Between Audiolab 8000A and Pioneer A400 which is more great in sound?

Hello friends. Would u guys give an opinion between Audiolab 8000A and Pioneer A400, which is more great in producing their sound? Tq.

very subjective question bro. both also highly respected amps. it depends what kinda sound you're looking for. also, both amps diff class and diff price range. well, i think most ppl'd go for audiolab for "class a" and upgradeability.

i'd use the 8000a as is for speed and transparency. then wait for a good tube preamp for some sexy and syrupy vocals ala gula melaka...mmm.

i'd vote for 8000A .

I am hoping that someone will say that the Pioneer A400 is more good. There was some positive review about the Pioneer A400 such as this quotation:

Pioneer A400 is a no frills 'audiophile' amplifier that set the 'cat among the pigeons' when it was introduced in 1990. Hi-Fi magazines greeted it with a chorus of praise. Comparisons with amplifiers costing up to ?,000 were made, confirming that the A400 is a 'giant killer'.
25,000 units were sold in the first 18 months, securing an extraordinary 12.8% of the total amplifier market. Soon, the Pioneer A400 attained something of a cult status. A400X model was introduced later but the demand was still for the original A400 and the production continued till 1996.
It won the coveted Product of the Year by the What Hi-Fi? magazine - an accolade that had never before gone to a Japanese company.
What the press said:
"There is something ineffably right about the Pioneer A400."
Andrew Gold, What Hi Fi?

"It loves music, the A400." "It loves it with a vengeance."
Mark Payton, High Fidelity Magazine

"Even if your budget extends to ?000, it could be exactly what you are after"
Jimmy Hughes, Audiophile

"As good as amps costing up to a thousand pounds." Hi Fi Choice

"Best Amplifier", "Best Buy Overall", "Product of the Year" What Hi-fi?

"Best Amplifier" Hi Fi Choice

........ Would the above review and comment could be and evidence that Pioneer A400 is as good as they say?

Hi all,

I've been using the 400A since last year.
This is an excellent entry level amp which contends
way above it's class.
Great sounding all round with the right component matching.

Sounds good for a variety of musical genres and hopefully
be around for some time.

Can't compare with the 8000A as I've yet to hear one.
However,old school me keeps missing all those additional knobs & levers.

cheers & shalom
teleman51

Different character, well I prefer A400

sometimes system matching and personal preference can rule out more exp gears for lower priced once. loy once told me his cust sold off a 20k cdp and was quite happy with a cd52. hmm... magic.

ultimately i'd go 8000a for upgradeability. tube pre or tube power? take ur pick : )

Amir,

I hope you are open minded enough to hear what I am going to say to you about your situation. I think in your mind, you have actually decided to go for the Pioneer. But for some reason you also are comparing to the Audiolab 8000A, perhaps because some friends says it is better or something. So it seems to me you are asking this question, which one is better, but in your heart, you are secretly hoping that people will tell you the Pioneer whacks the Audiolab. I.e. you hope that others will help justify the decision you have already made.

It does not work this way lar Amir. Others have their own point of view. Plus in terms of accurate music reproduction, the Audiolab 8000A is a very competent unit which actually out performs the Pioneer in many areas.

My advice to you is this. There is nothing wrong with the Pioneer as it has its own strengths vs the Audiolab. So if you have heard the Pioneer and you like it, forget about what anybody else says, just get the Pioneer. Because in the end, it is you and you alone who will be spending lots of time listening to the amp you buy and you must be clear that the only person whose opinion and preference matters is you yourself. The only thing I would say about the Audiolab in this situation is that you should go and listen/audition tot he Audiolab properly and make very clear - TO YOURSELF - which amp you prefer and then buy the amp YOU prefer, not what others prefer. Because we each listen to our own system most of the time, not other people's system.

Rightly said WongKN.

I've friends who own mini systems who tell me it's the best sound
that they have heard.
Others have never been happy for long with whatever they upgraded to.
SO?
To each his own.
Me? I just want to enjoy my music with whatever I currently have.
The Pioneer A400 suits me fine for now.
Just haven't worked up an itch to upgrade yet.LOL

cheers & shalom
teleman51

Thank you WongKn, teleman51 and friends. I appreciate your comments. This audio area is so subjective coz its all about taste. I'm new in hifi and audiophile world but i like music so much. I play guitar, sing and had a music room in my house. I love this area so much, so all comments, reviews and forums about hifi and music are valuable for me. Thank you. Its hard to fine hifi geng nearby....hehe

Dear Amir/All,

I have both the Audiolab 8000A (think it is the Mark III version) and the original A400 at present.


