab was no slouch by any means, it does retain the old Audiolab house sound of being a bit squeaky clean and heartless, imo.

The Young DAC including the extras is a fair bit more expensive though, and tbh it sounds it.
Bearing in mind that the Audiolab comes with its own transport section, a pre-amp, and a headphone socket it does rate as excellent value, imo.

[southall-1998]

Very interesting Jerry.

Regards.

[Butuz]

Agree. Audiolab = unbeatable value for anyone looking to buy a DAC and a Preamp and a CD Player!!!!

Butuz

[Stratmangler]

it does retain the old Audiolab house sound of being a bit squeaky clean and heartless, imo

I heard Audiolab gear at a HiFi Show at the Midland Hotel in Manchester some years ago, and this was my impression of their system back then.
This would be around '95/'96 - DVD was being shown by a very small number of exhibitors, and I do remember being enthralled by the clips of Toy Story being shown.