Linn Klimax DS

Posted by: DeltaSigma on 01 March 2009

I was able to spend a couple of hours yesterday listening to this product at Accent on Music in NY (feeding a 552/250/300/Linn Komri speakers). Although I am not familiar with the Komris and the room was also very new to me, I must say that I found the Klimax DS to be VERY impressive indeed - everything one could want in terms of detail, tunefulness, scale, etc. It is impossible to say for certain how it would compare directly with the Mac/Lavry but there was no way to deny that it is in the very highest of leagues as far as sources are concerned. It grips your attention and draws you into the music in a way that few digital sources (IME) are able to. The single hi-res (24/192) track that I was able to listen to was an absolute revelation in terms of sound quality and one can only hope that more music in this format will be made available in the future.

This is the first time that I have been impressed by a Linn source other than the LP12 and I hope one day to directly compare it to the Mac/Lavry to see which comes out ahead - at the moment I have no idea what the result would be.

For the first time, I was also able to hear the HDX (no PSU) on a couple of tracks in the same system - by comparison it was OK but clearly a step or two behind the Klimax on just about every dimension. In the future, it would be interesting to hear the result of adding an XPS or 555PS to produce a more level playing field where price is concerned - even though my experience with the Mac/Lavry has demonstrated that price is pretty much irrelevant to performance when it comes to the newer digital technologies.
Posted on: 04 March 2009 by Claus-Thoegersen
If one did not already own a digital source than either solution would provide ultimate satisfaction. The only difference between the two boils down (in my opinion) to the differing presentations - Linn vs. Naim. At the end of the day the Klimax would most likely be the one to purchase due to the flexibility and convenience factor involved in playback.

flexibility and convenience in playback the climax DS??? you must clearly have seen another unit than I did see in july. Even Linn fans almost hate the Linngui. It is very fussy if you attach more than one pc at a time, something the HDX client does not care about. Many DS owners are getting tired of ripping on their computers! In my view the HDX has all these things the way it should be done, but at a high price, and with a little to much noise and too small hard disks, all of this will be changed I am sure over time.

Claus
Posted on: 04 March 2009 by DeltaSigma
quote:
Originally posted by Claus-thoeg:

Even Naim owners have different preferences for presentation. What was the climax used with. I have heard the DS climax in an all Linn system with their Active speakers, and as I have written elsewhere it was borring to the point of getting to sleep. Lots of base but no drive!

for the price of a new climax DS you can get an HDX with 555 PS wich I am told is very very good at cd 555 level or maybe above. If that is true the DS is beaten no competition at all, no matter the rest of the system used!

Claus


Claus - As I have mentioned above, the Klimax was being used with Naim 552/300/250 amplification.

It is possible that the culprit in the dem you heard was/were the Linn amps used. I have not had extensive experience of their amps but on the couple of occasions that I had an opportunity to hear them, they were singularly unimpressive with characteristics similar to those you have mentioned above (particularly the heavy and tuneless bass). To be fair, this may not be representative of their current models (the last time I heard an all Linn system was in 2003) but as of now, the best amplifiers I have heard are Naim's.

Maybe you should try to get an opportunity to hear the Klimax with Naim amps and let us know what you think.

As for your comment with respect to the HDX with/without PSUs, please re-read my posts above - I was careful to note that the comparison I was making was not on a level playing field where price is concerned - although I am more and more inclined to believe that cost is no indicator of performance where these new streaming technologies are concerned.
Posted on: 04 March 2009 by abbydog
quote:
If that is true


Claus, I look forward to hearing your conclusions after you do the dem!
Posted on: 04 March 2009 by Claus-Thoegersen
quote:
Originally posted by abbydog:
quote:
If that is true


Claus, I look forward to hearing your conclusions after you do the dem!


TThey are already on the forum do a search and you shall find!
Posted on: 04 March 2009 by Claus-Thoegersen
Maybe you should try to get an opportunity to hear the Klimax with Naim amps and let us know what you think.

It is not possible the 2 dealers in Århus are not going to arrange something like this. Actually my dealer and I think that goes for the Danish distributor also does not have the 500 series in Denmark.

I still do not understand the comment about flexibility and convenience?


As for your comment with respect to the HDX with/without PSUs, please re-read my posts above - I was careful to note that the comparison I was making was not on a level playing field where price is concerned - although I am more and more inclined to believe that cost is no indicator of performance where these new streaming technologies are concerned.[/QUOTE]

Long threads are easy to get lost in. I like this forum very much but not everything here in a thread is relevant to the subject, and because the easiest way to reply is to quote there is a lot of repetition. This may not be too much of a problem for a sighted user to skim through, but without any html tags skimming takes a lot of time for a blind screen reader user, and again I like the forum and the topics, but I do not have much more time to skim through posts, and I have a life and music to listen too besides posting here.

Claus