For starters, sound is a highly subjective area but I can add my 2 cents worth here on the above amps.


I have had the Audiolab for many years until the recent addition of A400.

There are differences in character between the two which will become apparent after a listen.


Audiolab has a darker tone, is smoother and somewhat more neutral. This darker/subdued tone may also cause it to sound "smoother"



A400
is less so - brighter, more fiery and slightly harsher. It may as it
were - exaggerate the scale and dynamics quite a bit and hence less
neutral.


Both are detailed with high level of clarity

A400 adds some character and ooomph..across the spectrum...

Audiolab less so...a bit drab..somewhat sterile, lifeless, less ommph...and energy comparatively...
A400 also appears to sound more powerful and louder...


Hence, which unit I use will depend on my requirements at any particular time and the constraints of decking both out for use in terms of space.

If I want a big, exciting - no holds barred type of sound, I will go for A400...rock, pop and whatever I want - spiced up !

If otherwise, late night listening, accoustic, vocal material, instrumental..etc...I will switch to Audiolab...

Both are great value for money-sound propositions in my view and may perform well above what is expected at their price point and specifications if carefully matched.

Hope the above helps.

Thank you very very much jcetham. Your information is really interesting and very useful to differentiate between the two A400 and 8000A. I hope the japanese model could fulfill the audiophile goals and satisfaction. Thanks again.

Dear Amir,

You are welcome.

Amir,

welcome to the wonderful world of "hifi"

It's one of the most exiciting portions of our lives, i.e.
the enjoyment of music.
Whatever you decide to purchase, don't forget to enjoy it.
Both are good amps, one with a British heritage and the other
Japanese.
Both have their own character.
I've been running the A400 for about a year now alternating
it with a 30WPC old Rotel.
And both play sweet music.

Look around, ask around 7 I'm sure you'll find more "hifi" kaki.
Then get together and start enjoying all kinds of music.

cheers & shalom
teleman51

yeah... someone should organizing a gathering. Everybody bringing their own amps n speakers.

dont have 8000A but i still keep my a400.. its a legend!!

Hi
I think audiolab and Pioneer are differences in character, if you wish to compare it then my suggestion will audiolab 8000 vs exposure 2010
pls correct my if i m wrong

Ya.. How about audiolab 8000A vs Exposure. Did the amount of wpc could be the indicator?

Jcetham is right on the spot there in describing Audiolab 8000A vs Pioneer A400. I have heard both together in a setup. Both are on par in sound quality but with different character. Your preference and system matching would be the key determinants.

However, their higher brothers Audiolab 8000S and Pioneer A400 GTE is at least one or two notch higher especially Pioneer A400 GTE. To me that's one of the finest integrated below GBP1500 apart from Sugden A21a.

Amir wrote:Ya.. How about audiolab 8000A vs Exposure. Did the amount of wpc could be the indicator?

Having had both one time or another .... the Exposure equivalent of the 8000A would be the XV or the XX model.

Both are great Amps, and in terms of raw power, the 8000A is rated to slightly higher Wpc.

In terms of tonal balance and musicality, the XX takes the lead here.

As for modern day Audiolabs vs Exposures, the new 8000Series is priced more affordable compared to an modern day Exposure.

But bear in mind, the Audiolab today is part of a big Chinese Audio conglomerate that also owns Quad, Mission, Castle and Wharfedale, Luxman, etc etc called IAG.

Exposure is still pretty much a quaint little British outfit (Malaysian owned actually, it seems) till today.

And as with most things in life , u get what u pay for .

One thing's for sure, don't judge an Amp purely by the Wpc alone. Go and have a listen to both, then make up your mind which one is better to your liking.

How does the Exposure XX, Audiolabs 8000A, and Pioneer A400 compare with the Krells (and which model) in character and tonal balance , musicality and neutrality ?

carz wrote:How does the Exposure XX, Audiolabs 8000A, and Pioneer A400 compare with the Krells (and which model) in character and tonal balance , musicality and neutrality ?

