Country of Origin
This review first appeared in December 2021 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 Auduo 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: €36'000/3m, €45'000/4m
The Ansuz A2 power loom reviewed here nearly two years ago nicely set the stage for today's D-TC Supreme power cord. That was sent my way several weeks ago. It sells for more than any audio component I own. Now it's time to find out whether it lives up to its tag of 8'848.86 per meter. As a full-time reviewer, I operate by a set of self-imposed rules. I stay away from product types which are beyond my expertise and comfort zone. It's why I haven't yet published anything on vinyl or CD. We all start somewhere and work our way up from there. A costly CD player story penned by a freshman to the breed wouldn't be of much use to experienced punters after such hardware. As a one-man outfit I do everything: unpacking, set up, photography, listening, writing and return logistics. Components too massive to handle on my own and/or not fit for my listening room's size or layout are mostly out. A successful full-time reviewing gig demands being practical not stupid. Know thy place. Know thy tools of the trade. Thou shall not agree to loaners you'll regret later. Thou shall not conduct silly experiments of no use to anyone. These are all commandments I try to live by. Here also applies "Thou shall not be greedy". That prevents me from reaching for the insanely expensive. But I routinely break that particular commandment. Today is such a day; again.
Most audio manufacturers focus their marketing efforts on promoting specific products. Far fewer are open to reviewer suggestions. Establishments well-stocked with samples of every type who are happy to meet even the most unreasonable loaner requests are extremely rare. Audio Group Denmark previously known as UpperLevel APS fit that last profile. Their brands Børresen (speakers), Ansuz (cables & accessories) and Aavik (electronics) appeared on 6moons and my site multiple times already. They no longer need introductions. Their luxury rosters quickly escalate into the wallet-intense ionosphere, not shocking considering how founders Lars Kristensen and Michael Børresen are industry veterans previously associated with Nordost and Raidho. During my stay at their facilities in Aalborg and Aarhus, it became very clear that they've truly mastered the fine art of scaling up performance. The most significant sonic spikes always occurred when transitioning from their second best to the very best regardless of component type. That had me thoroughly impressed each time.
Enter my factory contact Morten who since day one has been fully open to any review ideas and very clear about Audio Group Denmark's entire lineup being at my disposal. Although several of their products we've already reviewed weren't affordable by any means, the actual ceiling sits far higher still. That includes €160'000 speakers, a power distributor with €36'000 on its tag, tiny decoupling pucks priced €3'500 each and so forth. As much as I enjoy having my feet on the ground, when the sky is the limit I wonder how flying feels. Besides, this year has been quite the rollercoaster so finishing up with a proper view from way on high seems strangely fitting. So I asked Morten to send over their very best power cord but stick to just one to keep triangulations nice and easy. Several days later a massive box with an Ansuz D-TC Supreme came my way.
My curiosity about their very best was the primary but not only reason why I specifically asked for their DT-C Supreme. My plan to go big and Morten's willingness to support it still wouldn't transcend my fairly small listening room. That says no to Børresen's largest 05 floorstanders for example. Its smaller siblings were already covered by Srajan and I and the same holds for many Aavik models. However, our separate takes on Ansuz's mid-tier D2 and entry-level A2 ranges left an opening at the very top namely D-TC Supreme. Power cords are widely considered to be the most beneficial, audible and important of all cable types so my decision about exactly which Supreme type to pursue was easy. Morten casually asked whether he ought to dispatch a full loom so probably some four or five cords with matched distributor box. "Thou shall not tempt reviewers" isn't part of his MO. That massive €200'000+ stack with hefty ingredients would simply have demanded space behind my rack I don't have. Fortunately just one 3.0m Ansuz D-TC Supreme sufficed to learn how their top cable tech works and remained just about manageable enough to not stress me out too much.
