Aavik Acoustics, the component manufacturing arm of Audio Group Denmark (AGD), sent along their peanut butter DAC to go with their jelly streamer, arriving on the island simultaneously. I began with the S-280 streamer review and then switched to the D-280 DAC. I’ve been using the DAC with the streamer for several months.

The food metaphor is apt. Both are in the Aavik “280” mid-tier line (180 below, 580 above, and the new integrated 880/review forthcoming) and are a perfect match with each other, both aurally and aesthetically. As such, they are stackable in your rack. I don’t stack. All the Aavik 280 components are €10,000 each; DAC, Streamer, Integrated and MC Phono. Integrated & Phono reviews are scheduled for Spring publication.

The S-280 Network Music Player (streamer) was so good, it was named to our Products of the Year 2022 list.

I’d like to thank our friend Morten Thyrrestrup of AGD for shipping the DAC to the island. As AGD folks always want their products to shine with their matched ancillaries, I was also sent 2 meters of Ansuz Acoustics Digitalz D2 digital cable with BNC termination (€7200/metre; add 50% for additional metres) for connection between DAC and streamer.

My Use

When you purchase an Aavik, Ansuz or Børresen product, you are getting the brilliant skills of AGD’s chief designer, Michael Børresen. He’s become one of my favourite designers and he’s hit it out of the park more times than I can remember—this goes for cables, accessories, components, speakers, etc.

Børresen is all about noise reduction. As the sister Ansuz site says: “The key endeavour of this entire range of products has always been to effectively bring down the noise floor in any audio system without compromising the spectrum of natural tones or manipulating the authentic uniqueness of the dynamics, energy, or soundstage of the music.” The same description can be said about Aavik products.

Børresen is not interested in impressing his sound design on you. He always aims for you to keep your carefully curated sound design, but more of it and much better sounding. And with his use of what he calls “advanced technologies”, he’s succeeded.

Driving the review system was my MBL N51 Integrated Amplifier, the absolute heart of my system. I used the upgraded streaming products (including Ansuz D2 Ethernet cables x3 and the PowerSwitch D2) to review the DAC. Along with my mesmeric Børresen Acoustics 01 Silver Supreme Loudspeakers. Overall, a fabulous streaming setup perfect for reviewing the Aavik D-280 DAC (€10,000).

My D-280 DAC review sample is in between my MBL N51 above and the Ansuz Mainz8 C2 Power Distributor below.

As mentioned, I used a BNC connection for the digital cable. The DAC comes equipped with two electrical S/P-DIF (32-192kHz, 16-24 bit) digital inputs. I’m usually a USB guy, but the BNC connection worked beautifully.

Filters? Meh!

I’ve found the more added digital filters, the more buggering about with a DAC’s sound, the worse the result. DACs like the Aavik D-280, my reference MBL N31 CD/DAC and the T+A Elektroakustik DAC 8 DSD High-End D/A Converter give the hobbyist a few filter choices but leave the purist with a just couple of excellent default options. I’ve reviewed DACs with 10 or more filter options. Confusion reigns. Here, in the D-280’s DAC “mode”, you can switch between four settings. The default setting is “Upsampled, Slow”—this was my choice for most of the review. You can switch upsampling on and off between a slow (soft high-frequency roll-off) and a fast (steep high-frequency roll-off) filter. Four choices are enough for most tastes.

“To best accommodate individual listening preferences, and fit hand in glove into your existing audio system, Aavik has designed 4 individual settings. Since the selected signal source connected to the input can tinge the actual sound performance, up-sampling can be switched on and off. There is also a choice between a slow (soft high-frequency roll-off) and a fast (steep high-frequency roll-off) filter.”

The provided Apple Remote offers the basic functionality found on the front panel. The large, bright, red numbers and letters stay on the input setting (eg. COAX 1) but can be dimmed, changed etc. The manual is clear regarding functionality, etc.

Specifications

2 x BNC S/P-DIF (32 - 192 k-samples, 24-bit)
2 x TOSLINK optical (32 – 192 k-samples, 24-bit)
USB fully isolated, UAC 2, asynchronous
USB: PCM 32 - 192 k-samples, 24-bit, DSD 64 - DSD 128

Distortion: <0,005% (THD at 1kHz at 0dB)

1 pair of RCA outputs
Output: 4.5Vrms at 0dB Output impedance: 100 ohms

Active Tesla Coils: 72; Active Square Tesla Coils: 176; Dither circuitry: 8

Standby: <0.5W Operating: <20W

102 x 384 x 380 mm; 5.6 kg

You can read lots about the advanced technologies on the AGD website, but they describe each technology concisely as Active Tesla coil “Effective noise killer”, Active square Tesla coils “Impressive noise reduction” and Analog dither technology “Extended musicality”.

The DAC Section

The Aavik DAC section is designed around 5 digital inputs. Digital circuits boast the best high-frequency capacities and use a printed circuit board design (PCB).

Aavik DAC rear panel. All three DACs, 180, 280 and 580 sport the same rear panel, outer chassis shape, and composite outer case material (D-180 photographed).

