D-180

This review first appeared in September 2022 on HifiKnights.com. By request of the manufacturer and permission of the author, it is hereby syndicated to reach a broader audience. All images contained in this piece are the property of Dawid Grzyb – Ed.

Reviewer: Dawid Grzyb
Sources: Innuos Statement, LampizatOr Pacific with KR T-100 or LV 300B and KR 5U4G
USB components: iFi Audio iGalvanic3.0, micro iUSB3.0, 3 x Mercury3.0, iPower 9V
Preamplifier: Trilogy 915R
Power amplifier: Trilogy 995R
Speakers: sound|kaos Vox 3awf, Boenicke Audio W11 SE+
Interconnects: Boenicke Audio IE3 CG
Speaker cables: Boenicke Audio S3, LessLoss C-MARC
Power components: GigaWatt PC-3 SE EVO+ w. LC-3 EVO cord, LessLoss C-MARC, Boenicke Audio Power Gate, IOSL-8 Prometheus
Rack: Franc Audio Accessories wood block rack
Network: Fidelizer EtherStream, Linksys WRT160N
Retail price of component: €6'000

My Aavik S-180 review published this May. Now it's time to spin its companion DAC for a take. Let's see whether it's any good. It all begins with expertise across the board. Most successful audio houses have built their reputation on one product category. Everything else supports that core. Boenicke Audio recognized for their speakers now also offer electronics, tweaks and cables. LampizatOr's bread and butter are DACs alongside which now live streamers, amps, speakers and accessories. Enthusiasts associate LessLoss with noise-cancelling cables and signal conditioners but right next to them we see three D/A converters, several power components, footers and other enhancers. Denafrips started with discrete R-2R ladder DACs but now offer DDC, external clocks, multiple pre and power amps, one head amp and one monitor speaker. These are just a few examples of audio trees which sprouted extra branches. The longer list simply won't include today's company Audio Group Denmark with its brands Aavik, Ansuz and Børresen.

S-180

AGD's rosters don't specify which hardware group was the original backbone. Aavik do electronics, Ansuz accessories and cables, Børresen speakers. All three brands went live concurrently. Since day one founders Lars Kristensen and Michael Børresen offered us enough building blocks to assemble entire setups without spending any money elsewhere. These discrete yet mutually compliant portfolios support dozens of developments without diluting focus. They also tell us that their creators think big and holistic. To our Danes every piece of audio is relevant to potentially make a big difference. Normally I'd file away such chatter as marketing fluff but the €3'500/ea. (!) Ansuz Z2S anti-vibration footers and €36K/3m D-TC Supreme power cord are good reminders why I can't. Their crazy price tags reflect off-the-charts efficacy. Our Victor award on their accounts stresses the point.

Lars and Michael's skill sets are extensive to put it mildly. They spare no expense to land results and bill accordingly. Then again we shouldn't expect less from individuals who for many years were associated with Raidho and Nordost. Audio Group Denmark's top stuff pretty much sells for kidneys though its entry-level troopers demand rather less. Aavik's catalogue comprises many visually identical products where only price communicates the associated tier. One must look beyond unified dress code and understand that their method of scaling up performance narrows mostly down to internal measures. A while ago Srajan took under his scope Aavik's three DACs. At first this review may look like being in triplicate just with incomparable stickers but it mapped many progressive performance levels. It's a brilliant reminder to not judge a book by its cover. In audio that won't get us far.

It's become sort of tradition that Audio Group Denmark assignments on 6moons and HifiKnights don't overlap. This diversifies coverage at our sites so readers have more products to read about. Although I keep away from models reviewed by Srajan and vice versa, this time there's crossover. My Aavik S-180 writeup didn't feature its companion D-180 delivered on the same pallet. My factory contact Morten told me that these machines were made for each other. I had to put that statement to the test at some point. Today is that point. Besides, I like DACs.