We’ve been stocking Linn for a few years now.
The primary driving force for this was pressure from customers who wanted us to be able to upgrade their LP12 turntables. If I’m honest, there was a little of the petulant teenager in my reaction. A bit weird that, given my age :).
In addition to the LP12 to which I will acknowledge a growing affection, there were the DS streamers. And they are good, really well sorted. Somehow, though, they did not engender a great deal of passion in me either. No sense of discovering something more amazing and wildly better than ever before.
Hey, there is nothing like setting high expectations!
Over the past year or two it has to be admitted the Linn DS electronics have been seemingly getting better. No idea if this is a softening of my attitude or real gains from software revisions but, since two of us had the same reaction, I’ll go with improvements. The recent addition of Tidal full resolution music streaming added a ‘good news’ story to the mix.
The beginnings of a fundamental opinion shift came a few months ago when we invested in the new Exakt Akudoriks with Akurate DSM Exakt. “Get a new DSM rather than have the old one upgraded”, said our Linn salesman. “It’s a bit better”. Certainly the Akudorik combo did hit the spot with something properly special in there and we are pleased to be able to demonstrate and sell this new tech. But we then noticed something more:
Using the Akurate DSM into the 4200 4 channel power amplifier with our Kudos Titans a dramatic transformation had taken place. In a familiar situation the system had moved from refined and ‘nice’ to genuinely exciting and full-on engaging. Surprising, even. The power amp and speakers were the same as before, only the Akurate DSM had changed. Allegedly the pre-amp section was a bit better but it surely could not explain this.
It now transpires that the steamer itself had moved up a gear and only the Akurate and Klimax DSM devices (coincidentally with Exakt links) had the new tech. These improvements are now being rolled out across the entire Majik, Akurate and Klimax ranges. Suddenly, we are genuinely fired up.
Our new Majik DSM2 is therefore already on order. More significantly, we are adding Klimax DSM and some Klimax amplification to our demo portfolio. After all, it will soon be possible to drive the forthcoming new Kudos Super Titans in Exakt mode.
Exciting times. Linn might make “Linnies” of us after all!