History
1983
Born of Audiolab
With over 40 years of experience and pedigree in offering cutting-edge hi-fi electronics, Audiolab was founded by Philip Swift and Derek Scotland, and the brand burst onto the burgeoning British hi-fi scene in 1983.
Philip and Derek were students at the Imperial College, London. As the story goes, Audiolab began out of a shared frustration with the high cost and complicated nature of hi-fi equipment at that time.
1980s
Supertest Amplifier
The first commercial success of the brand was the illustrious Audiolab 8000A - often regarded as one of the original barometers in the 1980s British hi-fI press and test circuit; the 8000A is still highly respected to this day and often features in ‘Best of’ lists around the world.
Award-winning Series
The 8000A quickly spawned a more comprehensive award-winning series, with the Audiolab 8000C preamplifier, the 8000P power amplifier and 8000M mono-blocks.
Continued Development
As the company grew and home audio technology developed, Audiolab naturally embraced the latest in audio engineering standards with the launch of CD players (8000CD & CDE), critically acclaimed radio tuners (8000T) and high-tech digital-to-analogue converters with the seminal 8000 DAC.
Industry Standard
By the end of the 1980s, Audiolab was firmly established as an iconic British hi-fi brand, reigning supreme with further additions to the world of AV amplifiers and other expansions in the now ‘industry standard’ 8000 series.
1998
Tag McLaren
In 1998, the brand was acquired by the now-defunct Tag McLaren audio project. Despite early success and some further seminal models, including the Tag McLaren F1, the new branding failed and sadly ceased operations in 2003.
2004
IAG
With such a strong brand history and the massive pool of talent, it wasn’t long before the potential was recognised by the IAG Group (proud owners of fellow British hi-fi legends such as Wharfedale, QUAD, Mission, Leak and Castle). IAG salvaged the operational side and remnants of the brand, relaunching Audiolab in 2005 with a host of celebrated new models.
2000s
Headquarter
Maintaining its HQ and operations in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, Audiolab reemerged as a class leading hi-fi brand, embracing the evolutions of modern technology while staying true to the spirit of the 8000 series.
2010
8200 Series
After significant investment and contribution from some of the world’s finest audio engineers, Audiolab hit the headlines again in 2010 with its second coming -the Audiolab 8200 series. The 8200 series took massive inspiration from the ethos, ID and design protocols of the seminal 8000 series but thrust the brand forward with more cutting-edge technology.
2011
Product of the Year (2010/2011)
The 8200 CD - a 2 x "What Hi-Fi” Product of the year (2010/2011) - led the charge. Designed and engineered by John Westlake, the 8200 CD saw Audiolab return to the forefront of British hi-fi. The 8200A boosted the 8200 series, 8200CDQ as we as the 8200Q pre-amp, 8200MB monoblock, 8200P power amplifier, 8200T tuner and AV amplifiers and processors in the form of the 8200X7 and 8200AP. The 8200DQ saw the brand commence its long-time association with ESS Sabre technology, setting the stall for future innovations.
M-DAC Series
John Westlake’s contribution continued with the also seminal Audiolab M-DAC in 2011. Widely regarded as one of the finest DAC solutions of its time, the M-DAC won five consecutive What Hi-Fi? Product of the year awards, unsurpassed until its own discontinuation in 2016! The M-DAC’s employment of the ESS Sabre technology created a brand pillar that Audiolab stands by to this day.
2012
Continues Improving
Audiolab continued to expand its series with the Lab Series and forrays into desktop audio products until the 8300 series was unveiled to much anticipation in 2015.
2015
8300 Series
Now fronted by lead designer Jan Ertner with support in the form of IAG Groups Director of Acoustic Design Peter Comeau, and a global team of audio engineers with expertise, Audiolab continued its rich vein of award-winning customer solutions with the 8300A, 8300CD, 8300CDQ, 8300MB and 8300XP.
2017
6000 Series
The success of the 8300 series was surpassed by the Jan Ertner designed, price-point-defying Audiolab 6000 series, which launched in 2017. Bringing Audiolab down to a newer, more budget-friendly price point, the Audiolab 6000 series set the bar for truly outstanding, affordable hi-fi electronics.
Product of the Year
The 6000CDT and 6000N Play - Audiolab’s first streaming product rounded off the series and also added claim to the massive list of awards and accolades for the brand and series, including multiple ‘product of the year’ awards for the 6000N Play wireless music streamer.
6000A Play
The Audiolab 6000A Play combined streaming technology to massive acclaim - also taking home many awards and ‘product of the year’ mentions.
2021
Omnia
As the world of home audio and hi-fi merged, the Audiolab Omnia arrived in 2021 - offering multimedia playback, streaming technology and integrated amplifier functionality in an all-in one solution.
2022
9000 Series
With the 6000 series setting the world alight at the more entry-level tier, Audiolab progressed to the more high-end market with the Audiolab 9000 series - the most high-spec audio solutions ever offered by the brand and design team. The 9000A packs the latest in audio DAC chipsets with a high-power integrated amplifier design to make ’the best Audiolab amplifier’ to date. Again, designed by Jan Ertner and his team, the 9000A pushes the boundaries of performance, even with its more considered price tag.
2023
7000 Series
The 9000 Series was promptly followed up with the all-new Audiolab 7000 series. Succeeding the 8300 series, the 7000 series nestles between 6000 and 9000 with higher specifications and new levels of connectivity.
7000A
The 7000A sports HDMI connectivity to integrate into modern homes, and the 7000CDT and 7000N Play bring media and wireless streaming capabilities with class-leading specifications, design and performance.
ESS Sabre DAC Technology
Both the 7000A and 9000A implement the latest in ESS Sabre DAC technology, custom-designed power supplies and all of the typical Audiolab design inspirations that were gathered over the previous 40 years!
9000N
By the end of 2023, audiolab progressed into the world of high-end wireless streaming units. The 6000N Play, 7000N Play and OMNIA offered comprehensive solutions, but the 9000N takes things to the pinnacle of performance! Encompassing the latest DAC, streaming platform support, AIrplay2 compatibility and full network streaming prowess, 2023 can be marked as the year with audiolab most advanced leap yet!
Since 1983...
Designed and Engineered in the UK
As part of the IAG Group, Audiolab products are proudly designed and engineered in the UK and proudly manufactured in China, our custom-built and vertically integrated manufacturing facility.
Undoubtable Quality
Unlike many brands, Audiolab does not rely on third-party factories for design or production, and we’re in total control of design, manufacturing and delivery - hence the unbeatable quality, specification and value in all of our products.
More to come...
Global Team
IAG Group employs over 40 people in the UK, thus maintaining the strong British heritage behind the Audiolab brand with all the benefits of a global manufacturing powerhouse!