AAVIK THE BEST KEPT Sereat IN DIGITAL

@arafiq yes I owned one and no it is not the best. @dbagstrick yes I owned one for a year and sold it. Did not hold a candle to my current gear. Perfect name also dbag. 

@sagur80 

Are you going to try Weiss Dac502 MKII, MSB Discreet, Rockna Wavedream, and Lab12 Dac1 Reference as well? I tried all these as well and went with Lab12. 

I listened to the La Scala as well and liked it very much. To be honest La Scala, Weiss, and Lab12 sounded identical to my ears. So I just went with the cheapest option which is Lab12. 

I tried the Weiss 502 and 501, found them to be competent yet lackluster given their stellar reviews. The Rockna Wavedream, heavy warm almost viscous sound with the Wavelight all things considered the better of the two. Lab12 is one to take a look into along the way. As is another , the Audio Research DAC 9, which is clearly on the radar given the positive feedback received from owners and the audio press alike. 

@sagur80 

Do you find the U 280 musically engaging, immersive in the music experience , non fatiguing ?. Aavik claim their low and mid tiers DACs to be warm , musical with good soundstage. Would you agree given your own experience with the U 280 DAC section?

The U-280 is the first amp where I don't miss tubes in my system. I have always loved tubes and owned several tube integrated amplifier (Audio Research GSi75, VAC 160, Audio Hungary Qualiton a50i, Rogue, Raven, and a few more). I also tried SS amps a few times, with the more recent ones being Luxman 590AXII, Naim Supernait3, etc.. But I always went back to tubes. The U-280 is the only amp where I don't miss the familiar tube sound. I feel that it takes the best of both worlds and creates its own unique sound signature.

I can't really say how the D-280 sounds by itself since I haven't tried it, but the U-280 combo is definitely very musical and has a warmth which I never expected to find in a class D amp to be honest. I was actually very skeptical and planned to return the amp to my dealer after a few days of auditioning. But please keep in mind that, despite the warmth, it's not lush sounding like many tube amplifiers. It takes the holographic imaging, the dense cut-with-a-knife palpability of tubes and marries it with the resolution and bass response of a very good SS amp. But it does not masquerade as a tube amp by any means. If someone wants the lushness of tubes then they're better off with tubes. The Aavik focuses more on the purity of sound and lets you peer into the music and present every bit of detail albeit in a very layered, smooth and non-fatiguing way. Last night I listened for 4 hours straight and had to force myself to turn it off so I could get some sleep. So, no I don't find it fatiguing at all.

Hope this helps. Good luck in your search :)

The Aavik focuses more on the purity of sound and lets you peer into the music and present every bit of detail albeit in a very layered, smooth and non-fatiguing way. Last night I listened for 4 hours straight and had to force myself to turn it off so I could get some sleep. So, no I don't find it fatiguing at all

The Aavik, just like any potential dac for future purchase, needs to be above all else non fatiguing. Good to hear your positive impressions , confirming yet again just how serious the designers at Aavik take the user enjoyment aspect of their products.