The Linn DS / DSM thread

[pgoody]

Hi Cno,

Hope your op was fine!

The problem I had with the Viennas was that they somehow had a problem with male voices and instruments that arise from theese frequencies. They were just not as loud as the rest of the frequencies. There were tracks when I thought "where is voice" and "why is everything else louder..?" I then looked at the measurements and saw that they drop in Impedance to under 3 ohms around theese frequencies. No way my little 8 xpd would be able to deliver enough power... When I turned up the volume the issue got better but it never really resolved. So I thought an amp wich could double its output as impedance halves would be the logical choice. That is why I thought of the Pathos Logos wich really does double its output from 100 watts at 8 ohm to 200 at 4 and 400 at 8. It did help in the mid range but because the Pathos adds another warm touch the treble just was not as good any more. The Cyrus somehow really went well with the Scanspeak silk tweeter. The Pathos just sounded too warm in this combination. A little unexciting if you want.

Wish you a good recovery!

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Cno,

Hope your op was fine!

The problem I had with the Viennas was that they somehow had a problem with male voices and instruments that arise from theese frequencies. They were just not as loud as the rest of the frequencies. There were tracks when I thought "where is voice" and "why is everything else louder..?" I then looked at the measurements and saw that they drop in Impedance to under 3 ohms around theese frequencies. No way my little 8 xpd would be able to deliver enough power... When I turned up the volume the issue got better but it never really resolved. So I thought an amp wich could double its output as impedance halves would be the logical choice. That is why I thought of the Pathos Logos wich really does double its output from 100 watts at 8 ohm to 200 at 4 and 400 at 8. It did help in the mid range but because the Pathos adds another warm touch the treble just was not as good any more. The Cyrus somehow really went well with the Scanspeak silk tweeter. The Pathos just sounded too warm in this combination. A little unexciting if you want.

Wish you a good recovery!

Thx for the explanation and the good wishes.

I'm back in the saddle, for the moment anyway.

Cno

 

[plastic penguin]

"Since buying a Sneaky I find it amazing why I was enamored by an outmoded CDP. In terms of flexibility the Sneaky is only usurped by the more expensive Majik, yet I can't name a product that comes close on a VFM basis..."

Sneaky, eh?

That is what I'd love to say. Have to admit I have a phobia towards anything that veers from the (very) basic formats. Nor can I justify the price, given I would have to invest in another router, laptop or ipad, stroage and a device for ripping cds.

Have actually heard one, albeit very briefly, but it was more of an afterthought than a dem by-design. Had no other product to compare with, so can't really offer an opinion.

 

[CnoEvil]

Have to admit I have a phobia towards anything that veers from the (very) basic formats.

Must say PP, you've kept that well hidden!! :roll:

 

[plastic penguin]

Have to admit I have a phobia towards anything that veers from the (very) basic formats.

Must say PP, you've kept that well hidden!! :roll:

Needed to be reinforced, in case you thought I was taking the 'rise' out of the product or your thread... certainly wasn't.

But I do have ambitions of a serious dem of one, but speakers are more of a priority at this moment.

As I've mentioned before it'll roughly cost me, depending where I buy and if it's brand new or ex-dem etc., between £1200 - £1500 all inclusive. Now at £1200 that brings it within the original original price range of the Rega Saturn, or Roksan Caspian M2 (in the worse case scenario), and if the Sneaky out performs them then it could be a serious runner. I don't know because I haven't heard those CDPs either.

Or put another way: My whole current set-up, amp, CDP, speakers and TT cost me just over £1500 in total.

Also, thought it would give the thread a little different tilt.

 

[chebby]

The Sneaky DS is about £750 in Superfi (and in stock).

 

[plastic penguin]

That sounds like a darn good deal. However, have a few issues at home to resolve (family and business) before I can seriously look at shelling out lots of dough.

Knowing Superfi they'll probably keep the deal going (I hope) for quite a while.

 

[acalex]

Maybe a stupid question, but there is not way to connect an iphone/ipad through a dock to the Linn Majik DS, right?

I have found one and think i will take the plung if the demo with a Wadia 121 will go as I think...I will keep you posted!

 

[CnoEvil]

Maybe a stupid question, but there is not way to connect an iphone/ipad through a dock to the Linn Majik DS, right?

I have found one and think i will take the plung if the demo with a Wadia 121 will go as I think...I will keep you posted!

