Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Magazine reviewers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below.
Compared to their other products
We think it's helpful to understand how this product fits into the brand's full lineup (below). To learn more about these products, visit the brand's page.
Aavik C-580:
- Positioning: A compact control amplifier offering refined signal management on a more accessible budget.
- Description: Features a straightforward implementation of active Tesla coil technology and basic dither circuitry, ensuring low noise and precise control suitable for modest listening environments. In comparison to the C-880, offers fewer advanced noise reduction features while still delivering solid performance for users with limited functionality needs.
Aavik C-880:
- Positioning: A high-end control amplifier engineered for signal fidelity and advanced noise suppression.
- Description: Incorporates a significantly higher count of active Tesla coils and enhanced analog dither technology for further noise reduction and dynamic musical detail. Compared to the C-580, offers increased performance and control capabilities.
Aavik U-588:
- Positioning: A modern all-in-one unity amplifier that combines streaming, DAC, line stage, and power amplification in a single enclosure.
- Description: Uses the latest Pascal class D (UMAC) technology with lower output impedance and reduced noise, adding digital streaming and connectivity features for versatile use in compact setups. Compared to the traditional 880 series products, offers added functionality and ease of integration.
Aavik P-880:
- Positioning: A standalone power amplifier designed to deliver high current and efficient pure Class A performance.
- Description: Uses a resonant mode power supply and local capacitor banks to achieve lower noise and improved feeding of speakers, which suits environments requiring high peak power and dynamic control. In contrast to the integrated I-880, the P-880 splits the amplification process, offering greater flexibility in system configuration.
Aavik I-880:
- Positioning: The flagship integrated amplifier combining power, control, and cutting-edge noise reduction technologies in one unit.
- Description: Features an extensive suite of innovations including a switchless optical input board, active Tesla coil systems, and a solid copper enclosure that ensure exceptionally low noise and outstanding musical detail, ideal for high-end, room-filling setups. Compared to its segmented counterparts, it delivers the most comprehensive performance and functionality.
Read the reviews
Aavik S-580
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Manufacturer's notes
- Network: 1 Ethernet LAN
- USB: 2 USB 2.0 Max. capacity 2 TB
- S/P DIF Output: 1 x BNC (32-192 k-samples, 24 bit)
- Optical Output: 1 x Toslink (32-192 k-samples, 24 bit)
- Line output: 1 x RCA
- Standards: DLNA 1.5, UPnP AV 1.0
- Active Tesla Coils: 108
- Active Square Tesla Coils: 236
- Dither circuitry: 9
- Power consumption Standby: <0.5W
- Power consumption Idle: <20W
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 400 x 384 x 102 mm (15 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 4 1/64 inch)
- Weight: 7.0 kg (15 lbs)
Our take on the brand
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Aavik
What if you spend a bit more?
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Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Proprietary noise-control techniques using dither circuits, Active coils, and Tesla coils improve perceived blackness in music
- A 'natural-based composite material' for the chassis aims to reduce influences from mechanical resonance
- A large LED-Matrix display is easy to read from a distance
- A weighty and solid rotary volume dial offers a perfect speed of adjustment
- Input switching is not straightforward, requiring use of a navigate button and rotation of the volume dial
Product Considerations
- Menu navigation is cumbersome, requiring toggling through all items or using the remote control to exit
- The U180 is described as technically correct but not hugely emotional or lyrical, with a darker sound
Takeaway: The Aavik U-series integrated amplifiers offer unique noise-reduction technology and a distinctive design, which could be a great addition to an audiophile's set-up. The amplifier's overall operation is straightforward, and it responds very quickly to all commands.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Ample power with minimal distortion
- Audionet's ULA (Ultra-Linear-Amplifier) technology, originally developed for medical engineering
- Impressive dynamic prowess and the ability to plumb the hidden depths of CDs and LPs
- Subtle musical and instrumental details come through cleanly and coherently, without compromising life-likeness of tone colors and harmonic expression
- Exceptional bass reproduction, with a rich, detailed, and uniform low end
