To buy or not to buy Audiolab 8000C


Hello there. I'm in such a dilemma. There's a unit of Audiolab 8000C preamplifier I've been given to try out for a couple of weeks. I find the preamp pretty neutral by my standards. I have been hooking up my CD player direct to my volume adjustible power amp direct, hence clarity, is nothing new to me. Even the CD player has electronic volume control but I find it troublesome as it's set to max every time I turn it on and I have to bring it down manually.

With a preamp, the volume is easily set to comfort levels before turning them on.

Problem is, my budget is limited. And the seller admited that he has changed the toraidal transformer in the audiolab 8000C recently. I always belived that electronic components have a limited life span. When one component goes, does it always mean others are going soon? Would I be buying a dying old woman whom I cant have children with? I suppose I could ask for a bargain, seeing that even the mostly used RCA jacks at rear panel are slightly shaky (not sure if they can be adjusted) and may allow the interconnects to contact each other. But a local shop once offered me a preamp with remote priced 50% higher than what this guy is offering and that one is new. This is used and has no remote. Two uncertainty on the new unit - brand and sound quality. With a remote, yes, the thing about convenience is rated higher but sound may be in question. Planning to go the the shop to audition but thought perhaps I could first get some insight on the worthiness of buying a used preamp aged nearly 10 years.

Any advice appreciated.

SJ
dewitgoh0df4
That's the advantage of not being hasty and show your eagerness in getting the preamp off from the seller. Looks like you've got a hell of a bargain! Since you already have the Audiolab 8000c, hope you will grow to like that piece of equipment, and I know you would. On another note, since those plastic RCA sockets are already loose, I would suggest you change them to quality WBT sockets which will most likely to give positive improvements. This would be a relatively worthwhile upgrade.
Good buy. Even if it doesn't work out I'm sure you can sell it for what it cost you, as Audiolab is a well respected (though sadly deceased) brand.
Hello Ryder & Sean. I hope it wont be needing any repair any time soon. I will check out the mounting of the RCAs this weekend and see if I could tighten them. Meanwhile, I would also check out those WBT sockets you mentioned. Thanks for the tip Ryder.

You're right Sean... I suppose the price is below what it's worth. There was another guy who posted 3 items - 1 unit of Audiolab 8000C plus 2 units of 8000Ps, all for USD1,316. It makes me wonder, really. By the way, how much did the 8000C cost in its heyday in the US and UK?
I think it was about 400 british pounds when I was living in the UK, around 1995.
The seller claimed that it fetched some GBP600. Anyway, that's history, and the deal, it's history too.

I was browsing the net yesterday and bumped into TagMclaren's audio site http://www.iaguk.com/tma/. It appears to me that they are still operating, judging by the dates used on the webpage. It reads year 2004. And their latest preamp model PA10, appears to have very similar specs and design compared to the 8000C. The faceplate's layout for source selector, volume, mute and power buttons, headphone jack are at about the same location. However, the bass and treble knobs, the balance knob, and the bypass button are no longer available, probably an intention to bring the buyers closer to what's considered "flat". The rear also looks the same - RCA locations, power cable etc. Added on at the bottom are 4 dampeners, custom made for the casing. I even downloaded the manual. Any comments on the site guys?

I have another question. My brother loaned me his 3 prong cable for the power - a spare taken from another amp. But I wonder, is there any difference between this type of cable and those we use for a desktop PC? The socket shape and size appear to be the same but I'm unsure about the quality of conductivity. What are your views guys?