Unity Amplifier User Guide

Congratulations

Thank you for choosing this Aavik product and congratulations on accessing Audio Group Denmark's unique and exceptional audio universe.

Handcrafted in Denmark, Aavik captures the essence of Audio Group Denmark, reflecting a world of high-end audio equipment, where technological excellence and the aesthetics of Danish design go hand in hand with authentic musical performance.

We are convinced that you will find great emotional satisfaction in the unique musical experience that Aavik will give you and that you will get the sensation of getting closer to the music.

Safety Precautions

CAUTION: Max. ambient temperature: 40 DegC

The power cord must comply with local safety regulations.

The device must be connected to a grounded outlet.

THE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE SERVICED BY QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

• Read these instructions.
• Keep these instructions.
• Heed all warnings.
• Follow all instructions.
• Clean the amplifier only with a dry, lint-free cloth. For more thorough cleaning, unplug the amplifier from the mains supply and go over it lightly with a damp cloth. Do not use any type of chemical solvents or other cleaning products for cleaning.
• Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
• Protect the power cord (not included) from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
• Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
• Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug.
• Only place apparatus horizontally and on a suitable table or rack. If more components are stacked, make sure to place the hottest unit – usually the amplifier, at the top.
• Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
• Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as when the power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

WARNING: Take care that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through any openings. The equipment shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing. Liquid-filled objects such as vases should not be placed on the equipment.

The equipment has been designed for use in moderate climates and in domestic situations.

Only connect the equipment to a power supply of the type described in the operating instructions or as marked on the equipment. The primary method of isolating the equipment from the mains supply is to remove the mains plug. The equipment must be installed in a manner that makes disconnection possible.

If an abnormal smell or smoke is detected from the equipment, turn the power off immediately and unplug the equipment from the wall outlet. Contact your dealer and do not reconnect the equipment.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose the amplifier to rain or moisture.

The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated ‘dangerous voltage’ within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. ⚡

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover (or back). No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.

CE Mark: CE

About the Product

External Excellence

Inspired by Aavik 880-series flagship products, the Aavik U-x88 range fuses their very best features into one state-of-the-art enclosure, crafted meticulously to preserve the finest audio characteristics of the electrical design inside it. As aesthetically remarkable and sophisticated as it is, each its component serves a precisely defined purpose, ensuring the lowest inductance, non-existent hysteresis and exceptional resonance control.

The Exceptional Design Born in Two Exceptional Minds

The esteemed founder of Gryphon Audio – Flemming Erik Rasmussen – joined our design and development team in mid 2021, bringing over 35 years of experience and profound artistic passion for hi-fi equipment. Flemming's arrival marked the beginning of a dynamic and productive collaboration, merging his artistic and aesthetic design touch with Michael Børresen's innovative approach. The result speaks for itself.

Full-Scale Integration at its Finest

Unity amplifiers from the Aavik U-x88 range were designed to blend the most important and relevant utilities into one. A streamer, DAC, line stage and power amplifier combined within the same masterfully executed enclosure allow for the shortest possible connections between them, which greatly contributes to raising the sound quality of the entire design. The effect takes the form of a single all-in-one amplifier device, which is as capable on modern functionalities as it is excellent performance wise.

The Heart That Beats Like No Other

Aavik U-x88-series unity amplifiers are based on the latest version of Pascal class D amplifier technology, which features even faster UMAC switching modulation and generates lesser. This circuit now requires lesser filtering and has lower output impedance, which ensures greater control over connected speakers than before, and significantly higher sound quality of the entire design.

Front Panel Functions

Diagram showing front panel buttons labeled 1-5.

• 1 DISPLAY: During normal operation, the top line shows the selected source, and the bottom line shows the volume setting. When a digital input is selected, the format received is also displayed (PCM, MQA or DSD). The display changes to metadata when the built-in streamer is playing. It is possible to change the source with the rotating knob and/or the up/down buttons when in input selection mode. When changing settings, the display will show the setting being changed.
• 2 STANDBY: Press to place the amplifier in standby mode, or to switch it on from standby mode. When in standby, only a dim LED light in the lower left corner is visible. When switching on, outputs are muted, and a line illuminates at the bottom of the display. Units connected via trigger cables switch on/off together. The standby button acts as an UP arrow in input selection mode or when in the menu.
• 3 MUTE: Briefly pressing the mute button mutes the speaker outputs. The display shows "Mute". A mute symbol is displayed for the streamer when playing. Headphone volume can be changed without unmuting. Volume returns to the previous level upon unmuting. The mute button acts as a DOWN arrow in input selection mode or when in the menu.
• 4 INPUT SELECT/MENU BUTTON: Selects the desired source. Pressing briefly activates input selection; the display flashes. Turn the volume control knob or use up/down buttons to select the source. Press again to deactivate input selection mode.
• 5 VOLUME CONTROL (ROTATING KNOB): Use the rotating knob ?️ to change the volume, source, or other settings.

