Предусилители — Aavik C-880

The C-880 is a control amplifier, Aavik's term for a preamplifier, from Audio Group Denmark in Aalborg. It was created by splitting the I-880 integrated amplifier into two units, the P-880 power amplifier and this C-880, and it was designed by Flemming Erik Rasmussen together with Michael Børresen. Within the Aavik range it sits above the C-580 and C-280 control amplifiers, and it forms the 880 series with the P-880 and M-880 power amplifiers.

Key specs that matter

The volume control covers a range of 76 dB in 1 dB steps. Input selection is handled by a switchless optical input board based on light-dependent resistors. An active analogue crossover with low-pass and high-pass filters is built in for subwoofer or 2.1 systems and works with zero latency. Power consumption is 1 W in standby and 12 W at idle. The C-880 measures 580 x 510 x 155 mm (L x W x H) and weighs 35 kg. A large LCD touchscreen and a titanium-clad volume knob sit on the front.

Engineering and use context

Light-dependent resistors switch inputs by changing their resistance in response to light, so no relay contacts or semiconductor switches sit in the signal path. The power supply is a resonant-mode design driven by a sine wave, followed by ultra-low-noise regulators, which avoids the sharp switching edges of conventional switch-mode supplies. The enclosure is solid copper, and the bottom plate is a sandwich of a copper plate, a compact laminate and a titanium layer to control resonance and shield the circuits. Noise suppression relies on Audio Group Denmark's own technologies, with 314 active Tesla coils, 663 active square Tesla coils, 36 dither circuits and two active zirconium anti-aerial resonance Tesla coils, far more than in the smaller C-580. The built-in analogue crossover lets the C-880 send the low frequencies to a subwoofer while filtering them from the main amplifier, without the delay that a digital crossover would add. Splitting the I-880 into separate control and power units gives each its own chassis and power supply, keeping the low-level preamplifier circuits away from the large currents of the output stage.

Pairing

Aavik pairs the C-880 with its P-880 stereo or M-880 mono power amplifiers, the S-580 streamer and Børresen loudspeakers such as the M1. The crossover outputs allow a subwoofer to be added to the system.

Alternatives

The Aavik C-580 is the smaller control amplifier in the same range with fewer noise-suppression circuits.