The D-180 naturally had to fight my LampizatOr Pacific DAC loaded with Living Voice 300B tubes and KR Audio 5U4G rectifier. Their power inlets saw Boenicke Audio Power Gate captive M2 cords. iFi's Mercury3.0 cable connected their USB inputs with the Innuos Statement's extensively cleaned USB output. Both DACs fed a Trilogy 915R preamp's single-ended inputs via LessLoss Entropic-processed C-MARC cables. After each swap I reconnected iFi's USB 3.0 cable, selected the corresponding input on my linestage and compensated volume. Once I had a firm idea how the D-180 fared fronted by the Innuos, the S-180 entered the stage. Since that streamer has no USB output, it sent data to the D-180 via Ansuz €2.5K Digitalz C2 BNC cable. That way I could map what the two Aavik accomplished as a short stack.
To quote myself: "Audio Group Denmark's sound is fast, spatially expansive, resolved and meticulously stripped of noise to boost colors, smoothness, mass and backdrop blackness. The more expensive their hardware gets regardless of type, the more pronounced these traits become. By their standards today's subject is an entry-level specimen for customers with limited funds that should keep high expectations at bay. It doesn't. The company's sales director Frits Dalmose once told me that they suck at downscaling so even their entry-level models are infused with the same sonic DNA. After hearing quite a few of their products, I can only agree. The S-180 loaner proved that point once more."
The D-180 did, too. Its gearing for well-developed tone, round edges, softness, moisture, hefty bass, density and pitch-black background was evident. I expected no less given their house sound and methods of noise stripping. That said, it's interesting how our optics alter over time. Years back I'd have associated the D-180's flavor as described primarily with its on-board BurrBrown chip widely known for such tailoring. Now I don't. I've sampled functionally diverse products built upon extensive noise reduction and now know better. To be clear, a DAC's topology factors, just nowhere near as much as most think. We're exposed to power supplies, output stages, chassis mechanics, DSP and internal tweaks. Since all that partakes in making the sound we hear, I'm clueless why so many still obsess over DAC chips without paying attention to all else. It's actually funny given that designing two oppositely profiled devices with the same chip inside is a breeze to a skilled engineer. But I digress.
It's fair to admit that my experiences with two previous Aavik had me pre-biased. They struck me as quite like-minded performers. Since their internal noise-killing parts and HDF chassis shared, today's D-180 was destined to sound similar to at least some degree. It didn't take long to notice that it did indeed. Yet the most interesting discovery was found elsewhere. This DAC was the third Aavik in a row that behaved the same in my setup. Its creators' ability to land several such products regardless of category implies finely honed expertise and a firm sonic vision rather than respective means. The takeaway is obvious. Customers interested in either Aavik know exactly what to expect. I find that most comforting.