Rear Panel Functions

Diagram showing rear panel connectors labeled 6-18.

• 6 SPEAKER TERMINALS: Accepts spade connectors and 4mm banana plugs. Instructions provided for connecting spade connectors (loosen knob, insert spade, tighten knob) and banana plugs (insert into the center hole).
• 7 PRE OUT: Pre-amplifier output connections. Usable for an active sub-woofer, a separate power amplifier, or a headphone amplifier.
• 8 LINE INPUT: Two single-ended, RCA line inputs.
• 9 TOSLINK OPTICAL INPUT: Optical S/P-DIF input. Supports PCM (32–192kHz, 16–24 bit) and MQA.
• 10 BNC DIGITAL INPUT: Two electrical S/P-DIF digital inputs. Supports PCM (32–192kHz, 16–24 bit) and MQA.
• 11 USB B INPUT: UAC 2, asynchronous USB input. Supports 32-384kHz, 16-32 bit PCM, MQA, DSD64/DSD128 using DoP encoding or in native mode.
• 12 NETWORK: Ethernet 100BASE-TX network interface. Requires a 100Mb or faster network for best performance. A 10Mb network will not support high-res streaming.
• 13 USB A: Two USB A 2.0 sockets. Usable for a WiFi dongle and a USB flash drive.
• 14 TRIGGER OUTPUT: DC trigger output. Used to power-on power amps, sub-woofers, and other equipment together with the amplifier. Supplies 12VDC at up to 50mA when the amplifier is switched on (not in standby mode).
• 15 RS-232, SOFTWARE UPDATE: RS-232 terminal used mainly for software updates. Check the Audio Group Denmark homepage for updates.
• 16 POWER ON/OFF SWITCH: Toggles between fully off and standby mode. Power consumption in standby is less than 1W. Idle power consumption is less than 30W.
• 17 POWER INLET (CAUTION!): Accepts mains voltages from 100 to 240VAC 50-60Hz. Uses an IEC 60320-C13 female connector. Consult your dealer for a suitable mains cable for best performance.
• 18 MAIN FUSE: The fuse is 10A slow.

Remote Control

Remote Functions

• B STANDBY: Place device in standby mode or switch on from standby.
• C INV: Invert phase for digital audio (streamer or DAC). An 'i' is added to the source display when inverted. Not used in amplifier mode. Allows compensation for recordings with inverted polarity. Default setting is "Positive". Inverted setting means a positive sine wave at input is negative or inverted at output, indicated by "I" on the display.
• E MENU: Enter or exit the menu. Use ARROW RIGHT and LEFT buttons to cycle through the menu, and ARROW UP and ARROW DOWN buttons to change a setting.
• F i: Show information about the device or the currently playing audio.
• G ARROW UP/ARROW DOWN: Increase/decrease the volume setting.
• H ARROW RIGHT/LEFT: Move to the next/previous input. Also used for menu navigation.
• I VOLUME DOWN: Decrease the volume setting.
• J MUTE: Mute the outputs of the amplifier. Display shows "Mute". Press again to reactivate outputs.
• K VOLUME UP: Increase the volume setting.
• A AMP: Select the amplifier mode of the remote control.
• D DAC: Select the Streamer DAC mode of the remote control.
• R RIAA: Select the RIAA mode of the remote control.

Installing/Replacing Battery

To remove the backplate, apply slight pressure and move it downwards to release it. Install one AAA battery as indicated in the battery compartment. Remove the battery if you are not going to use the remote for an extended period of time.

Menu Functions

Note: Settings are stored when your Aavik device is switched to standby. Remember to switch your device to standby before removing power if you have changed settings.

You can change many settings using the front panel or remote control.

Accessing the Menu:

• Remote: Press the "Menu" button (E) to enter or exit the menu.
• Front Panel: Press and hold the INPUT SELECT/MENU BUTTON (4) for 3 seconds.

When entering the menu, either information on the currently playing stream or the display brightness setting will be shown.

Navigating the Menu:

• Remote: Cycle through options using the ARROW LEFT and ARROW RIGHT (H) buttons.
• Front Panel: Press the INPUT SELECT/MENU BUTTON (4) to cycle through options.
• Changing Settings: Use the ARROW UP and ARROW DOWN (G) buttons on the remote, the up and down front panel buttons (2/3), or the rotary knob (6).

Once in the menu, you can cycle through all options in the order shown. Using the front panel, the amplifier will return to normal operation once all options are cycled through.

Settings

Specifications

Contact Information

For feedback or questions, please contact:

Email: info@audiogroupdenmark.com

Website: AUDIOGROUPDENMARK.COM