Интегральные усилители — Aavik I-188

The I-188 is the entry model in the I-x88 series of integrated amplifiers from the Danish company Aavik, part of Audio Group Denmark. This class D model has a deliberately short feature list - a volume control and an input selector on the front, and no streamer, DAC, tone controls or headphone output inside. It was priced at GBP 15,000, EUR 15,000 or USD 20,000. One user guide covers the I-188, I-288 and I-588 together.

Key specs that matter

Output power is 2 x 300 W into 8 ohm and 2 x 600 W into 4 ohm, delivered from Pascal L-PRO2S class D modules with a total gain of 28 dB. Aavik quotes THD+N of 0.0028 % at 1 W, 1 kHz and 8 ohm, intermodulation distortion of 0.0008 % and TIM of 0.002 %, both at 10 W into 8 ohm. Five RCA line inputs are fitted, and each has an input impedance of 10 kohm. Lines 1 to 4 accept up to 4.5 V RMS and line 5 up to 6.5 V RMS. An RCA power amp input is also provided, plus an unbalanced preamp output that can feed a subwoofer, and a single set of loudspeaker terminals. Volume moves in 76 steps of 1 dB, adjusted with the front control or by handset. The chassis measures 440 mm wide, 117.8 mm high and 393.5 mm deep and weighs 23.3 kg.

Engineering and use context

The amplifier draws on a resonant mode supply that shifts its switching frequency to raise power density and hold high peak currents. The PWM signal from the class D stage is converted back through a low-pass filter before it reaches the speaker terminals. Aavik puts much of its effort into noise management, fitting 132 Tesla coils in total - 36 active Tesla coils, 96 active square Tesla coils, 4 dither circuits and 4 anti areal resonance coils. The case is a laminate of stainless steel, MDF and copper, with a copper shield running all the way around the internal circuits. The front display is bright, can be dimmed and can be switched off. The power amp input lets the I-188 work purely as a power stage behind a separate preamplifier or AV processor, with its own volume control bypassed.

Pairing

As the I-188 has no digital inputs, digital sources must reach it through an outboard converter, and vinyl playback depends on a phono preamp. Its extra current into 4 ohm suits low impedance loudspeakers, and the preamp output makes room for an active bass unit in the setup.

Alternatives

The Aavik I-288 is the next integrated amplifier in the same series, also with class D output and priced at GBP 20,000.