The threaded black and white speaker terminal nuts are most likely Polyoxymethylene aka POM. The main on/off switch near the fused IEC inlet looks like a regular rocker but upon flipping feels soft and more like a thermal breaker. The RS-232 port near the twinned 3.5mm triggers is Aavik's interface for software upgrades. Two special pairs of RCA are hi/lo-pass outputs preceded by purely analog circuitry to avoid digital latency. Rather than combine a subwoofer with a speaker's natural roll-off, we can precisely set the frequency at which the latter blends out. The I-880's ability to set different hi/lo-pass frequencies can create a deliberate gap to notch out a pesky room mode. Srajan has been vocal for years on how effective an active crossover can be not just to seamlessly integrate a subwoofer but to ease signal burden on the speakers and their amp. It's why both of his main systems now are 2.1 sorts with active filters. His review of Aavik's C-280 with the same crossover has more details. Moving on, five line inputs with 5-15dB, 1-11dB gain and 4.5/6.5Vrms input compliance on inputs 1-4/5 respectively and a 7.5V pre-out and main-out complete the business bits.

My loaner was far too dear to risk opening up but I asked about the inners. Regular class A designs of matching power tend to be larger, heavier and run way hotter. It's thus only fair to ask how Aavik can deliver their power from this enclosure yet get barely warm under load. This push-pull not single-ended power stage packs four pairs of Toshiba bipolar transistors per channel driven by lateral Exicon Mosfets. No matter the load, it maintains class A bias set at 0.63V above the current demand regardless of position in the cycle. It's how the bipolar Toshibas remain fully open to never switch off yet generate less heat and boast higher efficiency than classic fixed bias. These transistors partner with banks of smaller caps right adjacent to shorten the signal path and reduce noise. Our designers aren't fans of linear power supplies with large transformers due to their finite impedance, sluggish response to momentary power spikes and overly high inductance. That's why the I-880 packs a quad of 500W switch-mode self-resonant supplies which output sine not square waves. They increase their switching frequency with power consumption for higher power density upon demand and can rapidly release up to 80 amperes of total current.

All previous Aavik amps had chip-based resistor-ladder volume for a popular and elegant way of signal attenuation. Only a few brands detour from switched resistors to magnetic controls based on transformers or autoformers like Nagra. Aavik's encoder shaft couples to a digital controller for a classic user interface but attenuation itself is analog and unusual. Most preamps first boost the incoming signal before trimming it back. The I-880 uses an inverted feedback loop to set its preamp's gain by 12-bit ladder DAC in the signal path. That's how the signal is neither unnecessarily boosted nor cut, just cleanly regulated without resistive components and silently at that. You won't hear any clicks or pops in the amp or through the speakers. Light-dependant input resistors not standard relays limit switching noise. The amp also packs several squads of the firm's usual noise killers so 18 dither circuits, 132 active Tesla coils and 311 squared siblings. Two newcomer types to this army are 20 anti-aerial resonance Tesla coils each with one tiny zirconium bar inside; and 4 anti-aerial Tesla cables on the speaker terminals. At Audio Group Denmark's HQ I was told that we don't really listen to steady-state music but endless transients served up simultaneously. It's why their flagship integrated was groomed to be quick, clean, effortless and fully responsive on even the most intense material.

My loaner replaced my usual above threesome of Trilogy 915R preamp and matching 995R monos. The British set currently priced at nearly €67'000 was a fit sparring partner. Its class AB output power into 8/4Ω also was a match. Comparisons this similar are rare but for once apples really tussled with apples. Output impedance still set them apart, however. Trilogy's 995R set it rather high, the Aavik very low. I was about to hear once more how much of an impact that aspect alone has on my two speaker sets. To level the field, the Danish single and British trio saw the same C-MARC power cords and LessLoss outlet multiplier while Boenicke IC3 CG interconnects looped in my DAC. One interconnect and speaker cable swap took care of all comparisons. Without power-off downtime, that routine was fairly quick and straightforward. Class A amps are cherished for many reasons. They promise a particular posh mature flavour free of zinginess, shout, grit, abnormal chiselling, harshness or other excess. They often embed vividness, expressiveness, ease, ripe textural tissues and overall sophistication. Amps biased into class A needn't be overly thick and syrupy nor ethereal and hollow. If anything, I find most right between these extremes so well balanced. They tend to render music nice and pretty, organic, moist and tangible. I hear pleasant flow not any mechanical gait. Of course some class A devices are on the leaner side, others fairly chunky. Some are tubed, some solid state, others hybrids. Attractive sensuality of big tone and textural fruitiness seem common regardless. Think elegance and relaxed delivery.