You can not plug anything into a DS, it has to come from a NAS etc - for that you need a DSM.

If you are trying it at a dealer, let him rip/transfer what you want to hear...either that or bring it home and sort it there.

 

[acalex]

Maybe a stupid question, but there is not way to connect an iphone/ipad through a dock to the Linn Majik DS, right?

I have found one and think i will take the plung if the demo with a Wadia 121 will go as I think...I will keep you posted!

You can not plug anything into a DS, it has to come from a NAS etc - for that you need a DSM. If you are trying it at a dealer, let him rip/transfer what you want to hear...either that or bring it home and sort it there.

Thats the tricky part, I stumbled upon a great second hand deal in Italy and the guy is now throwing in a Silver Linn cable also, everything for half the price of a brand new model. Warranty is expiring middle of next year.

Guy is selling to get a Macintosh CD player with digital input as he has an all macintosh system...

 

[CnoEvil]

Thats the tricky part, I stumbled upon a great second hand deal in Italy and the guy is now throwing in a Silver Linn cable also, everything for half the price of a brand new model. Warranty is expiring middle of next year.

Guy is selling to get a Macintosh CD player with digital input as he has an all macintosh system...

That is very tempting indeed.

The Linn MDS is stunning and as I have said before, can (imo) be noticeably improved with Black Ravioli pads.

I would be inclined to get it, as you should be able to shift it on for little or no loss, if it's not what your looking for (though this is unlikely).

FWIW. A new Linn Siver i/c is worth £210 on its own, and is musical sounding without exaggerating any part of the frequency spectrum...as well as suiting the DS very well.

Just me thinking out loud.

Cno

 

[CraigDS]

Hello,

I thought it might be worth telling the Forum about my experience with Linn.

First I bought my first Audiophile system about 3 years ago and the dealers around my area were very Naim or Linn etc.

The Naimuniti was just launched but the Naim dealers didn't embrace streaming as much so I bought a Linn Sneaky DS.

A Sneaky DS came out 3-4 years ago cost only £995 and could stream 24/192!

The dealer did not install the DS properly so Linn sent out a technician to my house and everything was well! I could not ask for any better service. Remember i did not have a Majik, Akurate or Klimax system but a cheap Sneaky and they treated me like a valued customer.

Interestingly my dealers all now stock both Naim and Linn. Before the Naim dealers didn't have too many good things to say about Linn but now they rave about them including their amps. An amps first Watt is the most important and that is where the Linn Chakra and Dynamik power supplys are so good. I believe it is the new Linn speakers that let them down. Also the upgrade path is very expensive (however they do have good deals every september)

Also with Linn you can go Aktiv which means you only loose 2% of the information to each drive unit.

 

[acalex]

Thats the tricky part, I stumbled upon a great second hand deal in Italy and the guy is now throwing in a Silver Linn cable also, everything for half the price of a brand new model. Warranty is expiring middle of next year.

Guy is selling to get a Macintosh CD player with digital input as he has an all macintosh system...

That is very tempting indeed. The Linn MDS is stunning and as I have said before, can (imo) be noticeably improved with Black Ravioli pads. I would be inclined to get it, as you should be able to shift it on for little or no loss, if it's not what your looking for (though this is unlikely). FWIW. A new Linn Siver i/c is worth £210 on its own, and is musical sounding without exaggerating any part of the frequency spectrum...as well as suiting the DS very well. Just me thinking out loud. Cno

I know, he said to me that's the best interconnect he found for the Linn and throwed it in the mix when I asked for a discount :cheers:

I have a all Linn demo on Tuesday night with my dealer as a support...well let's see what happens. In the meantime I am tempted to block the deal already...what do you think about Wadia 121 DAC? Any of your thoughts would be appreciated on the Thread i opened

I also wrote a short review on the SF Venere 2.5 I heard yesterday 8)

 

[CnoEvil]

I know, he said to me that's the best interconnect he found for the Linn and throwed it in the mix when I asked for a discount :cheers:

I have a all Linn demo on Tuesday night with my dealer as a support...well let's see what happens. In the meantime I am tempted to block the deal already...what do you think about Wadia 121 DAC? Any of your thoughts would be appreciated on the Thread i opened

I also wrote a short review on the SF Venere 2.5 I heard yesterday 8)

I have not heard the Wadia, which I would expect to sound good. Their CDPs sound robust, musical and energetic, with a slightly darkish treble and great imaging.