Product Considerations
- Positive and negative speaker terminals are close together, requiring caution when connecting speaker cables
- Balanced input use involves an op-amp, which some believe impacts sound quality, single-ended inputs are preferred by some
- A preamp should be used to get the best sound from these amplifiers
- Display text changes locations randomly, which some may find distracting
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- The Burmester sounded cleaner, airier, and more revealing, but could not quite compete with the AMP II MAX in authority over the bass frequencies and in blackness of the background
- The Pass Labs was tonally rich and pleasurably soft, plus the amp gave an extraordinarily punchy presentation, in that it bettered the performance of the AMP II MAXes, on the other hand, it was rather general in the organization of the soundstage and the background wasn't quite as black as with the AMP II MAXes
- Plinius shone in resolution, as well as delivered exceptionally dimensional soundstage and very neutral overall sound, especially in Class A mode, however, it did not have the same punch as the AMP II MAXes, and the sound wasn't equally gentle
- The McIntosh MC-501 delivered a richer and warmer sound, but with less power and extension than the AMP II MAX
Takeaway: The Audionet Max monoblocks offer a powerful and refined listening experience, making music sound engaging and detailed. Their ability to control speakers and reveal nuances in recordings makes them a great choice for serious audiophiles.
Video review
Our take on the brand
The 911 MK3 power amplifier is a close derivative of the reference power amp 909 and is regarded as one of the quickest and most powerful amps in the audio world. Its strong performance is the result of the knowledge and experience gained during the design and manufacture of the much-acclaimed 909 power amp. The MK3 moniker indicates that Burmester’s second largest power amp has reached its third generation of refinement. With the distinctive appearance of the silver anodized fins of its heat sinks the 911 MK3 exudes power and elegance. It tightly controls any bass driver and proves that there is a lot of musicality in the bass line. Excellent spatial resolution, detail and musical warmth characterize the sonic signature of the 911 MK3.
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Neutral and grain-free sound, not like typical solid-state or tube amplifiers.
- Powerful and articulate bass, seamless and smooth mids, and extended, non-harsh highs.
- Exceptional build quality and a luxurious feel with immaculate laser-cut detailing and silver anodizing.
Product Considerations
- The glitzy appearance might be divisive.
- High-quality source components and speakers are required to perform at its best.
- The unit is large (almost 50cm wide) and very heavy (32kg), requiring a sturdy rack and careful handling during setup.
Takeaway: The Burmester 911 mk.3 provides exceptionally intricate, powerful, and dynamic sound, making it a very refined amplifier that is a treat for your ears. It is a top-performing amplifier made with great craftsmanship and build quality.
Video review
Our take on the brand
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Designing an amplifier that would outperform the Zions in bandwidth, output and transparency was a tall order. This amp would need to express all of ampsandsound's most closely held philosophies at an even higher level. More power or complex circuitry for the sake of increasing the cost was out of the question. Where does one go, once they've scaled Everest?
After extensive listening and research, the Citation II was settled on as the basis for the design. This amplifier was designed to be an amplifier in the tradition of Harry Pearson's Absolute Sound - something which had absolute fidelity resulting from the widest and flattest frequency response and as close to an absence of distortion as possible. This amplifier is the proverbial bigger gun for those customers who require even more power than a Zion.
The original Citation II, much like the Citation V, is underwhelming in the power supply. A significantly more robust version was in order, which can supply eight amps per channel, and allows for tubes capable of greater output than the original. This of course necessitated the design of the highest power input power transformer ampsandsound has ever designed. In the process of redesigning the power supply, careful attention was given to improving dynamics, RMS output, regulation and lower distortion.
Depending on the tube selection, the Arch will output between 60-100W in pure class A, and represents our absolute statement on power output. As with the Zion, everything on the Arch is capable of handling several times the rated output power of the circuit. The result is astonishingly low distortion, and a true-to-source amplifier with massive grip on loudspeakers.
