The Linn DS / DSM thread

I can second Mac regarding the EMC1 UP CDP I have been using mine daily for nearly 10 years and the Philips CD PRO 2 laser mechanism is still going strong  ( touch wood   ) and is still the best music source of any type that I have heard including vinyl ,SACD , and DVDA .

I have not heard any of the Linn DS range so it would be a very interesting comparison that I am sure would prove interesting but perhaps not in the way you might think   

You are a candidate for an Electro Streamer, which I'm sure will appear, once they get into the 21st Century!

I might even be a potential customer!

Electrocompaniet rarely do anything hastily  but I am sure it will be worth the wait and definitely a product I would be interested in  , but in the meantime I must try and get a listen to a Linn DS and of course an AMS too

Ouch, £2500 is over my budget I'm afraid.. At the moment, I'm thinking about getting the +2 channel offer from Linn and bag a Majik 4100 at a bargain price. There is a certain cleaniless about the sound that I like very much.

I need to audition the Roksan M2 power amp as well before Linn offer ends..  

Hi BM

It was really meant as a long term suggestion, to put on the back burner.

I will be interested in what you think of the Roksan, but given your taste in sound, I'd be surprised if you'd prefer it to the Linn.

So it looks like I will also be a member in the DS / DSM club. I did not plan to become one but it happened anyway. Some of you might know that I did not get allong with the sound of my Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand speakers.  I tried to blame my Cyrus amp and took the Viennas to my dealer to try more powerfull amplification. I tried them with the Pathos Logos, the NAD 390 DD and an Audionet amp but nothing changed. The viennas are just not the speakers for me. We used a Majik DSM as source and I decided to try some other speakers connected directly to the Majik DSM. The dealer was keen on showing me Linn speakers but I really disliked them(Majik 109 and 140). The 109s were active but sounded a bit dull and muffled and the 140s were passive but somehow not very well behaved in the bass department. We then switched to the Kef R700 wich was a step up. Really a nice loudspeaker but I think the DSM was underpowered for the R700. The last speaker I listened to was the Audio Physic Tempo 25.

http://www.audiophysic.com/tempo25/index_e.html

What a sound. It was so detailed and involving. The DSM seemed to have no problem at all driving the Tempos. The sound was so open and clean. It really sounded as if a curtain had been lifted.  And controlling everything from the kinsky app just brought a smile to my face. 

So I walked out of the shop without my VA BBGs but with a Majik DSM and a pair of Tempo 25s instead.

Well, not technically.... now I am waiting for them to be delivered.

I will drive the Tempo 25s with the DSM amp for the time beeing but as funds recover I am thinking of only using the DSM as a preamp. I could of course also use my Cyrus 8xpd as amp in the meantime. I will have to test this out in the coming weeks and see if the Cyrus amplification is superior. In the long run maybe something like the MF M6PRX could work well but your suggestions are always welcome 

I hope I did not write to much about speakers here but I wanted to explain how I came to buying a Majik DSM without intending to..

It's great to get your feedback....and welcome to the club!

Hi-fi is a very strange business and keeping an open mind is key for success. I agree with you about Linn speakers which are pleasant and musical, but nothing earth-shattering...a bit meh, if you like!

The R series are imo much better, and the Linn should have been good with them, without really taking them by the scruff of the neck.

I'm a fan of Audio Physic and have never heard one with Linn, but can see how it would work.....very intriguing combination.

In order to come up with advice, can you tell me what you didn't like about the VAs, and what did you make of the Pathos.

I think the MF PRX is a good choice, but would also add:

- Sugden Masterclass SPA-4

- Bel Canto Ref power amps (150s)

- Electrocompaniet AW 2x120-M

Hi Cno,

not sure if you read my update over on the 35i thread but everything is back together now & working beautifully.

the Akurate was picked up about a fortnight ago so I had some time to get it all set-up & going before the MF kit arrived.

Luckily when I had been demoing the unit the dealer had advised me to buy a QNAP NAS drive beforehand & get my music set-up on that with Twonky. So it was pretty much plug & play.

Sound is amazing, detailed without being edgy. It does a great job even with lower bit rate MP3s, but when you give it 24bit files to play with the difference is amazing. Unfortunately the availability of hi-rez files in the type of music that I like is a little limited at the moment. Hopefully things pick up pace over the next few years.

One of the things that I like about the DS solution is that it is not a "static" product. You can play around with it & the way you use it. Different points of control, media players, Linn constantly tweaking & upgrading, different advice & approaches on the forums, the ability to add new functionality. So things change which makes it more intersting IMO.

I'm not anti CD player but to be honest now that I have the DS I don't know why anyone would buy one. The only real downside is the daunting task of ripping my 3000+ CD collection, I might try to find a poor uni student over the christmas holidays!

Apart from the noticeable step-up in SQ of the Akurate over the Majik, one of the main reasons I went for the Akurate was to have balanced outputs. Haven't tried it yet, as mentioned on the 35i thread I wanted to let things settle down first & get used to the sound. then slowly play around with adding/changing cables. But certainly this will not be too far away. I did have my heart set on some Audiquest SKY cables, but this might be beyond my budget at the moment. Am planning on trying some Atlas cables, the hyper, ascent & Maverick. Will let you know how that goes.

So big thanks for your persistant pushing of the LinnDS, certainly been a great addition for me & a great match for the AMS range

I saw your post, and response given.....really glad things have worked out.

Cno

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

"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.

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

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. 

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