At a guess, I think the DS will be better, but only you can decide if it's worth sacrificing the extra versatility...though it does have digital volume control.

I think you will admire rather than like an all Linn system, finding it does nothing particularly wrong, but just leaves you a little "cold". If possible, see if you can connect a different amp, if necessary.

 

[acalex]

I know, he said to me that's the best interconnect he found for the Linn and throwed it in the mix when I asked for a discount :cheers:

I have a all Linn demo on Tuesday night with my dealer as a support...well let's see what happens. In the meantime I am tempted to block the deal already...what do you think about Wadia 121 DAC? Any of your thoughts would be appreciated on the Thread i opened

I also wrote a short review on the SF Venere 2.5 I heard yesterday 8)

Not sure they will be using an all Linn system, as I now they will be demonstrating the streamers. But I already asked my dealer (who will try to be there also) to try and borrow a unit (the distributor he's a friend of his) so we can have a proper listen at home

I have not heard the Wadia, which I would expect to sound good. Their CDPs sound robust, musical and energetic, with a slightly darkish treble and great imaging. At a guess, I think the DS will be better, but only you can decide if it's worth sacrificing the extra versatility...though it does have digital volume control. I think you will admire rather than like an all Linn system, finding it does nothing particularly wrong, but just leaves you a little "cold". If possible, see if you can connect a different amp, if necessary.

 

[CnoEvil]

Not sure they will be using an all Linn system, as I now they will be demonstrating the streamers. But I already asked my dealer (who will try to be there also) to try and borrow a unit (the distributor he's a friend of his) so we can have a proper listen at home

If you like what you hear, this would be brilliant.

As you are well aware, I think the DS is the most analogue sounding streamer that I've heard, especially with hi-rez....so I will be intrigued to get your opinion....if there is Black Ravioli available, try it under the chassis!! :shifty:

Be careful how far up the chain you go! :twisted:

 

[acalex]

Not sure they will be using an all Linn system, as I now they will be demonstrating the streamers. But I already asked my dealer (who will try to be there also) to try and borrow a unit (the distributor he's a friend of his) so we can have a proper listen at home

If you like what you hear, this would be brilliant. As you are well aware, I think the DS is the most analogue sounding streamer that I've heard, especially with hi-rez....so I will be intrigued to get your opinion....if there is Black Ravioli available, try it under the chassis!! :shifty: Be careful how far up the chain you go! :twisted:

I will try all of them but I will stick to the Majik if I hear what I like (with an idea of going up the ladder on day) :shhh:

 

[acalex]

Well, the demo didn't go as expected. This is my story...

- First of all they try to setup an interactive demo changing room/system but I didn't really get the idea as you couldn't really get a flavour of the differences between units in a "familiar enviornment"

- A lot of technical problems in swapping between systems, a few pc restarts...I had not the idea that the installation/playing was so user-friendly. Once they also had to restart the Majik.

- Wasn't aware of which type of music was playing (resolution) and which unit. In the end I realised they used only Linn components passing through Linn preamplifier. So not a chance to hear the two DS I was interesting

In the end I wasn't very impressed by the quality and the involvement...but this is already a known story that I don't like the Linn presentations in terms of amplification/speakers. Unfortunately I couldn't really distinguish between Majik and Akurate as they used two different systems each time

So if I will get a Majik would be a blind purchase. Hate doing that but still tempted by the deal as I am sure it will sound so much better in my system...especially because I am looking for the most analog sounding digital source

Any thoughts/help/suggestions?

 

[CnoEvil]

So if I will get a Majik would be a blind purchase. Hate doing that but still tempted by the deal as I am sure it will sound so much better in my system...especially because I am looking for the most analog sounding digital source

Any thoughts/help/suggestions?

What a shame and a wasted opportunity.

How hard can it be to set up a proper dem in one room and one system, where you insert different DSsss. You should have been allowed to bring some music which could have been ripped to let you hear something familiar.

They should also have informed you about the resolution.

I hate telling anyone to buy blind, but as long as you can shift it on for little loss, it will allow you to live with, and assess it. The Linn Silver alone should go for around £110 on ebay.

When I went to a full Klimax (passive) dem, I did not really enjoy the sound, especially when turned up. I got on no better with the Akurate system, which had the Refs on the end. I would rather have my AVR600 to either of those much more expensive systems.

