Aavik R-280 Phono Stage

Ultra low noise – Huge dynamic headroom

The Aavik R-280 phono stage is developed with the aim of presenting an authentic sounding music experience with the tiniest details on an huge ultra quiet background.

Technologies and Components

Lively and vivid performance.
The Aavik phono stage has been developed to tease out the natural flow of music that is so typical of a vinyl-based sound source. The extensive research we invested in gaining a deeper understanding of the major turntable and cartridge challenges shaped the platform for the engineering solutions embedded in the Aavik phono stage. The key strength of the Aavik RIAA is the sonic isolation of the ultra-low signals that emanate from the vinyl source, and the filtering out of any disturbing outside noise and vibration.

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.

The Aavik RIAA / Phono stage

Lively and vivid performance.
The Aavik RIAA section is based on a discrete, floating balanced, ultra-low noise bipolar input circuit. The topology of a moving coil cartridge is a floating balanced signal generator. Aavik has kept this topology throughout the phono stage. The input circuitry allows use of ultra-low noise bipolar transistors. By paralleling several transistor pairs, we have created an absolutely quiet input section. The phono stage has 62 dB gain, and the cartridge loading is adjustable from 50 Ohm to 5 Ohm. The *S/N ratio is 94 dB measured at 1 kHz.

The Aavik phono section will let you explore the amazing details and musical depths of your vinyl collection.

*S/N ratio: Signal to Noise ratio

Cartridge loading adjustment

A perfect match for any MC.
To get the highest efficiency from your turntable pick-up, the impedance can precisely be adjusted according to the individual MC cartridge.

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.