Largely, manufacturers are pretty firm these days on two flavours of DAC topology, either manufactured chips (such as ESS Technology, Burr-Brown, etc.) or R2R and they are often intermingled with the use of an FPGA. The Aavik site is fairly vague about the proprietary design. We know it’s printed circuit board based. An interesting phrase from the description below is “…feeding current output chips'‘. Most manufacturers shout the latest chipset names from the rooftops. A little internet snooping suggests the chips are Burr-Brown. Anyway, for the record and the deep tech types, Aavik describes their DAC design as:

By employing time-aligned, ultra-short, 4-layer PCB traces, Aavik wants to preserve the natural and pristine sound of the wide and complex range of different signals. The DAC circuits are also fitted with ultra-low jitter onboard clocks. To minimize timing errors in the digital-to-analogue conversion, all DAC circuits are isolated with 13 onboard, separate, low-noise, High Power Supply Rejection Ratio voltage regulators, each feeding only one stage of the signal handling.

The USB input is galvanically isolated to avoid noise pollution from the host. The digital inputs are routed to an Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter where they are re-sampled and re-clocked to 200 kHz/24-bit PCM, feeding current output DAC chips.

Firmware updates are available via the factory.

Sound

My audition material was specifically PCM up to 192. No DSD.

Aavik’s prime directive, as it is with Ansuz products, is to maintain an “Analog signature”.

Our ultimate goal in developing the Aavik DACs has been to transfer the digital signals into a natural, harmonious, yet, dynamic music experience without losing any of the enormous amounts of information contained in the digital source. Our engineers have been extremely fastidious in selecting the electronic components and have spared no effort to exploit any opportunity for acoustic improvement.

The sound signature of the D-280, perfectly described above, is because Aavik implements its proprietary composite casing (the D-580 gets an upgraded copper inner chassis) and use of noise reduction technologies such as 72 Active Tesla Coils, 176 Active Square Tesla Coils and 8 Dither circuits (please do read the information about these advanced technologies on their site and how they are implemented).

The primary difference between the Aavik tiers (180, 280 and 580) is the number of advanced technologies in each chassis. I’ve not heard a 580 DAC, but the performance of the 280 DAC is superior to many equivalently priced DACs I know. It’s a perfect partner to its sister S-280 Network Music Player. So, along with the superb ancillaries, Aavik can deliver its “analog signature” featuring a super low noise floor, no extraneous noise with the dynamics left intact and very accurate instrumental and vocal timbres which are quite rare in the digital domain. Many times, digital impresses but eventually one loses interest. Lots of fine sounding, two-dimensionality. The 280 DAC allows the essence of the artist’s sound and intent through, much like only the very best sounding CD players (I have one) and even approaching vinyl. I’ve never listened to as much streaming. I remain intrigued.

First on for serious listening was a HiRes Qobuz file of Vaughan Williams’ 2nd Norfolk Rhapsody, a sleepy hollow of a piece, but charming nonetheless and filled with RVW’s very underrated orchestrations. As such, the first page of the score shows quiet but deep harp notes that sounded so lovely in the acoustic with thumb and first finger technique heard clearly and the note resonating under the gentle strings. It’s little things like this that separate high-quality streaming sound from the common mass.

Later, I was mesmerized by 81-year-old Martha Argerich’s DG recent violin and piano recital with French fiddler Renaud Capuçon. Whether the Franck Sonata, Schumann Sonata No. 1 or Beethoven’s mighty Kreutzer Sonata, the fabulous interplay between the two great artists was front and centre but also Argerich’s thunderous left hand and Capuçon’s glorious violin tone. This was streaming at its finest, at least what I’ve heard. And I’ve heard dCS, Naim, Lumin and other stellar digital companies.

For me, on piece after piece and song after song, it’s the musical interest the D-280 maintains which is most important. It simply never boors. And is always fronting its “analog signature”.

A/B ing the classic RCA Ballet Music from Faust with Alexander Gibson and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House on Qobuz 176.4kHz v my Analogue Productions superlative 180-gram 33rpm vinyl reissue is where the D-280’s only limitations against the very best in vinyl production showed. Even the designers at AGD bow to the superior definition of vinyl and so it was with this shoot-out. Of course, the DAC showed effortless dynamics and thunderous bass, and enviable clarity in the midrange (looking at you vinyl French horns). A very beautiful presentation. Only the ultimate sophistication of the strings eluded the chips and a little timbral '“roundness”, for want of a better word, in the winds and brass. That a damn computer file came so close had me questioning. I wonder how much closer would the Aavik 580 streamer/DAC combo get me? Yes, here, both analogue and digital setups were of similar value, and the switch back and forth was as simple as flipping the input on my MBL N51 remote. Damn, that’s close!

When I was going through our team’s choices for Recordings of the Year 2022, it’s usually a quick check through Apple Music, Qobuz or a similar service. This year, it was a luxurious listen through Qobuz HiRes with each selection chosen by our passionate musicians and audiophiles a joy to listen to. It took a full afternoon. No matter the loud dynamic, the voluminous built-in headroom of the DAC handled all faultlessly. It never got flustered. And the DAC is always true to the original recording; no fiddling about, no prettifying. You’ll hear your digital recordings whether file or CD in exceptional detail and as envisioned by the engineer.

Summary

Thus, another digital home run from the team at AGD. And worth the admittedly expensive €10,000. Not in your budget? Go for the D-180. Then aim up and up to the D-580 when funds allow. The D-280 looks like the sweet spot and will convert your digital signal to analogue in dreamy sound for years to come. An exceptional DAC. Very highly recommended.

Further information: Aavik Acoustics