Review and Measurements of Linn Akurate DSM DAC/Streamer

[PierreV]

There's no need to be religious/fan boy either way. I have no problem running a chromecast audio connected to the one of the optical inputs of the Linn, when it is convenient. Is there a difference in SQ with the Linn DAC, maybe a small one if I spent my time listening comparatively actively looking for it, but in practice it does not impact me. And frankly, 113dB or 110dB or even 90dB, who cares in practice?

 

[Deleted member 4360]

That seems to be a poor linearity measurement for $10k.

The Topping D50 blows it out of the water at $250.

Apples and Oranges. Linn is a total system concept. I've owned Linn products, they don't break, they're built like tanks, and the company provides exceptional support. I've also met the owners who are passionate about cutting edge technology. Linn went streaming before any other manufacturer. This system is meant for it's active speaker system. If you've ever heard it, it'll blow you away. It makes no sense to buy a Linn DAC and pair it with another MFR's amp. You can, but it's not the concept. Lastely, I'm staying away from Topping as although Amir's testing shows exceptional results, I read way too many reports about reliability problems. I do not want to ship a $200 DAC to China for $100 and wait 2-3 months to get it back. I'll just call John at JDS and get an immediate answer. Like I said, apples and oranges...

 

[Frank Dernie]

Apples and Oranges. Linn is a total system concept. I've owned Linn products, they don't break, they're built like tanks, and the company provides exceptional support. I've also met the owners who are passionate about cutting edge technology. Linn went streaming before any other manufacturer. This system is meant for it's active speaker system. If you've ever heard it, it'll blow you away. It makes no sense to buy a Linn DAC and pair it with another MFR's amp. You can, but it's not the concept. Lastely, I'm staying away from Topping as although Amir's testing shows exceptional results, I read way too many reports about reliability problems. I do not want to ship a $200 DAC to China for $100 and wait 2-3 months to get it back. I'll just call John at JDS and get an immediate answer. Like I said, apples and oranges...

I agree.
This is designed to go into the splendid but expensive Linn DSP active speaker system.
For me reliability and ergonomics are important, there is actually nothing which makes me more angry than somnmething breaking down.
The performance is perfect from a listening to music POV, any better is mental masturbation IMO.
I wouldn’t buy one since I don’t have a Linn system but comparing it to a currently favoured cheap Japanese item which has a tiny fraction of its capability is daft.

 

[jasonq997]

I agree.
This is designed to go into the splendid but expensive Linn DSP active speaker system.
For me reliability and ergonomics are important, there is actually nothing which makes me more angry than somnmething breaking down.
The performance is perfect from a listening to music POV, any better is mental masturbation IMO.
I wouldn’t buy one since I don’t have a Linn system but comparing it to a currently favoured cheap Japanese item which has a tiny fraction of its capability is daft.

It is Chinese, and from the point of view we are taking (measurement of the DACs) it is valid.

A more interesting comparison from a feature comparison point of view is the RME DAC system as a system centerpiece along with a PC vs. streaming setups like this.

Also, if you are coming at this from the point of view of $10,000.00 devices who cares about RMAing cheap DACs. Throw it away and buy another one. Easy.

 

[Frank Dernie]

It is Chinese, and from the point of view we are taking (measurement of the DACs) it is valid.

A more interesting comparison from a feature comparison point of view is the RME DAC system as a system centerpiece along with a PC vs. streaming setups like this.

Also, if you are coming at this from the point of view of $10,000.00 devices who cares about RMAing cheap DACs. Throw it away and buy another one. Easy.

Completely disagree. The RME DAC has nothing like their feature set (I am familiar with the Linn system and have the RME).
Anyway choose whatever you like!

 

[Deleted member 4360]

It is Chinese, and from the point of view we are taking (measurement of the DACs) it is valid.

A more interesting comparison from a feature comparison point of view is the RME DAC system as a system centerpiece along with a PC vs. streaming setups like this.

Also, if you are coming at this from the point of view of $10,000.00 devices who cares about RMAing cheap DACs. Throw it away and buy another one. Easy.

That's absurd. We have enough plastic in trash dumps + why would anyone take that approach when buying any product. A direct comparison is JDS Labs... oh wait, that's what I bought! And yes, if I wanted to dump 10k or more into a stereo, I would buy Linn and be done (for a while at least) and spend the rest of my attention on the other important things...

 

[rebbiputzmaker]

It is Chinese, and from the point of view we are taking (measurement of the DACs) it is valid.

A more interesting comparison from a feature comparison point of view is the RME DAC system as a system centerpiece along with a PC vs. streaming setups like this.

Also, if you are coming at this from the point of view of $10,000.00 devices who cares about RMAing cheap DACs. Throw it away and buy another one. Easy.