The output transformer on the Arch has a practically unheard of bandwidth of 2hz to 110khz at -3dB. Even the excellent original Freed iron does not achieve these kind of figures under real world test conditions. Total output power is 65 watts with KT88s and 85watts with KT150s. The total power is the measure of this amplifier's magic - not because of the output, but because it achieves astounding frequency linearity and vanishingly low distortion while doing so.
A tube amplifier that can reliably reproduce frequencies lower than 20hz is unheard of and one that can descend into the low single digits is mythical. Perhaps most important is distortion figures that would be considered remarkable for a well designed solid state amp, accomplished in a tube amplifier without a single regulator.
The chassis is 10-gauge cold-rolled steel, which imparts even greater damping than the Zions and makes for an imposing amplifier. The choice of 10-gauge steel was born of our founders ability to make singular decisions on the basis of performance without consideration to costs. Each choice in the Arch came about in the same manner, and reflects a pursuit of absolute performance not a proxy vote for profits.
Each monoblock weighs in at around 100lbs, and represents the pinnacle of our philosophy: hand built on turret boards using ultra pure point-to-point wiring, with no expense spared in creation process or parts selection. Wiring assembly alone takes 18 hours per channel, and is done by hand, before inspection, break in, testing and validation.
This amplifier goes far beyond being a modification or clone of the Citation II. Instead, the Citation II serves as a touchpoint for an amplifier built to completely eliminate questions of output and distortion. The Arch is the pinnacle of the low distortion, high power spirit of the Citation amplifiers, and each unit is personally measured, tested and listened to by Justin Weber before shipping.
The sound of the Arch must be heard to be understood. Suffice to say, the Arch simply sounds like music, and demands partnering equipment of highest calibre. Please contact us if you wish to arrange a demo.
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Incredibly nimble, with every detail highlighted, providing an extra layer of resolution
- Delivers all of the detail and clarity without the traditional fatigue
- The balanced input transformer properly sums the positive and negative legs of the balanced signal, and in so doing retains much of the benefits that you normally achieve with fully balanced amps—noise rejection
- The distortion numbers are exceptional for a tube amplifier
- Compatibility with nearly every commercially available speaker, due to the support of three impedances (4 ohms, 8 ohms, and 16 ohms), and output power exceeding 60 watts with KT88s, and 80 watts with KT150s
Product Considerations
- There are no modern reproductions of the 12BY7A, requiring matched pairs to run the amplifiers
- The bias is fixed—it's selectable between settings, but dialing in the distortion could not be simplified further
- Heavy at nearly 100 lbs each, as there's a lot of iron in both the transformers and the chassis work
- A hint of tube noise was present in one channel when no music was playing, likely specific to the tubes used
- Not a wise choice to any planer but complex crossovers and difficult loads have not compressed the amp in testing
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs ampsandsound Zion Monos: The Arch Monos are more neutral, faster, and provide an extra layer of resolution, compared to the richer and more harmonic sound of the Zions
- Vs TAD: The Arch is clean, powerful, and has many characteristics of very good solid-state amp, though the TAD approach was similarly neutral in many ways, albeit with a lightning quickness that the Arch did not have
Takeaway: The ampsandsound Arch Monoblock amplifiers are a technically proficient and beautifully built amplifier that delivers exceptional detail and clarity without fatigue. If one wants a vintage but modern sound, the Arch Monoblocks could be a good choice.
Video review
Our take on the brand
What else competes at this price?
