Linn Klimax DS Review

[Κώστας Φ.]

Από το Hi-Fi World. To review είναι σε μορφή PDF και βρίσκεται στο site της Linn. Περιλαμβάνονται και μετρήσεις. Mπορείτε να το διαβάσετε εδώ (pdf).


Reflecting the move away from storing music on physical media, Linn’s brand new Klimax DS network music player is one of the company’s most interesting products to date. In this world exclusive, Professor Malcolm Hawksford assesses the technical aspects of the design, and David Price does the listening...

...Impeccably engineered, built and voiced, this is a landmark high end digital
product, but whether it’s too far ahead of its time is too soon to say.


FOR
- state of the art sonics
- superlative build and finish
- concept, flexibility

AGAINST
- price


Μάλλον καλά μας τα έλεγε ο Βασίλης. :mrgreen:
Η μόνη παρατήρηση που μπορώ να κάνω είναι πως (κακώς) δεν υπάρχει digital input. Eπίσης θα ήθελα μία σύγκριση με το Transporter αλλά, εντάξει, ας ξεκινήσουν πρώτα τα review και μετά ζητάμε και συγκριτικά... rof:

 

[Κώστας Φ.]

Απάντηση: Linn Klimax DS Review

Kι άλλο...

"It works. Linn’s efforts in developing a state-of-the-art server/DAC have produced a device that takes CD files and makes them sound better. It’s at a price, sure, but you can be certain that Linn will be developing more affordable versions in the future.

And that just leaves the question; is this the future of hi-fi? Come back in a decade for the answer."

Review: Audioenz.co.nz

 

[Κώστας Φ.]

Linn Klimax DS network D/A processor, από το Stereophile.
Enjoy:


"What Linn's Klimax DS is is a high-quality digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that receives digital data through an Ethernet connection rather than optical or electrical S/PDIF or AES/EBU inputs.

The Klimax DS doesn't store your files—you'll need a network-attached storage (NAS) drive for that—nor does it allow you to organize your files or construct playlists, for which Linn does supply a graphic user interface (GUI), which runs on a computer or PC tablet (Linn's recommendation) that you supply. While it can be connected to your existing WiFi system, like other music servers, because the Klimax DS can handle192kHz sample rates at a word length of 24 bits, Linn very much prefers you to establish a wired network to ensure maximum performance. The Klimax doesn't have an optical disc drive, so you'll need a separate PC to rip your files—or you could do what Linn recommends and "hire a ripping service to do it for you."

The Klimax DS is unlike any other network music devices because it assumes you're starting with high-quality sources, not lossy compressed files. Linn's default standard is lossless-compressed FLAC files. But its real glory is handling higher-rez material—not only does it accept native resolutions up to 192kHz, it also upconverts to 384kHz or 352.8kHz.

...

What's under the hood? Upconversion is handled by a Xilinx field-programmable gate-array stage, and the D/A conversion is done by Wolfson delta-sigma devices with isolating output transformers. Linn doesn't include a drive in the Klimax, I was told, because they wanted the Klimax to be an entirely "open" product and not limited to specific optical disc formats.

...

"The best goodbyes are short—adieu"

Unlike the format wars of SACD vs DVD-Audio and HD DVD vs Blu-ray, file downloading is finally heading toward acceptance. DRM seems to be on the way out, and full-sized and high-resolution options are proliferating. Even though my track record as a prophet is dismal, I predict that we audiophiles will soon be spoiled with a plethora of choices of legally available hi-rez downloads. Based on my experience with the Linn Klimax DS, I can't wait.

In the January issue I reviewed the McIntosh MS750, an all-in-one music server that included a burner drawer, hard drive, and an interface that was a joy to use. Too bad it didn't actually sound all that good without an external DAC. The Linn Klimax DS offers the opposite extreme: it's a one-trick pony saddled with the clunkiest interface I've experienced. However, that pony's trick is spectacularly good—so good that, God help me, I'm going to miss it.

I suspect that it's going to be a lot easier for Linn to find a software programmer than it's going to be for any other company else to find an electrical engineer up to taking digital to the Klimax DS's level. Other companies do offer hi-rez music servers, and they're all in the Klimax DS's price ballpark—and I hear through the grapevine that they haven't solved the interface problem either.

That brings us to the question of value, always a tricky one—my wallet isn't in your slacks, and vice versa. At $20,000, the Linn Klimax DS is about as good as digital gets. It's better, when playing hi-rez files, than any "Red Book" player I've heard. That has to count for something.

As more and more hi-rez downloads become available, the incentive to own a Klimax DS will increase. Audiophiles of a certain age will remember when new turntables, tonearms, and cartridges revealed musical details that had previously remained hidden in the grooves—and they'll also remember how addictive that experience was. "Red Book" CD hasn't given us nearly the same number of veils to remove, but hi-rez digital can. Or so the Klimax DS has me thinking.

Will that be enough to make the Klimax DS seem like a bargain? No, it will remain a niche product, an aspirational product—something that only audiophiles who care about owning the best would even consider. The rest of us punters will have to content ourselves with "almost as good." But we can always dream.

The Linn Klimax DS is the stuff that dreams are made of." -- Wes Phillips


"This is excellent measured performance. After I had finished testing the Klimax DS, I loaded some of my hi-rez master files on the NAS—specifically the 24-bit, 88.2kHz master files for Attention Screen's Live at Merkin Hall—and gave a listen. Wes had it right: this is one great-sounding component, particularly in its freedom from high-frequency grain and its low-frequency definition. Wow!" -- John Atkinson


Full Review: Stereophile.com