My visit to the Audio Group Denmark premises in Aalborg/Aarhus was useful to understand why Aavik gear sounds as it does. Still, my regular residents contributed even more. Reviewers evaluate loaners in the context of their reference systems, rooms and familiarity with similar products. That said, the Aavik I-280 and S-180 clashed with the oppositely groomed Kinki Studio EX-M1 class A/B integrated and Innuos Statement streamer. Needless to say, detecting, tracking and describing major differences between them was child's play. It didn't take long to hear which tuning was primarily quick, open, energetic, fresh and radiant, which mostly dense, round, dark, viscous, grounded and atmospheric. The D-180 voiced in the ballpark of its siblings represented the latter. My ripped, direct, zesty, spatially liberated, wiry and slightly lean Pacific DAC played in the former league. Early impressions rarely change in time yet only get us so far. The key question then is about the newcomer's faith over the long run. Will it still be used once early listening days are over? Or will it land back in its box shortly after? Seeing what's in these cards is the real fun part.

The D-180 was in my system for several weeks and had to step down only because another product needed its space. That had me surprised because I thoroughly enjoy what the Pacific does which represents my kind of general sound. Yet both DACs clocked roughly the same time largely because they were so different. The Aavik's naturally weightier rounder disposition allowed me to enjoy several bad recordings I find quite unlistenable with the inherently shinier more resolute LampizatOr. That stepped in each time my playlist demanded spatial intensity, acceleration, precision, magnified outlines, impact, dynamic pop and enveloping instrumental nearness. The Aavik worked its charm when gravitas, roundness, softness, a cloudier more distant vibe and perspective anchored deeper into that soundstage were to be emphasized. The D-180 did brilliantly on atmospheric minimalist tribal music with large bloomy drums, background whispers and echoing vocals à la Heilung. The Pacific was irreplaceable on Rodrigo y Gabriela's unamplified guitar stunts. If on tonal qualities one was zesty and sweet like a ripe tangerine, the other was a mango so mellower, sweeter and without the acidic aftertaste.

My reference DAC did more on technical aspects. It was faster so more instantaneous, controlled, spatially bold and surrounding to put me on stage with the performers behind which multiple tiny bits suspended way deeper in air were still easily traced. No other DAC I've heard to date can render aural bubbles brimming with effortless detail as convincingly. Neither could the Dane. It felt more remote, less focused and resolved, not quite as deep yet still charming enough to not become a subpar specimen. Let me stress again that it kept me entertained as frequently as the Pacific, quite the achievement considering the price discrepancy. Aavik's voicing held my attention not only because it was a nice counterpoint. Inspite of being built on thickness, expressiveness, mass and thicker edges, it didn't feel stuffy, bloated, excessively warm, spatially restricted, slow or fuzzy. Clarity is the outcome of noise removal after all and here the Aavik ranked high. Just so my focus locked on its other traits. By following them I admired the view rather than wishing it different. That was meaningful. To me, any audio affair that keeps wishful thoughts at bay is good, period. On that note, the Pacific DAC with LV 300B could use a tad more fat under its paper-thin wiry skin but once engaged, I don't think about that. I had a lot of fun with the D-180 because it wasn't undercooked in any regard and in that sense again resembled its siblings.

At this point the Innuos made room for the S-180 streamer. In theory the two similarly tuned Aavik could have been a bit much but reality had it otherwise. Noise rejection scales up. The more potent it is, the more the sound evolves into a texturally wider, juicier, clearer, more oxygenated and agile version of itself. Although the entire perspective grew thicker and darker, I still perceived outlines more precise with longer finer shimmers on top. That's how the Aavik streamer boosted the D-180 without downscaling anything else. My Innuos Statement was quicker, punched harder, dug as deep, projected airier landscapes and was more radiant and insightful but also felt a touch more mechanical, light and less intense on pigmentation. The math was simple. The twice costlier Portuguese streamer/server gave me noticeably more but had to give something up in turn. That didn't matter much in the grand scheme. The S-180 wasn't a counter-productive companion to the D-180, quite the contrary. It turned out highly fitting and that's my key takeaway. The two worked together wonderfully within my setup and I'm confident that other systems similarly tuned for high resolution would likewise appreciate the Aavik twins.

I remember how during one of our Aalborg chats three springs ago, Lars Kristensen calmly listened to my casual remarks about digital, then smiled and quipped that I really shouldn't underestimate their DACs. Although back then I already knew that Audio Group Denmark were high-tier experts who walk to their own beat and make silly good stuff, I still considered their digital hardware portfolio extenders. Not anymore. The Aavik S-180 made that point in May, the D-180 did today. This clever effort looks the part, operates flawless and performs impressive enough to hold its ground against the competition. If you're are after a DAC and already fancy Aavik's house sound, the odds are this one might be just your ticket!