Aavik U-150, U-180 or U-280


Dear users, i need your input on the following topic - which Aavik integrated amp to choose...

I-280 (no Dac, of course)

U-150 with Dac and phone, +1400 eur vs I-280

U-280 with Dac, +700 eur vs U-150

U-150 successor is U-180 or U-280? it's not clear to me; i have seen that amplification is the same in both series, differences are mostly on exterior looks i think.

I am inclined to pick U-150

Is Aavik D class integrated a good fit with Wilson Sabrina? a dealer of both products in Germany told me they are a good match.

 

Thank you!

mwlf

Aavik is soo expensive I would appreciate knowing what you guys had previously come from

Last year i purchased wilson sabrina (after owning 3-4 years Revel Performa F206, very very good speakers for their price).

With F206, i had Pass Int150 - very good match. But Int150 was not a very good fit on the bass side with Sabrina (probably due to low impedance dips, and power hungry); then i stepped up a notch to Plinius Sa 103 + Ps Audio Bhk pre, very sweet sounding, almost like tubes, but again, not enough juice for Sabrina.

Now i am using Peachtree Grand X Integrated - very good for it's price sh - good control on bass, good image and details at low and medium levels, but on higher levels sound is a little harsh, cannot listen more than 30 mins. 

So it is clear to me Sabrinas need at least 200w in 8ohm / 400 w in 4 ohms; a dealer which sells both Aavik and Wilson told me they are a good match, i will see and listen soon :)

Dac is Exasound E22, very good for its price sh.

I have received U150 several days ago, it is indeed a top class integrated amplifier, better than any i had (Pass Int 150, Plinius SA103, Peachtree Grand X1, Parasound A21, Gold Note IS 1000, etc). Image and separation is truly umbelievable for such price.

And Dac is really top class - at least 2 levels above all dacs i owned (mhdt orchid, gustard r26, exasound e22) - very resolut, lots of details, very accurate PRAT

I wholeheartedly recommend U150; i will keep it at least several years (and i don't usually keep equipments too long). It's soo good that i am tempted to try also Borresen speakers (X3 or Z2) instead of Wilson Sabrina.

Does anyone knows fuse specs for U150? i am tempted to try a synergistic research purple on it (i had those with great results on all my amps and preamps).

 

Glad you're enjoying the U-150. I love my U-280 unit -- both the integrated amp and DAC are phenomenal and the best I've heard in my system. The built-in DAC easily surpasses my previous DAC -- Defanfrips Terminator 2 by quite some margin. It's a shame that the brand flies under the radar and puts off some people because it uses class D for several models.

For fuses, best to reach out to a dealer -- I highly recommend Next Level Hifi. They are really cool folks and always willing to help even if you don't purchase from them. Good luck!

 

 

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