Børresen M8 Gold Signature Loudspeaker And Aavik M-880 Mono Amplifier Launch Event
AUDIO GROUP DENMARK LAUNCHES BØRRESEN M8 GOLD SIGNATURE LOUDSPEAKER AND AAVIK M-880 MONO AMPLIFIER IN AALBORG
Stu and Lin packed their thermals and headed to the Audio Group Denmark HQ in Aalborg for the exclusive Børresen M8 Gold Signature Loudspeaker and Aavik M-880 Mono Amplifier launch event.
When you get an invite from Audio Group Denmark, and you have a bit of an idea that they are going to be launching a pair of speakers and amplifiers that will cost potential users in excess of a million euros, you pack your bags, grab some nice gifts, and hop on a plane to Aalborg, which for the geography enthusiasts out there, is in the North of Denmark.
When I say I had a bit of an idea of what we were in for, I was expecting to be presented with a pair of loudspeakers that cost around a million quid, but I wasn’t prepared for the amps that have been designed to partner them.
We arrived on Wednesday night after a somewhat protracted and much altered flight plan; Instead of flying to Amsterdam from Paris, we flew to Copenhagen and caught the last connecting flight to Aalborg. A quick taxi drive to the appointed hotel and we were there, to be greeted by Frank, Frits, and Travis of Audio Group Denmark and their Czech distributors – thanks for staying up so late to meet us, guys.
The next morning was free, and after a nice breakfast, Lin and I headed out in the sub-zero conditions (what a lovely change to the rain we’ve been experiencing for the last Noah-knows-how-long). We didn’t get far as it was so cold, but we did get to see the fabulous Musikkens Hus of Aalborg and (something I’ve never seen before) frozen sea. We’d be at the Musikkens Hus later, but what a fabulous bit of architecture. And this is something I noted about Aalborg in general: it’s a beautifully designed town, and a great deal of thought has gone into things like the street furniture. Back to the hotel for a bit of warmth, a couple of cups of coffee, and a chat with some of the invited guests.
A BIT MORE ABOUT AALBORG
I wanted to talk a little bit more about the town of Aalborg and its transition from a declining industrial town to a tech-town that is positively thriving. I make no excuses for turning to Wiki for this information.
For much of the twentieth century, it was a classic industrial city. Cement works, ship-related trade, tobacco production, and heavy manufacturing dominated both the skyline and the local economy.
Then came the decline that many European industrial centres experienced from the 1970s onwards. Traditional manufacturing declined, and factories closed.
The establishment of Aalborg University in 1974 proved pivotal. Education, research and innovation began to reshape the city’s direction. Over time, employment moved steadily away from heavy industry and towards services, knowledge-based businesses, and technology sectors.
By the late twentieth century, Aalborg had developed a strong cluster in telecommunications and wireless technology, earning the nickname “Mobilicon Valley”. At the same time, it did not abandon industry entirely. Cement production, energy technology and export manufacturing remain important pillars, and it was interesting to see the chimneys on the skyline during our morning walk up to the Musikkens Hus.
Going on for 13:00, we gathered at the hotel and took the short walk up to the Musikkens Hus for the day’s events.
AALBORG MUSIKKENS HUS
Like the town of Aalborg, I think it’s worth mentioning and talking about this hugely impressive building a little more.
It was designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au as a bold, sculptural home for music on the city’s waterfront. Conceived as a place where education, performance and public life collide, the building brings together concert halls, rehearsal spaces, teaching facilities, and public areas under one expressive roof. Its dramatic and brutalist architecture reflects movement, sound and energy, while inside it hosts everything from classical concerts and jazz performances to music education and community events, making it both a cultural landmark and a working hub for musicians at all levels. Today, it hosted Audio Group Denmark and their guests – a mix of international press and AGD distributors. It’s a hugely impressive building and one that you should visit if you ever have the opportunity, though, having looked at many photographs of the inside, I was a little worried about the height issues, given I get the collywobbles if I stand on a step ladder.
THE BØRRESEN M8 AND AAVIK M-880 LAUNCH EVENT
A glass of fizz, a bite to eat, and some not-so-insignificant small talk later, we were ushered into the main room of the lower theatre of the Musikkens Hus. After a brief presentation by Michael Børresen and Lars Kristensen, the covers were removed from the speakers and amps, and we got to listen to some tunes.
I’m not going to get into the whole thing about the speakers and the amps’ specs; you can read more about those in the news stories we posted previously, but I am going to give you a feel for the event, and I’ll touch on my thoughts of the speakers.
