Skip to product information
1 of 5

Aavik

Aavik I-280 Integrated Amplifier

Regular price $16,952.00
Regular price Sale price $16,952.00
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
This product cannot be sold online.
Please call our store to purchase:
904-642-6677

Aavik I-280

Integrated Amplifier


Powerful with a huge dynamic headroom

The Aavik I-280 integrated amplifier is providing an unbelievable almost limitless soundstage and with plenty of power ressources. The performer is very much present in the room.


Technologies and Components

Your control and powerhouse.
The architecture of the Aavik integrated amplifier boasts sophisticated high-end electronic components set in a state-of-the-art enclosure. Based on ample power supplies, the Aavik integrated amplifier provides unprecedented dynamic speed, tight control and balanced stability, which creates persuasive and crystal-clear soundstage images that reflect even finest sonic details.



2×300 Watt

8 ohm

72

Active Tesla Coil

0,006% Distortion

1-100 Watt, 1 kHz,
8 ohm

 


Scandinavian design with an international twist

The Aavik design is Scandinavian understatement and expresses simplicity and minimalism featuring only a few buttons for logical operation. The multifunctional main knob allows to navigate and control the various functions. We have boosted the self-confidence with a huge red display, which makes it easy to read all details of the selected operational settings.





A cabinet with excellent sonic qualities

The cabinet design represents a Aavik characteristic. The testing of new circuits and electronic components is often done without the enclosing cabinet. The disturbing sonic influence, which emanates from the material the cabinet is made of – mostly aluminium – results from its mechanical resonance. To eliminate this sonic distortion, the challenge was to minimize the use of aluminium in the cabinet to the absolute minimum that is unavoidable to ensure sufficient cooling. We began testing various materials and designed an innovative natural-based composite material, which reduces the mechanical influence, particularly the hysteresis. The sonic result is distinctly audible and reflects a further prominent cornerstone in Aavik’s quest for the ultimate music experience.


Shaping

Built like an instrument.
Our untiring endeavour to unlock further untapped sonic potentials to advance the quality of the listener’s musical experience, prompted us to look into the design and construction of musical instruments – both in terms of shape, as well as choice of material. A combination of the natural-based composite material, the contours and the ratio of the sizes can impact and define the tone. Too much damping kills the dynamics, whereas metallic resonances generate a bright and peaky sound – Aavik’s engineered enclosure offers the best of both worlds: an authentic sound that is warm, harmonious, and powerful, yet, at the same time, so crisp and refined that it highlights every single detail in the music.


Separates

No compromise.
The decision to build separate units reflects Aavik’s intent of space management without any sonic compromise. Allowing sufficient space for each segment, has also influenced the integration of a high-grade power supply with a huge capacity and paved the way for an effective cooling design.

By separating the individual units and redesigning them in a totally isolated fashion, the Aavik series has gained in dynamic momentum and a more expansive sound.

 

Aavik UMAC™ amplifier

Unmatched audio control.
At Aavik we utilize the patented UMAC™ amplifier technology. This technology was developed to avoid the design flaws of traditional switching amplifiers. UMAC technology primarily targets two areas of modulated amplifier design. Firstly, the PWM* generation is produced with sine wave modulation rather than the more common triangle modulation. The benefit is that sine waves create far less high frequency noise than triangles, no sharp corners, and thus require far less inductive filtering at the output. The lower inductance in the output gives the amplifiers a much better damping factor and thus a distinctly better speaker control. Secondly, the advanced dual mixed mode feedback allows damping factors that are characteristic of only the very best linear amplifiers.

*PWM: Pulse-Width Modulation


Volume control

Affects the sonic experience.
The Aavik line stage boasts a unique, inverted, virtual GND** amplifier topology, which provides the highest stability. The feedback gets so powerful that it allows to damp the signal to a gain lower than 1. This preserves the full signal with the lowest S/N Ratio*** – no matter if you turn the volume up or down. This will provide your loudspeakers with a clear and distinct information flow to make even the finest details of timbral and textural nuances audible on an extremely quiet sound stage.

**GND: Ground
***S/N Ratio: Signal-to-Noise Ratio


Resonant mode power supply

Quiet but extremely powerful.
This Aavik series is designed to ensure massive power resources with ultra-low noise. Unlike the square waves used by conventional switch mode power supplies, this Aavik series boast a resonant mode design which is principally driven by sine waves.

When more power is needed, the operating frequency increases, which, in turn, has the advantage that the power density also increases, thus allowing higher peak power when required by the music.

The noise floor in the raw power supply is extremely low but could be even further lowered by the ultra-low noise regulators supplying the different parts of the circuit. The noise of these regulators is measured in a few microvolts respectively nanovolts, which is significantly lower than the noise level of conventional regulators.

 

The Tesla coil principle

The principle is to have two coils that are wounded in each direction / a coil and a counter coil. In Ansuz words: “a double inverted coil” – the two coils are both carrying voltage – and when the Tesla coil encounters a voltage spike a counter spike is activated in order to eliminate the noise. As Noise spikes are pure voltage and carries virtually no charge, the cancelation is quite good, but not 100%. By adding more P-TC coils in parallel the performance increases. By implementing this the perceived blackness in the music improves significantly.

Ansuz Tesla coils are available in various types as they complement each other in terms of strengths /weaknesses.


Active Tesla coil

Effective noise killer.
The active Tesla coils are power supplied which secures a remarkable lower impedance and thus a better ability to eliminate noise. The active version is about three to four times more efficient than passive Tesla coils.












