Without leaving Denmark, what does our splurgiest green stack or thin plastic buy in a stand-mount speaker from Audiovector, Børresen, Dali, Dynaudio and Raidho? This question was pertinent when I still thought I'd review the Frida monitor. After writing a 3-page intro for it, I was asked whether I could go Gro instead which was still unreviewed. I agreed then tweaked my intro to match but left this paragraph untouched since it still makes the point. In alphabetical sequence and with ~pricing/pr with/out stands, we could pursue an Arreté R1 for $6.2K, an M1 for €94K, an Epikore 3 for €10K, a Confidence 20 for €11.4K and a TD1.2 for €24K.

This shortlist shows how €15.5K Frida positions herself right above Dali and Dynaudio and well below Børresen's and Raidho's best though the latter two offer multiple models for less. In this company Audiovector stand out for asking by far the least. We also see that rear-slimming so non-rectilinear cabs are most popular as are exotic tweeters. From this bunch, only Dynaudio and SV keep the domed faith. Dali combine theirs with a planar super tweeter. Børresen and Raidho go planar exclusively, Audiovector AMT.

With beauty in the eye of the beast, it's still fair to say that in our six-deep grouping, SV-Audio have managed to create their own distinctive industrial design. Considering just how populous the loudspeaker nation is, that's not really easy to do. Clearly Herre Caspar at the helm of the in-house machine shop has a good eye and firm hand for charting that course. With furniture that makes noise, looks matter. Once we play in the luxury leagues, the option of custom lacquers to match the curtains, rugs, Rothko on the wall or Bentley in the garage could become a very decisive factor. I could be wrong but think that from my shortlist, only SV-Audio cover that aspect without restrictions. It's one clear benefit of domestic manufacture. Danish labour is obviously costlier than going offshore but cuts the slow boat from China expense and delay. Buyers who consider not just the object but who builds it could enjoy that shopping Storgaard & Vestskov supports a small family enterprise not corporate entity? 6moons now being a very small family enterprise of just one, I certainly enjoy covering other smaller outfits in our sector more than corporations. Reasons. We all have them. Arguing them is a waste, stating them clarity. Back on customization, it's a big deal in a league which views possessions not just for their utility but as design statements and objects d'art. A Hong Kong importer of luxury hifi brands once shared that it's quite common for his shoppers to arrive with a jeweler's loupe. They inspect the finish quality of an amp or speaker under magnification exactly as they would a diamond to spot imperfections invisible to the naked eye.

Kim Storgaard, Caspar's brother-in-law, co-founder and head of sales with Franco Serblin and Triangle speakers plus his own | Laerke Vestskov Poulsen, the CEO's daughter posing for size reference against their three models.

So execution not by noose is the second half of this equation. It's what Wilson Audio lacquers are famous for. They equal what the same buyer gets from Ferrari or Maserati. It's also what Zu's in-house paint booth does. It's what Kim Storgaard with his prior training in car painting is responsible for at SV-Audio. Any speaker builder thinking of entering this sector best have all their ducks lined up; and not like dominoes. Making good sound could be the least of them. Even subtle orange peel wouldn't be a vitamin hit but bitter rejectamento. As Wikipedia explains, it occurs when paint doesn't flow properly during spraying and drying and leaves behind subcutaneous ripples rather than a perfectly smooth finish. Causes can be improper technique, incorrect viscosity or environmental conditions. Now one looks at elite craftsmanship, number of layers and sanding steps, clean-room conditions and the correct industrial equipment.

That clearly won't be the archetypal enthusiast working from his garage no matter how gifted. It won't be a carpenter having mastered his fancy veneers. Putting the required infrastructure in place never mind skills is obviously quite the investment. It's not something most speaker brands start out with but must work up to over many years of successful operations reinvesting profits. That SV-Audio wield this infrastructure from day one is testament to their principals' prior backgrounds and accomplishments. As we learnt from Dawid's recent Buchardt Audio E50 review, it took Mads Buchardt 12 years to evolve from outsourced cabinetry to full in-house production in a new 1'050m² Silkeborg facility. Even well-established firms like Raidho and Børresen still prefer to focus on driver manufacture and final assembly whilst leaving cabinet fabrication and finishing to offshore partners. All this by way of – um, painting the proper sketch for Stoorgard & Vestskov. Though they are just 2 years young, they're also old souls fortunate enough to leverage prior resources and not start from scratch.