Read all the info about the Børresen M8 Gold Signature Loudspeakers here
Aavik M-880 Mono Amplifier info here
The back row of the half-filled with chairs auditorium was free, and I managed to occupy what I found to be the sweet spot for these speakers. They are big, impressive, and the amps follow the lines of Børresen’s speakers – a cool design that involved the well-known and much-loved talents of Flemming Erik Rasmussen. Sonically, this wasn’t the best environment for the speakers, but it did mean that we got a real sense for the scale and detail this setup brings to the party.
I have a couple of takeaways from my time spent at Musikkens Hus with the new Børresen M8 Gold Signature Loudspeakers and Aavik M-880 Mono Amplifiers. The first was a (almost) vocal-free version of I Am The Walrus, where all that remained was the orchestral parts of the song. I’d never really realised there was so much going on in the tune, but with Lennon’s vocals stripped away, the tune transformed and the new speakers and amps carried vast amounts of information into the room. My second “revelation” was Paul Simon’s Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, where I was drawn to a very specific percussion sound that I’d not previously been aware of. Again, the detail these speakers and amps put out into the room was impressive, and whilst the volume was pretty high, it was not at all overpowering, but was uncoloured and distortion-free. I’m not going to get into the whole pseudo-review situation here, as I don’t believe in doing that at events, but I will touch on their sound in the Saturday part of this write-up when we went to the factory.
After a truly exceptional dinner and an introduction to the music that was to follow by Jan Mygind, we were invited to the concert hall (WOW!) to hear Alexander von Zernilinsky’s Die Seejungfrau (The Little Mermaid), followed by Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No 2. Op. 73.
SATURDAY AT THE AUDIO GROUP DENMARK FACTORY
A good night’s sleep later, Lin and I headed out to Penny Lane (apt given which music had really caught my attention the day before), a beautiful and very busy bakery in Aalborg’s central district, to buy cakes for the birthday of my good friend Frank of AGD, who deals with the UK and Australian markets for the brand, before a quick taxi ride to the factory.
The factory is fantastic, and we’ve visited before, but the hub of it is a well-sorted listening room with an Irish-themed pub built in. We’d brought drinks from our local region, but no visit to the AGD factory is complete without sampling their cryogenically treated gin (and tonic). The conversation flowed, and it’s here that we got to choose the music and sit in front of the new speakers and amplifiers.
Of course, the system has power and scale, but there is also a real delicacy to the sound, brought about by the designers’ absolute obsession with lowering the noisefloor associated with the components. As reviewers, we often talk about a system disappearing, but this system really did get out of the way and allow you to immerse yourself in the music that was playing. Lin chose Daft Punk, which had weight and clarity, whilst I chose Dusty Kid III, where the intentional distortion (it was recorded in DAW and then routed through a reel-to-reel before being re-recorded) came through in a way I’ve not heard before, and I’ve heard it in some rather conscious(ly)-enhanced states many times.
So what does this system bring to the musical experience? I guess from my couple of hours or so in front of the new amps and speakers, the main takeaways for me were a sense of being within the music, but seeing and understanding the soundstaging and mix that was presented before me. Nothing seemed overblown, and that could have been very easy with a set of speakers that are this big. The music just seemed to flow out of the speakers and reform itself in front of the listener. Greg Weaver from the US-based review site The Audio Analyst had requested some classical music, and I genuinely think this is the first time I really understood classical music and the sound staging therein. I could “see” where the violins were positioned and where the woodwind was positioned behind – I’m not a classical music fan, but I kind of “got” the reasoning for where different instruments are placed on the stage.
And apart from a lovely Indian meal, some more interesting chat, and a couple of glasses of wine, that was it.
The whole experience from arriving in Aalborg to leaving had me totally captivated and drawn into the experience. Every detail of the trip had been planned down to the finest detail to make those attending feel they were part of an exclusive club. And I do get that there are going to be those who say that nigh on a million and a half euros can’t be justified, and that we are only saying the things we’ve said because we were lucky enough to get the invite, but Audio Group Denmark set the stage and delivered every aspect of their performance down to a T. And the final (musical) performance is surely what this whole audiophile business is about, isn’t it?
I do know that AGD has already sold at least one set of the speakers and amps (and I guessed correctly to who they had been sold), but even if you have the price of entry into this hyper-selct club, the chances are you will have to wait for them as only a maximum of five sets in any 12 month period can be made.
Huge thanks to Michael, Lars, Frits, Frank, Morten, Flemming and everyone else from team Audio Group Denmark for making this a truly special event, that was as much about the people, who really are the true heart of this Danish company, as it was about the exceptional HiFi equipment that they make.
Linette and Stuart Smith