Active square Tesla coils

Impressive noise reduction.
The active square Tesla coils are embedded in our circuitry boards – one coil on the top and the counter coil on the rear side. The principle is exactly the same as the active Tesla coil and thus a great ability to eliminate noise than the passive Tesla coil.




Analog dither technology

Extended musicality.
This technology is another noise reduction technology. The technology origins from radars where it secured a stronger signal and thus a wider range. Ansuz active Tesla coils are sending pulsated signals in well-defined frequencies. These signals are sent in counter phase and thus eliminating the noise floor whereby the music signal is significantly increased.



 

Anti aerial resonance coil technology

Prevents airborne noise.
All cables and cable screens are acting like antennas for airborne RF noise which of course is a huge problem. The passive cable Tesla coil is wounded on the external part of the cable and protects the signal from absorbing the airborne RF noise. This noise is absorbed in the Tesla coil.

As there is a voltage running in the conductor itself, and it is wounded in the counter direction – this is used as the counter coil and the RF noise is then eliminated.



REVIEW & AWARDS

Aavik Acoustics I-280 - Read More

"Aavik Acoustics wishes to achieve the best performance with the 180/280/580 se-ries in hopes to give audiophiles a better sound. The I-280 that we’ve listened to is in the middle within these three series. There is a reasonable ratio of the price and performance. Of course, the manufacturer suggests for a product to be paired within the same series. If we hope to find a better performance of details and a quiet background, the I-580 would be worth listening to next time." - Super AV

 

AAVIK I-280 - Read More

"As far as its function is concerned the I-280 is an old-school integrated amplifier for audiophile purists. On the rear panel it has five single-ended RCA inputs, a preamplifier output, and speaker posts. The amplifier can be ...

RECOMMENDED RESELLERS" - MJ


Aavik Acoustics I-280 Integrated Amplifier - Read More

"As usual, manufacturers are pretty well spot on (for the most part!) with costing out high-end audiophile components. €10,000 will get you a cracker of an integrated. I have not heard the 280’s lower and upper siblings, and I can only imagine what a €10,000 premium over the I-280 gets you with the I-580. I will be able to tell you what an extra €50,000 buys you with the new I-880, which is a completely different animal to the 180, 280, 580. Shipping to the island soon. In the here and now, and if you can stretch to the I-280’s price, your pre/power needs will be set for a long time no matter your speaker choice. Highly recommended. " - Anthony Kershaw


Aavik i280 Integrated Amplifier Review - Read More

"If this amplifier was a drug it would be pure Colombian cocaine cut straight from the block…I imagine. It is clean, it is sparklingly crystal-like, it is powerful and knows how to throw a party. On the downside it is also highly addictive and once heard through the right loudspeakers it becomes pretty difficult to move on and let it go. It’s also pretty expensive and likely to want you to hear what it’s even more expensive sibling can muster!

Yep, Alan Sircom was right, the Aavik is awesome, though it is not perfect as outlined below."


Double test of the integrated amplifiers: Aavik I-180 vs Aavik I-280 - Read More

"Either way, the new Aavik components are a breath of fresh air in the high-end segment. This is what innovative, progressive hi-fi looks like to me. The Børresen approach could - no: should catch on."



Aavik I-280 - Read More

"The latest Aavik’s silent MO, ease of use and well-made exterior ready to mechanically couple with its siblings imply cleverness typical for businesses well past their early days. Although its outsourced key component might suggest otherwise, upon closer inspection and introductory listening today’s I-280 clearly doesn’t fit the profile of a cookie-cutter switching type. Its designers had just the tech and know-how to go beyond the usual with their circuit of choice, and managed to very nicely dress it on top of that." - Dawid Grzyb


Integrated Amplifier Technology Table

  Aavik I-180 Aavik I-280 Aavik I-580 Aavik I-880 / Integrated Amplifier
Active Tesla coil 36 72 108 132
Active square Tesla coils 96 168 240 311
Dither Circuitry 5 8 11 18
Anti aerial resonance … 4 4 4
Aavik Copper Inner Cha…

* *
Active zirconium Tesla…


20
Active zirconium cable…


4
Switchless Optical Inp…


*


SPECIFICATIONS

Connections


Line in:
Line inputs: 5 single ended – RCA
Gain Line 1-4: 5-15dB; max input 4,5V RMS
Gain Line 5: 1-11dB; max input 6,5V RMS
Input impedance: 10Kohm
Pre out:
Pre out: 1 single ended – RCA
Max output: 7,5Vms
Distortion, line stage: <0,005% (THD at 1kHz, 1V input)
Output impedance: 50 ohm
Power out: Speaker terminals: Spade connectors or 4mm banana plugs

Amplifier Section


Volume Control:
76 dB – 1dB steps
Output:
2×300 w, 8 ohm
2 x 600 w, 4 ohm
Distortion (THD):
<0,006% (1-100W, 1 kHz, 8 ohm)
IMD:
<0,002% (1-100W, 4 ohm)
TIM:
<0,008% (1-100W, 4 ohm)

Aavik Noise Reduction


Active Tesla Coils:
72
Active Square Tesla Coils: 168
Dither circuitry:
8
Anti Aerial Resonance Coils:
4

Power consumption


Standby:
<0.5W
Idle:
<50W

Dimensions and Weight


L x W x H:
400 x 384 x 102 mm
15 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 4 1/64 inch
Weight:
9.0 kg
19 lbs