Again, you are correct they are the same. Just like a Yugo is exactly the same as Rolls. Frank would disagree with this also, but just disregard it. What does he now about cars!!!!

 

[Deleted member 4360]

It is Chinese, and from the point of view we are taking (measurement of the DACs) it is valid.

A more interesting comparison from a feature comparison point of view is the RME DAC system as a system centerpiece along with a PC vs. streaming setups like this.

Also, if you are coming at this from the point of view of $10,000.00 devices who cares about RMAing cheap DACs. Throw it away and buy another one. Easy.

Hi Jason, I want to own me some Topping but my non-scientific observation is that their MTBF numbers aren't very good. However, with that said, it's probably the power supply brick most of the time - most are poorly made junk. But yes, if I spend $200, I still want it to stick around for a while... my current mindset is to invest a little more with a company like JDS or Neurochrome knowing I've got the same accessible people who created the designs to help in any way. To get the level of service like what JDS provides for a product that's a few hundred is normally reserved for high end products like Jeff Rowland Design Group or BAT, etc. It's actually pretty amazing if you think about it...

 

[Deleted member 4360]

Again, you are correct they are the same. Just like a Yugo is exactly the same as Rolls. Frank would disagree with this also, but just disregard it. What does he now about cars!!!!

Haha - the good old Yugo. You know what they say, buy one and Yugo six feet under!

 

[jasonq997]

Again, you are correct they are the same. Just like a Yugo is exactly the same as Rolls. Frank would disagree with this also, but just disregard it. What does he now about cars!!!!

I didn't realize there were Yugo's with engines just as good as Rolls Royces. Let me know where I can find these.

 

[mshenay]

The owner just sent me a picture of the back of the unit:

View attachment 20434

Are the digital outs (toslink and coax) just loop outs or does it contain an internal A/D as well?

It's an interesting device, clearly a 'hub' of sorts for a lot of AV gear. Clearly a device mostly intended to be used with a remote or external control due to the few buttons on the front panel.

Thanks for testing it. Very nice to see genuinely conservative specs from a respected company.

Yea a hub of sorts was my thought too, multiple HDMI ins with a Single out! Clearly designed to perform well and link a variety of devices together. My current AGD Unit has multiple inputs and 3 outputs, and while I'm excited to soon own a RME ADI 2 Dac I'll miss the added inputs/outputs the AGD has, point being I may need to keep my eyes open for something like this! As a myrid of input and outputs has it's place in the home of an audiophile that owns many different audio & Video Systems

Also YAY for no USB. None of my primary systems use it, too fickle tbh. An I own 2 USB to Spdif units, my Etir which stays attached to my works station and a singxer F1 that's USB Powered and portable... not that there's anything wrong with USB I just have older devices and managing drivers get's irritating for me especially when COAX Spdif is just plug n play

 

[graz_lag]

I didn't realize there were Yugo's with engines just as good as Rolls Royces. Let me know where I can find these.

 

[graz_lag]

Car Freaks Gr: Yugo AWD 600+ Hp

 

[graz_lag]

Apples and Oranges. Linn is a total system concept. I've owned Linn products, they don't break, they're built like tanks, and the company provides exceptional support. I've also met the owners who are passionate about cutting edge technology. Linn went streaming before any other manufacturer. This system is meant for it's active speaker system. If you've ever heard it, it'll blow you away. It makes no sense to buy a Linn DAC and pair it with another MFR's amp. You can, but it's not the concept. Lastely, I'm staying away from Topping as although Amir's testing shows exceptional results, I read way too many reports about reliability problems. I do not want to ship a $200 DAC to China for $100 and wait 2-3 months to get it back. I'll just call John at JDS and get an immediate answer. Like I said, apples and oranges...

I agree with your post at 99.99% ... not at 100% ...
I had always purchased electronics Made in the UK, including the ones from Linn, but I have now a 0.01% very simple question : despite the fact these premium manufacturers have design teams composed of talented engineers, apparently they cannot design a board that is capable of performing - in terms of some critical measurement, with $200 Made in Red China boards ...
You're right abt. the fact Linn (as well as Naim BTW) went streaming years before the others, so they are not apprentices in the digital domain ...

 

[anmpr1]

Except that the Topping sounds like 250$, the Linn much much better!
Now I know that measurements are not everything..

If you hide the brands and match the levels, you won't be able to tell the difference. But since you already "know" that 10,000 dollars has to be better than 250, it's a done deal. This has been proven so many times as to make the argument risible.

 

[anmpr1]

Have you ever drived a Mercedez? it has nothing to do with any japanese cars, especially class S, you close the door and there’s absolute silence, you can’t hear you own horn..

