Audiolab 8200CD CD-player

The ultra-modern 32-bit ES9018 chip from the American manufacturer ESS Technology lies at the heart of Audiolab 8200CD CD-player. The passport data of the device are impressive: a dynamic range of 133 dB with a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 120 dB! A sound processor with four algorithms for digital filtering is implemented on the same crystal, which allows you to change the sound nature as you like. The analog section has a symmetrical configuration and is completely assembled on separate components of the audiophile class. A lot of attention is paid to the mechanical chassis of the turntable. The powerful case is made of thick metal sheets, pulled together by an internal partition for additional stiffness.

The player is richly equipped with communication interfaces. As for output terminals you can use both traditional RCA and balanced XLR, which the manufacturer finds more preferable. In addition to coaxial and optical outputs, the player also has a pair of digital input jacks - you can use it as an external converter. A Type B USB port allows you to connect the player directly to your computer as an external audio device. And after the release of new firmware, you can easily update the software of the device.

During the comparative listening we decided to install the Optimal Transien digital filter. However, it is worth noting that, regardless of the preset selected, the sound basis of playback in Audiolab 8200CD stays unchanged - maximum neutrality and accuracy without any emphasis on a certain part of the range reign in the sound. The enviable features of the newest 32-bit DAC are realized in a simply phenomenal sound resolution across the entire spectrum. In seemingly too well-familiar records new details are opened, usually ignored by other sources. The sound is most impressive at the connection to XLR. In this case, perhaps, due to a higher signal-to-noise ratio, better macrodynamics and more elegant processing of mid- and high-frequency passages are felt. The device creates a very precise and ordered sound space, the foreground images are strictly delineated, the localization does not deteriorate even on the edges of the base. The sound stage also has a sufficient length in depth (depends on the quality of the phonogram). The player showed itself simply brilliant in the role of sound card. The high resolution recordings made in the 24/96 format are especially impressive in its performance.