Country of Origin
Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (4GHz quad-core with Turbo, 32GB RAM, 3TB FusionDrive, OSX Yosemite. iTunes 14.4), PureMusic 3.02, Audirvana 3, Qobuz, Tidal, Denafrips Terminator+ clock-synced to Gaia/Avatar, Soundaware D100Pro SD card transport; Preamp: Vinnie Rossi L2 Signature with Elrog ER50; Power amps: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos; Headamp: Kinki Studio; Phones: HifiMan Susvara; Loudspeakers: Audio Physic Codex; Cube Audio Nenuphar; Aurai Audio M1 [on loan]; Cables: Complete loom of Allnic Audio ZL; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all source components, Vibex One 11R on amps, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc Krion and glass amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, LessLoss Firewall for loudspeakers, Furutech NCF Signal Boosters; Room: 4 x 6m with high gabled beam ceiling opening into 4 x 8m kitchen and 5 x 8m living room so no wall behind the listening chairs
2nd system: Source: Soundaware D300Ref SD transport; DAC: Denafrips Terminator; Preamp/filter: Passive Preamplifier icOn 4Pro SE w. custom 4th-order/40Hz hi-low pass; Amplifier: LinnenberG Audio Liszt monos; Loudspeakers:sound|kaos Vox 3awf, Dynaudio S18 sub; Power delivery: Furutech GTO 2D NCF; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Audioquest Fog Lifters; Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~4x6m
Desktop system: Source: HP Z230 work station Win7/64; USB bridge: Audiobyte Hydra X+; Headamp: COS Engineering H1; Phones: Final D8000; Powered speakers: Fram Audio Midi 150
Upstairs headfi/speaker system: Source: Soundaware A280 SD transport; Integrated amplifiers: Schiit Jotunheim R or Bakoon AMP-13R; Phones: Raal-Requisite SR1a, Audeze LCD-2, Final Sonorous X & D8000, HifiMan HE-1000; Loudspeakers: Acelec Model 1
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; DAC: Kinki Studio; Preamp: Wyred4Sound STP-SE II; Power amp: Pass Labs XA-30.8; Loudspeakers: German Physiks HRS-120; Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: Darkz Rezonator T2 €3'600, Darkz Rezonator T2 Supreme €4'600
Titanic titanium. Bicycle frames love it. So do Swiss watches and Aavik/Ansuz/Børresen. As a material, titanium is lighter yet stiffer than aluminium or stainless steel. It's also significantly costlier. Our Danes have developed an appetite for titanium to show up in their equipment rack, best footers, 580 chassis struts, voice-coil formers and resonators. Unlike Franck Tchang's ASI much-copied acoustic resonators—tiny inverted viking helmets in gold, silver, copper or platinum plus wooden bodies—the Danish Rezonator in standard or supreme version is a thick pure titanium rod supported on either end by a grooved titanium footer. The Supreme or T2s gets an "acoustically optimized coating of zirconium, tungsten and aluminum/titanium nitride". That adds €1'000 above the already stiff €3'600 base price. If you thought that to resonate freely like a tuning fork or bell, you'd want just one minimal central contact and free-floating ends, not here. To learn the Ansuz way of harmonious resonance, I requested Rezonator samples. My factory contact Morten Thyrrestrup was happy to oblige. In his own system, he finds them most effective on an Ansuz power distributor. He also explained that the titanium cross in their Aavik 580 hoods serves the same purpose. They refer to it as a built-in resonator.
And there you thought Darkz Arts were exclusive to the NSA & Co.
True detective: for their factory sound rooms, our Danes employ the services of a room tuning expert who, after an accident and subsequent coma, emerged with the ability to see air turbulence.
That's a perfect super power to have for assisting others in improving their room acoustics. It's a bit like synæsthesia, that odd medical condition wherein the senses of affected people cross-link. Some taste colors for example.
I knew a hifi dealer in Virginia who saw colors with sounds. He learnt to exploit his different neural wiring to set up systems. Why mention it here? To show that Audio Group Denmark are unafraid to exploit things which still elude hard scientific explanations. If something works, they'd rather use it now than wait for science to catch up.
Just don't expect full explanations for that. Those presuppose complete understanding. Complete understanding just isn't required when empirical evidence already knows that doing this makes that happen. It's basic pragmatism. Ansuz's Rezonator falls into this category. So does hiring Flemming Erik Rasmussen after his retirement from Gryphon Audio. That addition to the Audio Group Denmark roster is simply far easier to explain.