One easy way to consider would be the s/hand value of such models.

an A400 goes in the s/hand mkt for around RM500~800, while an Audiolab 8000A, despite being such an old model, still commands around RM1K.
Exposure XX is less common because they were not sold in that many qtys compared to A400 and 8000A, or the owners of Exposure usually like to hang on to it, just like the older Mission-Cyrus shoebox amps, u hardly see them on the used market locally.

Just my opinion:
Neutrality: 8000A
Musicality & Balance: XX

A400 is a somewhat lower performance class than the 8000A and the XX, but people still like the A400 because of its good performance & value-for-money.

Another example would be the NAD3020, cheap & best-bang for buck amp that money can buy. But in all aspects, will lose hands down to an Exposure, Audiolab, or the A400.

Of course, there are also some Cheap and Nasty brands that didn't survive the test of time and are most likely to be in some landfill somewhere or have since been recycled into car body panels or steel beams already.

Mugen,
By that consideration, do you mean that Krell beats them all ?

carz wrote:Mugen,
By that consideration, do you mean that Krell beats them all ?

You said this one, not me .

But seriously though .. what was Krell's entry level Integrated at pretty much the same era (which is the 1990s)? its the KAV-300i right ?

And comparing a KAV-300i with an 8000A, or Exposure XX, or Pioneer A400 is a moot point. They are in just totally different leagues. Not a fair comparison.

Again, as with most things, u get what u pay for. Mfgs who sell BS & snake-oil products probably won't exist beyond the handful of years for them to cash in on the "hit and run window of opportunity". All the above mfgs, are still in business today, which means they do offer VALUE-for-MONEY products and have stood the test of time (to date).

Lets not get confused or make any comparisons using absolute-dollar-value on one product while using price/performance ratios for another product...

any one got idea what is the prices for Exposure
2010, 2010S & 2010S2 when new ?

HI Amir and all the sifu here
i just get the audiolab 8000A, like the sound very much during the audition, now is time serching on the CDP, many ppl suggestion pair with Marantz CD63 KI , any idea on it ?
now i only have amp with B&W 602 , left the CDP then i can enjoy the music already

Hi,

I had previously owned a Exposure XX, Sugden B28, A400, A400X, Audiolab 8000S/8000A ('D' ins/n) and now 8000A ('F' in s/n).

I sold all the mentioned but kept the 8000A ('F' series) which was the last batch made in UK before the company was sold to Tag McLaren.

I have the matching British made 8000T, 8000DAC and 8000CDM as well.

My blog has the details for the Audiolabs, including what was done to improve the performance of the units (http://myoldvintagehifi.blogspot.com/2010/09/audiolab-8000a-serial-number-with-f.html). Will post the 8000T later once I take it out from storage.

The performance of the unit now rivals the more expensive units in my collection e.g a piano really sounds like a piano (my children says the vid in the blog and the PC speakers does not do justice to the real thing).

The exceptional quality about Audiolab amplifiers is in the use of Sanken hi-power transistors. These are hi-speed switching and hi-power types that have a headroom of 150Watts in push pull configuration. Don't be confused with its capacity with music power as its all in its design implementation.
Audiolab are good amps for many reasons but its musicality and tonal character is merely user preference. For me, if I had any, I can't really go wrong for its intended purpose. The 8000A or S have more music power resolve than A400 or Marantz PM66 which use lesser powered output transistors. The 8000S is a more refined brethren of the 8000A but doesn't have phono stage. 8000A is quite a dated design since its approaching 2 decades.
My3 sen woth.

like the sound of your own setup, but do listen to others when theres a chance. in that way, you will know where do you really stand. make friends & ask them for an audition, best to bring your own cd that you are familiar with, redbook of course & you can hear differences & at that point you tell yourself either you are satisfied with your setup or will upgrade later on..

no point of bragging of having such equipment blablabla yadayadayada & then when your friend just want to taste a bit of your achievement then suddenly you are the most quite person in the world & end up changing topics..

The more you all talk about the A400, the more pricey it becomes.....and hard to find some more....
audiolab lovers dont tembak me, i am entitled to my own opinion....Audiolab sound so clinical....as one hifi seller said why not, manufactured by a lab...

A400 may cost a liitle cheaper than A400.It is very suited to people who dont wish to stretch their investment yet wish to get the closed performance as 8000A[depends on matching]. And it was out numbered by 8000A in used market recently,it is a GEM for collector,much more preferred than Audiolab8000A