I have heard the Active Klimax system which is much better, but would never spend the £30k+ in that way.

It is also worth noting, the performance of my Magic DS improved very noticeably with the insertion BR pads.....power leads had little effect.

Edit. I will eat Mrs Cno's socks if it doesn't sound completely different in your system!

 

[acalex]

So if I will get a Majik would be a blind purchase. Hate doing that but still tempted by the deal as I am sure it will sound so much better in my system...especially because I am looking for the most analog sounding digital source

Any thoughts/help/suggestions?

What a shame and a wasted opportunity.

How hard can it be to set up a proper dem in one room and one system, where you insert different DSsss. You should have been allowed to bring some music which could have been ripped to let you hear something familiar.

They should also have informed you about the resolution.

I hate telling anyone to buy blind, but as long as you can shift it on for little loss, it will allow you to live with, and assess it. The Linn Silver alone should go for around £110 on ebay.

When I went to a full Klimax (passive) dem, I did not really enjoy the sound, especially when turned up. I got on no better with the Akurate system, which had the Refs on the end. I would rather have my AVR600 to either of those much more expensive systems.

I have heard the Active Klimax system which is much better, but would never spend the £30k+ in that way.

It is also worth noting, the performance of my Magic DS improved very noticeably with the insertion BR pads.....power leads had little effect.

Edit. I will eat Mrs Cno's socks if it doesn't sound completely different in your system!

I know, I was totally disappointed also because I drove 70km there and back for that. They didn't even have a playlist but were asking us what we had to play (he would look on spotify then)...

Now 1300k for a still under warranty Majik and Silver interconnect included it still looks an appealing deal...I feel stronlgy tempted but I hate buying blind! :wall:

 

[CnoEvil]

Now 1300k for a still under warranty Majik and Silver interconnect included it still looks an appealing deal...I feel stronlgy tempted but I hate buying blind! :wall:

OK then, if you want a push.....Get it, as you've little to lose!

It's the only piece of kit that I've heard that doesn't make me miss Vinyl (except for the music that I like that's pre-CD).

You know my taste by now, nothing digital or bright sounding stays for long in my system!

 

[Neuphonix]

Hi Alex,

sorry to hear things didn't go so well. I shake my head with the levels of service that some shops offer at times. You'd think that in this climate they'd cotton onto the fact that it is often service alone that's going to swing them the deal. They must be going really well?

When I demoed my Akurate I was able to have it side by side with the Majik for quick swap over. Both were running through a Burmeister integrated amp with ELAC spreakers.

I also was able to play my own music. Had selected a number of tunes that I was familar with in varying formats. This was vital.

Looking back on it it may have been the fact that the Akurate was hooked up with balanced connections which was a large part of the difference? The Majik was warm, but seemed flat in comparison. When I first installed my Akurate at home it was via RCA. Then last week changed to balanced interconnects & there was a similar change, suddenly the Akurate sprang to life.

I would agree with Cno that the deal on the Majik seems like a winner though. Especially if you move the Wadia on to offset the cost. I couldn't see you being worse off.

But really, I would demand that the Linn shop offer you a home demo on the Akurate. You are looking at a significant purchase, I would say that if you push hard enough they will come to the party. If you can eventually afford the extra I'd be surprised if you didn't think it was worth it.

Again though a fair step up in price & given the atractive price on the Majik, hmmm, dilema! Value for money or SQ? Given your track record I'll be willing to double or nothing on the mussels & ales :cheers:

 

[Neuphonix]

BTW this guy is selling his Klimax DS0:

http://forums.linn.co.uk/bb/showthread.php?tid=19707

And also on here there are a number of second hand Akurate & Klimaxes going:

http://www.audio-markt.de/_markt/

Just in case you're interested!!! >)

 

[CnoEvil]

When I demoed my Akurate I was able to have it side by side with the Majik for quick swap over. Both were running through a Burmeister integrated amp with ELAC spreakers.

Nice.....now that was a demo!

 

[Neuphonix]

It was fun. Although it didn't last too long once I had listened to the Akurate.

Their service was great, made me feel a little bad that I hadn't spoken to them during my amp/speaker buying process.

I didn't even talk to them about the Burmeister amp! Sounded great & given what I was going through at the time with the AMS it would have been an interesting conversation. NO MORE MONEY!!!