Are you saying the interior of a Mercedes Benz S is essentailly an isolated vacuum? With no conduction? Certainly you can hear the horn. And road noise, and people talking. Of course if you have the Burmester cranked up to 11, that could mask the horn.

 

[PierreV]

I agree with your post at 99.99% ... but not 100% ...
design a board that is capable of performing - in terms of some critical measurement, with $200 Made in Red China boards ...

Well, as said previously, this is a multi purpose unit. That's one factor.
As a whole, it was released in 2011, that's another factor, that would be about the time the Sabre32 started to make headlines. That's another factor.
As of today, just stick a recent DAC on a simple board and you are done. The tech, and above everything the tech's integration, has advanced a lot. That is not to say that you can't design bad boards around a good chip, but still, good design as become extremely cheap. Plus, except for a few outliers such as Chord, it seems that it is basically ESS vs AKM today. Highly specialized companies with extensive experience. Even Wolfson doesn't seem to able able to compete these days (I may be wrong on that, but they are definitely less popular than they were). Yet another factor.
Then, there is the market segmentation: their Klimax systems are supposed to be a bit better. Not a "good" factor, but a factor still.
And also, which measurements actually matter? If one focuses, for some reason, on the ESS hump, maybe they do much better there?

And the main point, imho, is do those differences matter with current amplifiers? So far the jury is still out on that issue. If one looks at the "high end" amplifier review on this site, does it really matter if what you connect has 115dB of SNR vs 100dB. Not sure. Amps seem absymal compared to DACs

BTW, I've just spent some time semi-causally comparing Linn Direct to CCA to Linn optical to Khadas Tone Board to Linn Line In today and can't hear anything obvious that I would be confident to mark in a A-B blind test...

I don't understand why it seems we have two opposite camps fighting

 

[jasonq997]

Well, as said previously, this is a multi purpose unit. That's one factor.
As a whole, it was released in 2011, that's another factor, that would be about the time the Sabre32 started to make headlines. That's another factor.
As of today, just stick a recent DAC on a simple board and you are done. The tech, and above everything the tech's integration, has advanced a lot. That is not to say that you can't design bad boards around a good chip, but still, good design as become extremely cheap. Plus, except for a few outliers such as Chord, it seems that it is basically ESS vs AKM today. Highly specialized companies with extensive experience. Even Wolfson doesn't seem to able able to compete these days (I may be wrong on that, but they are definitely less popular than they were). Yet another factor.
Then, there is the market segmentation: their Klimax systems are supposed to be a bit better. Not a "good" factor, but a factor still.
And also, which measurements actually matter? If one focuses, for some reason, on the ESS hump, maybe they do much better there?

And the main point, imho, is do those differences matter with current amplifiers? So far the jury is still out on that issue. If one looks at the "high end" amplifier review on this site, does it really matter if what you connect has 115dB of SNR vs 100dB. Not sure. Amps seem absymal compared to DACs

BTW, I've just spent some time semi-causally comparing Linn Direct to CCA to Linn optical to Khadas Tone Board to Linn Line In today and can't hear anything obvious that I would be confident to mark in a A-B blind test...

I don't understand why it seems we have two opposite camps fighting

I don't think we're criticizing you or this product, which is kind of cool and if you like it and can afford it that's awesome.

There are people who go out of their way to attack the idea that the well regarded low cost DACs that have been tested on this site belong in the conversation with "serious" gear. This is what I get irritated about. "Topping is a toy" according to them even though it is objectively just as good or better at the specific job it does.

 

[Headphonaholic]

I think from a pure dac price/performance stand point there are obviously better options. The thing is this is more than just a dac since it performs other tasks and is meant for more than a simple dac. Personally this product isn't for me. Features and use case are an important consideration I think one should consider before determining the value of something. At the end of the day this product is likely aimed at a very different market then those that just need a simple dac. Again, it's likely still overpriced even given the features.

 

[Deleted member 4360]

I don't think we're criticizing you or this product, which is kind of cool and if you like it and can afford it that's awesome.

There are people who go out of their way to attack the idea that the well regarded low cost DACs that have been tested on this site belong in the conversation with "serious" gear. This is what I get irritated about. "Topping is a toy" according to them even though it is objectively just as good or better at the specific job it does.

No one said Topping is a toy and no one classified Linn as "serious gear". Comparing just the results and then ignoring all of the other attributes and cost of what a system like Linn is all about doesn't do the discussion justice. Nothing is wrong with Topping. It's a different price point than Linn with a different target customer. One is not better than the other. I no longer have a Linn system, I have JDS Labs equipment. These two manufacturers are directly comparable in my opinion. If this site is only about price/performance ratio without other considerations weighing into a score, what's the point of reviewing this DAC in the first place??? Why don't we all just run out and buy a Khadas Tone Board and be done with it?