Aavik Acoustics U-380
Finally—a way to get a handle on the sound of Aavik Acoustics electronics. I’d heard the Danish-made components many times at shows, but always in the context of Ansuz Acoustics cables and Børresen Acoustics loudspeakers. As much as the threesome was inevitable—all three companies are owned by Michael Børresen, Lars Kristensen, and a third shareholder—there was no way to determine the unique sound of each component in the mix.
Not that I hadn’t tried. Reporting from the 2019 High End show in Munich, I noted the distinguished “earth-rooted bass and midrange” produced by the combination of Aavik M-300 mono power amplifiers, Børresen 05 loudspeakers, and Ansuz cabling. “There’s a very special, aged-in-wood component to its bass sound that I find fascinating… combined with clear highs that, while not shy, are capable of conveying intimacy.”1 But that was with a pair of the Aavik M-300 class-A monoblocks (since replaced by the M-380). The subject of this review, and my first opportunity to audition an Aavik product in a known reference system, is the very different U-380 class-D integrated amplifier ($39,000), which includes a PCM-based DAC as well as a phono stage. A second optional phono stage is available for systems with two tonearms. (When installed, it replaces one set of analog inputs.)
The Aavik Acoustics U-380 delivered the finest class-D sound that I’ve ever heard in my system.
Readers may recognize the names Børresen and Kristensen. The men, who met while Børreson was studying engineering at Aalborg University, and Kristensen was running an audio store, founded loudspeaker company Raidho Acoustics in 2001. Børresen served as speaker designer and Kristensen handled sales; at the same time, Kristensen also conducted Nordost cable demonstrations at shows and dealerships. After the financial crisis of 2008 altered the audio landscape, Dantax became a financial partner in Raidho. In 2017, Børresen and Kristensen moved on from Raidho, and with the help of a third shareholder, who handles marketing, took ownership of Aavik electronics and Ansuz cabling from Dantax. Børresen loudspeakers hit the market at the start of 2019.
The Aavik U-380, which was introduced in fall 2019 at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, has the same functionality and circuitry as the model U-300 it replaced. However, every printed-circuit board (PCB) has been rerouted, some components have been updated, and lower-noise automotive transistors have been introduced to the phono stage. “We identified 10 or 15 places on every module where we could do something with a higher degree of
