Linn Klimax DSM AV

[What Hi-Fi?]

Linn’s range-topping Klimax DSM raises the sonic bar for high-end streamers and has a price to match.

Linn Klimax DSM AV : Read more

 

[Leo Karner]

What about AirPlay 2, Chromecast Audio, Tidal Connect?

 

[NHL99]

Listened to JS Bach Goldberg Variations live previous weekend. World renowned pianist Per Tengstrand played brilliantly. Probably more well spent money than an overpriced design apparatus. Why use FPGA when there's specialist DAC's available? It's only a design gimmick.

 

[Leo Karner]

Linn’s range-topping Klimax DSM raises the sonic bar for high-end streamers and has a price to match.

Linn Klimax DSM AV : Read more

What about AirPlay 2, Chromecast Audio, Tidal Connect?

 

[nopiano]

Listened to JS Bach Goldberg Variations live previous weekend. World renowned pianist Per Tengstrand played brilliantly. Probably more well spent money than an overpriced design apparatus. Why use FPGA when there's specialist DAC's available? It's only a design gimmick.

Linn previously used AKM ’velvet’ DACs, but perhaps AKM’s factory fire forced their hand? More likely, like Chord - another famous British brand - they thought that custom design was the way to move ahead.

I guess the proof of the pudding, until I get to hear it, is the conclusion:-
“It currently represents the state of the art when it comes to streaming sound quality as far as we’re concerned”

 

[Friesiansam]

What about AirPlay 2, Chromecast Audio, Tidal Connect?

I don't suppose buyers at this end of the market are particularly bothered about those services. they will either add it to an already hugely expensive system and then just using it to show off to their rich friends or, won't consider services like that to be good enough for their likely £200k+ system.

 

[Basil Audio]

Overall a very positive review.
One point we feel worth mentioning is that both Konfig and and the original Space Optimization used in the review were replaced a few years ago by cloud based management accessed using a web browser and a completely new and different Space Optimization based on time domain modeling using a wave-guide mesh.
Konfig is still available for legacy reasons however as a dealer when installing the system we will always be using the web interface and Space Optimization 2 and we would expect all existing customers to transition to them if they haven't already.

 

[SL75]

Listened to JS Bach Goldberg Variations live previous weekend. World renowned pianist Per Tengstrand played brilliantly. Probably more well spent money than an overpriced design apparatus. Why use FPGA when there's specialist DAC's available? It's only a design gimmick.

Off-the-shelf DACs are hardwired. FPGA allows a designer to implement their own architecture and, more importantly, change/update that in-situ by means of a software update. That's where the "FP" part comes, Field-Programmable.

 

[NHL99]

Off-the-shelf DACs are hardwired. FPGA allows a designer to implement their own architecture and, more importantly, change/update that in-situ by means of a software update. That's where the "FP" part comes, Field-Programmable.

The technology is as least 40 years old. DAC silicon specialists have been iterating the technology over the years. What exactly is it that the FPGA implementation would add which isn't already ironed out in the audiophile DAC's already available?

 

[nopiano]

The technology is as least 40 years old. DAC silicon specialists have been iterating the technology over the years. What exactly is it that the FPGA implementation would add which isn't already ironed out in the audiophile DAC's already available?

That would be a good question to ask Chord. Their Dave model has 164,000 taps which they say no commercial DAC can offer. Don’t ask why that might be necessary, as I’ve no idea.

 

[bristollinnet]

Assuming my eyesight isn't failing me, and that the children working at What HiFi have a grasp of decimal points, significant numbers, etc, this is priced at thirty thousand pounds UK.

This is OBSCENE pricing for something that by design is already a year out of date.

 

[NHL99]

Assuming my eyesight isn't failing me, and that the children working at What HiFi have a grasp of decimal points, significant numbers, etc, this is priced at thirty thousand pounds UK.

This is OBSCENE pricing for something that by design is already a year out of date.

On the other end of the technology scale, I would gladly buy a Linn Majik LP12 any day of the week, only to view the nostalgic appearance and the sound.

 

[nopiano]

Assuming my eyesight isn't failing me, and that the children working at What HiFi have a grasp of decimal points, significant numbers, etc, this is priced at thirty thousand pounds UK.

This is OBSCENE pricing for something that by design is already a year out of date.

Which bit of this design is out of date, exactly?

PS. I don’t think that insulting the team who write the magazine and provide this free forum is necessary.

 

[Vio]

The music is like wine of many qualities: 16 bits (44), 24 bits (44/48/96/192/352), DSD (64/128/256/512) and VINYL (first press, 180g), in total 11 classes from medium (CD) to best (VINYL). For convenience, I do not prefer vinyl because digitally I listen to about 10-15 albums daily (pop, jazz, classical, rock, electronical) while working, and on vinyl only 2-4 albums. I think Linn would do a very good job because he can extract the maximum essence from any digital format and I can think of buying it by selling the excess audio equipment I have. But only after listening to them in the showroom: the separation of the instruments, the scene of their placement, plus an extremely pleasant sound (like vinyl hi-end with valve amp). That's how I would like the digital to sound.

 

[NL.]

Overall a very positive review.
One point we feel worth mentioning is that both Konfig and and the original Space Optimization used in the review were replaced a few years ago by cloud based management accessed using a web browser and a completely new and different Space Optimization based on time domain modeling using a wave-guide mesh.
Konfig is still available for legacy reasons however as a dealer when installing the system we will always be using the web interface and Space Optimization 2 and we would expect all existing customers to transition to them if they haven't already.

SO v.1 (via Konfig) allows manual inputs, which I found very useful when combined with REW software measurements made by UMIK-1 measuring mic.

It turned out that both SO v.1 and v.2 measurement, although very accurate, could be fine tuned, and this could be done only via SOv.1