Aavik Acoustics SD-880, Flagship Reference DAC/Streamer

Aavik Acoustics SD-880, Flagship Reference DAC/Streamer

Retail Price € 66.995,00

EN.

General : Flagship DAC/Streamer model from Aavik Acoustics from Denmark. The Aavik SD-880 is among the absolute reference D/A Converters, with the addition of an outstanding built-in streamer.

Technology : The D/A Converter in the Aavik SD-880 is fully developed and manufactured in-house. It is what Aavik Acoustics calls the "Non-switching Continuum Processing DAC". The power supply in the Aavik SD-880 is also a special power supply called the "resonant mode power supply", this is not an ordinary switching power supply. Where normal switched power supplies use square waves, the power supplies in the Aavik SD-880 are driven by sine waves, which results in a lower noise floor. Additionally, the noise floor is further reduced by special ultra-low noise regulators that distribute the power supply signal across the circuit. Furthermore, Aavik Acoustics also uses Tesla Coil Technology and 3rd generation Dither Technology from sister brand Ansuz Acoustics. The Tesla Coils are an effective way of noise and inductance reduction, and the Dither Technology provides an enhancement of the music signal. These techniques are found in all equipment from Audio Group Denmark. The Aavik SD-880 features the largest amount of Tesla Coils and Dither Technology of all D/A Converters and Streamers from Aavik Acoustics.

Chassis : The chassis of the Aavik SD-880 is also something very special. The design is largely from the founder of Gryphon Audio, Flemming Rasmussen, this fact combined with the pursuit of optimal mechanical stability and resonance control by designer Michael Børresen results in a stunning design using unique materials to achieve the best musical properties from the Aavik SD-880 chassis. Starting with the bottom plate, this is a solid sandwich design with a massive Titanium plate on the underside, topped with a solid compact laminate plate, and on top of that again a massive copper plate. The Aavik SD-880 comes standard with 4 pieces of Ansuz Darkz Z2S decoupling platforms which are placed under the bottom plate. The Ansuz Darkz Z2S are 3-layer decoupling platforms, made of solid Zirconium with Ansuz's Signature coating layer (consisting of Zirconium and Tungsten followed by a layer of aluminum titanium nitride with an additional Zirconium layer as the outer layer) which is applied by means of a High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering machine. The decoupling between the 3 discs is accomplished by solid Tungsten balls. This is by far the most optimal way of decoupling resulting in a much more dynamic, lively and natural reproduction. Back to the Aavik SD-880 chassis. The entire interior of the Aavik SD-880 is solid copper which has better musical properties compared to aluminum. The front features a large white dot display. This display appears clean but is easily readable from very large distances. This display is also fully dimmable. The display shows the input and the menu options once you enter the menu via the included luxury remote control. When you use the built-in streamer, the display shows the artist name and the track name.

Streamer : The Aavik SD-880 also features a high-quality streamer. This streamer can be controlled with the Audio Group Denmark app, MConnect/MControl, BubbleUPnP, as well as via Airplay, Tidal Connect and as a DLNA endpoint behind an Audirvana server. The Roon Ready certificate is not yet finalized, but it will come, you can already control the Aavik SD-880 via Roon by using it as an Airplay endpoint. There are also 2 USB ports on the back which can be used for a Wifi Dongle for a wireless connection, but you can also connect a USB stick or USB drive for direct playback of music from the connected USB storage.

Sound : The Aavik SD-880 has a sound from another world. While the Aavik SD-188/288/588 already sound dynamic, natural and very musical, the Aavik SD-880 takes it to another level. Notable is the ease with which the Aavik SD-880 plays, at any volume, connected to any amplifier. The spatial imaging is lively, super detailed but most importantly extremely musical and addictive. Something simply happens in the soundstage that immediately draws you into the recording, causing you to lose yourself in a clean, tidy and organic soundstage. The Aavik SD-880 is, as just mentioned, very dynamic and lively, but because this happens in a completely free, clean and unforced manner, it does not cause listening fatigue. The Aavik SD-880 is a D/A Converter with streamer with an enormous range of possibilities regarding music genres and loudspeakers. Of course, the Aavik SD-880 performs formidably with Aavik Acoustics amplifiers, but also expect excellent results with many other high-end amplifier brands. The Aavik SD-880 is among the best D/A Converters we have heard to date. We are very enthusiastic about the entire Aavik Acoustics range and the Aavik SD-880 is by far the most premium member of the family.

Conclusion : The Aavik Acoustics SD-880 is a true flagship model in design, technology and sound. The Aavik SD-880 sounds by far the most detailed, defined, organic and spatial of all streamer/DACs from Aavik Acoustics. The operation is very simple and superb, the display is easily readable from a great distance and the SD-880 is a real eye catcher. Welcome to the musical and emotional world of Aavik Acoustics.

Specifications of the Aavik SD-880 :

Brand : Aavik Acoustics Denmark

Model : SD-880

Type : Reference D/A Converter with built-in Streamer

Warranty Aavik Acoustics / Ohm-Audio B.V. : 60 Months

Digital Inputs : 1 x USB-B, 2 x SPDIF Coax BNC, 2 x Toslink Optical

Analog Outputs : 1 x Line Out Unbalanced RCA

Finish : Black & Copper, White Dot Display

Dimensions : Dimensions : 580mm Wide x 510mm Deep x 155mm High

Weight : 33 Kg Net Aavik Acoustics

Noise Reduction :

Active Tesla Coils : 314

Active Square Tesla Coils : 663

Active Zirconium Anti Aerial Resonance Coils : 2

Dither Circuitry : 35

Manufacturer Website : Aavik Acoustics SD-880