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Some examples: One of my first comparisons was between the recent 24-bit reissue of the Beatles' Let It Be (CD, Apple), ripped as a FLAC file from the CD to the Linn system's QNAP NAS, and the same recording ripped as an AIFF to my iMac. The latter seemed faultless in and of itself, yet the FLAC through the DS offered appreciably better sound and music: greater openness, detail, and texture on the one hand (though in the latter regard it was still short of the best vinyl playback), and more momentum and flow on the other. It was, in fact—and with apologies in advance for the hated cliché—…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state integrated amplifier with D/A converter, Ethernet interface, and phono preamplifier. Line-level analog inputs: 3. S/PDIF (coax) digital inputs: 3. Optical (TosLink) digital inputs: 3. Digital outputs: 1 S/PDIF, 1 optical. Digital file formats supported via Ethernet connection: FLAC, AIFF, WAV, ALAC, AAC, MP3. Sampling rates supported: various, up to 192kHz. Word lengths accepted: 16 and 24 bits. Control protocol: uPnP V1.0. Phono input voltage: 50mV RMS, 70mV peak. Phono gain: 40dB. Phono input impedance: 47k ohms. Preamp signal/noise:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 & TD 124 Mk.II turntables; EMT 997, Thomas Schick tonearms; Shindo SPU, EMT OFD 25 & OFD 65, Ortofon 90th Anniversary SPU & Classic A SPU cartridges.
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics QB-9, Wavelength Cosecant, HRT Music Streamer II & Music Streamer II+, Furutech GT40, Peachtree Audio iDecco (digital input to line output only) USB D/A converters; Stello U2 USB transceiver; Apple iMac G5 computer running Apple iTunes; Apple iPod Touch; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player; QNAP TS-209II network-attached…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To perform the measurements on the Linn Majik DS-I, I mostly used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain and the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer. Before I did any testing of the Majik DS-I, I ran it at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour, which imposes the maximum heat stress on an amplifier with a class-AB output stage. At the end of that time, the chassis was only warm.
The…
Manufacturers' Comment #1
Editor: When Stereophile published the first-ever review of the Klimax DS, in March 2008, it was heralded as "the stuff that dreams are made of"; the only real criticism leveled was that the user interface was "stupid." At the time, we maintained that Linn's unique, open approach to the home network would prove fertile soil for software programmers to plant their own ideas and grow their own interface solutions on whatever platform they chose.
Today, Linn boasts the widest range of networked control solutions on the market for any hi-fi product,…
John Atkinson returned to the Linn Majik DS-I in April 2011
Art Dudley reviewed the Linn Majik DS-I in the March issue and found that, when fed audio data over an Ethernet network, this D/A amplifier "presented a more open, nuanced, explicit, involving, and altogether natural musical experience than any USB-based digital source I've heard."
Strong words! But when I measured the DS-I before dropping it off at Art's place, I couldn't get it to recognize the music server on my home network, and therefore ended up doing all the digital-domain measurements using one of the Linn's…
Manufacturers' Comment #2
Editor: The measurements from the Majik DS-I's S/PDIF-TosLink inputs [offered in the Follow-Up of the DS-I] are at the limit of the test equipment (footnote 1). It is consequently not possible for the same test equipment to demonstrate the superior jitter performance of the Ethernet configuration.
We are able to measure the audio master clock (MCLK) inside the Majik DS-I, and what we find is that the MCLK recovered from the S/PDIF receiver (fig.1) has about eight times the jitter of the MCLK that is used for Ethernet audio (fig.2).
Fig.1…
My first trip to a Consumer Electronics Show, in January 2010, was an eye-opener. Not only had I never before seen the phony glories of Las Vegas, it was the first time I'd been to a high-end audio show. Between the offerings on the top floors of the Venetian and T.H.E. Show at the Flamingo, I met some great people and heard some wonderful new products. One of those people was distributor Kevin Deal, and one of those new products was from Mystère. Though I was familiar with the PrimaLuna line that Deal also distributes, Mystère was, well, a mystery. However, after a listen to the Mystère…
The owner's manual is well written and informative. A quick peek under the Mystère's hood revealed a beautifully laid out design. The wiring was well done indeed, and even insulated with silk, I'm told. If this is how China can make audio gear, I don't see how anyone can find fault with it.
"I am here to fix ze problem viz yer pheaun."
After setting up the ia21 and letting it cook for a day or two, I sat down and gave it my first real listen. Something was not right. The sound was grainy and rough, the soundstage was not happening, and the frequency response seemed very lumpy. I…
Listening to Bob Silverman showing Brahms and Schumann who's boss was wonderfully engaging. Through the Mystère ia21 running EL34s, the harmonics of his piano were perfectly aligned with the fundamentals. I could hear how well Bob balanced homophonic chords so that the bass overtones aligned with the reinforcements in the right hand. Each note and melodic line retained its relation to the whole, but also allowed the ear to easily separate it from the rest. Whatever my ear focused on in the music it was able to effortlessly hear—no easy feat! More than this, in the quieter passages I was able…