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Expansive soundstage with impressive depth and layering, creating a three-dimensional image
- Delivers exceptional clarity, detail, and spatial definition without harshness or fatigue
- Powerful and controlled bass reproduction with inner density, slam, and weight, but without bloat
- Natural sweetness in the Highs and Mids
- Minimal noise floor, aided by noise reduction technologies and resonance control
- Single-ended RCA inputs and outputs
Product Considerations
- Lightweight rear connectors
Takeaway:
The Aavik Acoustics I-580 is an unconventional—yet formidable—amplifier that is suitable for any speakers. It delivers great sound and clarity.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Quiet background noise and a finer reproduction of music are created by reducing the noise floor
- An authentic, warm, harmonious, powerful, crisp, and refined sound highlights every detail in the music because of the natural-based composite material that reduces mechanical influence and hysteresis
- Dynamics and micro-scale can be maintained without breaking the bonds that hold the music together
- It does not have the usual digital-like upper-mid/lower-treble glare or brickwall-like top-octave cut-off that Class D amps of the past have evinced, and instead, it is rather soft, sweet, and dark in the brilliance range
- Phenomenal bass and quite appealingly warm, grainless, and grit free midband
Product Considerations
- Minimizing the use of aluminum in the enclosure is required to limit the disruptive sound influence emanating from the material because of its mechanical resonance
- UMAC™ amplifier technology was developed to avoid the design flaws of conventional switching amplifiers
- Not as finely detailed, as 3-D, as richly colored, or as brimming with energy and nuance as a reference power amplifier
Takeaway: The Aavik P-580 amplifier and C-580 preamplifier handle intricate harmonies and evoke timeless melodies to deepen the listener's appreciation of music. The Aavik is built to last and will stand the test of time while enabling the natural warmth and texture of music replay for years to come.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Exceptional bass control, power, speed, and definition provides a bedrock foundation for the music
- Wide and deep soundstage with precise imaging
- Dead-neutral tonal balance with grain-free clarity, effortless speed, and precision
- Life-like dynamic expression and detail resolution, sounding exquisitely lifelike
- Lively, energetic sound combined with pleasing harmonics, warmth, and a kind of lusciousness achieves a nice balance
Product Considerations
- The binding posts are located low on the rear panel, which might be problematic for some installations
- It gets hot, requiring adequate ventilation
- It's a heavy unit, making it difficult to move and set up
- The cost is very high, making it exclusive-level hifi
- The speaker spiked feet can make it difficult to position the amplifier
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Diablo 300, the Diablo 333 gives more music and musical information, developing the soundstage with harmonic information, knitting all the individual parts together; the music becomes less about individual things and more about the whole
- Strong resemblance to the Apex Commander combination, but at a fraction of the cost
- While the Antileon digs deeper and presents a fuller presentation across the low frequencies, the Diablo 333 slams harder and slightly tighter
Takeaway: The Gryphon Diablo 333 is a powerhouse integrated amplifier that combines exceptional power and control with refined sound and detailed musicality making it one of the very best amplifiers, be it integrated or not. Its versatility and musical soul make it a solid choice for anyone looking for an end-game component.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Music is delivered without perturbation, showcasing a 'grip' on the music
- A beautiful sonic palette is present, with a warm, detailed bass and very smooth, detailed highs
- Understated approach to music replay is pure and precise, without coarseness or grain
- Fabulously well made, with impressive build and finish
- Volume control has a hefty, well-damped but very precise feel to it, and the amplifier's on-board software is quick to respond
Product Considerations
- The headphone output is hidden on the rear panel, making it inconvenient to connect
- Large and heavy (around 40kg), requiring sturdy equipment support and assistance when unpacking
- The combination of heatsinks all-round and reflective chrome front panel may not be to all tastes
- Highly transparent sources and speakers are required to get the best performance
Takeaway: The Burmester 032 integrated amplifier sounds exceptional with refined sound and impressive insight. If the system is talented, this amplifier could be a great match.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Powerful, able to drive any speaker at any level with ease
- Delivers a new dimension in realism at any volume level, exposing the timbre of bass instruments unlike ever heard before
- Reveals harmonic quality of instruments and voices
Product Considerations
- Heavy, weighing 140lb (63.5kg), requiring assistance for moving and unboxing
- High running temperature (55-65oC across the chassis) and draws 500W from the wall when idle
- When speaker cables are terminated with spade lugs, caution is advised as the posts are close together
- Output is floating—it should not be connected to any loudspeaker with a grounded 'black' terminal
- BAT components take a long time to "break in" (400-500 hours of use)
Takeaway: The BAT REX 500 is a very powerful amplifier that drives speakers with ease and reveals new levels of realism in familiar recordings. It is a must-audition for those seeking reference-level power amplification.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Magazine reviewers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below.
Want to see more similar products?
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