Audiolab Omnia

Audiolab Omnia

The Audiolab Omnia is a ground-breaking, all-encompassing audio solution.

Blurring the lines that generally differentiate hi-fi and lifestyle, Omnia brings all of the pedigree that helps make audiolab electronics the connoisseur’s choice.

Yet, indulgence in design, material aesthetics and useability means it has all of the functionality to make it a sleek, convenient and easy-to-use centre-piece, for an uncompromising home audio system.

The Audiolab Omnia maintains the award-winning, an instantly recognisable, audiolab design cues; unfussy yet striking in appearance, the curved, brushed aluminium chassis is ‘typical audiolab’ but evolved to suit the modern-day living environment.

Omnia is attractive but discreet, offering the perfect balance for living rooms and listening rooms alike.

In a world where music is more available than ever and sources more varied than ever, Omnia doesn’t discriminate.

However you listen to your music, Omnia has got you covered.

To sum it up, the audiolab Omnia is a CD player, integrated amplifier, wireless streaming player, DAC, headphone amplifier and pre-amplifer – in one single unit!

Equipped with a high-performance CD drive, the audiolab Omnia is a standout in the genre of ‘all-in-one’ systems.

Extremely robust and reliable; the Omnia’s CD drive builds on the class-leading 6000 CDT CD transport with a read-ahead digital buffer to reduce disc-reading failures.

Such is the performance of this CD mechanism, Omnia is able to play scratched and damaged CDs that are unreadable by conventional mechanisms.

Along with the CD section, Omnia offers a host of connectivity options for traditional audio sources – optical, digital and stereo RCA inputs will accommodate the widest of system integration requirements.

Utilising high-quality analogue preamp circuitry, akin to the acclaimed audiolab 6000 series, coupled to line-level RCA inputs to connect analogue sources, the preamp circuitry is kept as simple as possible.

Using high-quality components to maintain signal purity, with line input signals passing to a precision analogue volume stage, Omnia is an outstanding pre-amp, in its own right.

A dedicated MM phono input means a turntable can be directly connected to Omnia via a high-quality, low-noise, phono stage with precise RIAA equalisation.

This phono stage continues the evolution from the award-winning 6000 series – engineered to make the most of the music nestling within an LP’s grooves.

For networked audio playback, the audiolab Omnia is equipped with an ethernet port, lending itself to a wired connection and the wider bandwidth requirements of

high-resolution digital audio.

For the most convenient access to wireless music playback, Omnia offers Bluetooth connectivity with high-quality, low latency, with the Bluetooth aptX standard.

The Omnia’s Wi-Fi networking is powered by DTS Play-Fi: an app-controlled platform enabling high-quality, whole-home wireless audio, capable of streaming hi-res music up to 24-bit/192kHz and supported by a greater range of established audio brands than any other wireless platform.

The USB DAC section furthers audiolab’s multi-award winning pedigree.

Based upon the new ES9038Q2M SABRE32 Reference DAC performs D/A conversion, utilising ESS Technology’s 32-bit HyperStream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator to deliver ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.

No company knows more about making the most of this technically excellent, but challenging, DAC technology than audiolab; the universally acclaimed M-DAC was one of the first home audio components to incorporate an ESS chip back in 2011, and the company has been honing its implementation ever since.

Audiolab Omnia All-in-one Music System

The audiolab Omnia will decode MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) from the USB, SPDIF and Play-Fi.

The brainchild of Meridian Audio co-founder Bob Stuart, MQA is a digital audio format designed for high-resolution music streaming and is available via subscription to Tidal’s ‘HiFi’ tier (among other sources).

Omnia unpacks MQA data – received via the USB input – at the original file’s full resolution and passes the signal through its DAC and preamp stages.

Further to this, the audiolab Omnia is also Roon tested, thus opening up to the world of Roon. Roon’s fundamental goal is to provide a consistently stellar user experience.

This goal doesn’t stop at the software… the experience extends all the way down to the audio playback hardware, regardless of manufacturer.

As a Roon Tested partner, audiolab has provided equipment to Roon for testing with a variety of different operating systems and computers, and shared

information about its design and capabilities.

Powering your speakers is a doddle with zero complexity, in terms of configuration.

Simply connect your passive speakers to the audiolab Omnia and you have access to a world of audio sources with impeccable playback.

The discrete Class AB power amp stage delivers 50W per channel into 8 ohms, with a maximum current delivery of 9 Amps, into difficult loads.

The output stage of the discrete power amp circuits uses a CFB (Complementary Feedback) topology, ensuring superior linearity and excellent thermal stability, as the idle current is kept independent of the temperature of the output transistors.

A substantial 200VA toroidal transformer, followed by 4×15,000uF reservoir capacity (60,000uF in total), helps the amp to maintain firm control of the music whilst enabling excellent dynamic range.

More than just a class-leader, the Omnia is a class-beater in terms of amplifier performance!

For those using headphones, as well as speakers, incorporates a dedicated headphone amp with current-feedback circuitry.

Its gain bandwidth and high slew rate ensure a dynamic, detailed and engaging performance with all manner of headphone types – more boxes ticked for this most all-in-one of all-in-one systems!

Firmly planting itself as a very useable piece of high-tech equipment, the audiolab Omnia makes use of a colour TFT display, a simplified general user interface and a

graphical integration with your music source and playback formats.

The audiolab Omnia display also uses a brand new protocol for a realtime VU meter display, adding a touch of hi-fi finesse to the very functional, equally good looking, display interface.

All this versatility would be worth little if it came at the cost of genuine hi-fi sound quality.

True to its roots, audiolab has refused to compromise on performance by drawing on the sonic know-how that earned ample accolades over the years.

Audiolab Omnia Specifications to follow