Audiophilepure

Timbrally, too, the U-588 ranks among the most neutral amplifiers I’ve heard. Please don’t read that like it is devoid of color or saturation. It renders everything in the recording, whether wooden, metal, string, vocal, or otherwise, just as it is supposed to be. The pacing is also perfect, neither slow nor hurried, but precisely in between, and moving along with the music. Likewise, the U-588 is dynamically very capable, scaling precisely as needed by the music, neither undercutting nor bragging.

As I proceeded to listen to various tracks, I realized that the U-588 has a stealth-like musicality. By this, I mean that amplifiers that are usually found to be “musical” and engaging are typically warm or lush, or in some other way veering from purity or neutrality. With the Aavik, there is simply no added warmth, thickness, or coloration. Nevertheless, it does not devalue the emotion or reduce the warmth embedded in the recordings. In short, it is earthy and neutral, yet natural and musical.

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