CD is no match for Linn DS

Linn MD Gilad Tiefenbrun

The Linn DS sounds better than any CD player regardless of price, declares Gilad Tiefenbrun, the managing director of Linn.

Just as his father Ivor had championed the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable as the best source, Gilad is now championing Linn's digital streaming system as the best source around.

"There is no way CD can sound better than Linn DS. It's 16 bit, it's coloured, it's noisy, it's affected by EMI...." he said during a coffee break at the recent KL International AV Show. He was in KL as a guest of Perfect Hi-Fi.

Then he went on to list the advantages of the Linn DS system such as it being solid state, a "pull" system, the files are 24-bit, etc.

Gilad said Linn is the only hi-fi company that invested in designing its own digital processing platform while other companies either use third-party technologies or modify computer parts.

He named a recently-launched digital media player (which was praised by critics) that used a modified computer mother-board.

“You can never get good music from computer parts,” he said.

Since Linn is now heading into digital in a big way, the Scottish firm has launched Songcast which is Linn’s multi-room system.

The Songcast software is downloadable for free from the Internet and with an Ethernet-linked network of Linn DS players resulting effectively in a Local Area Network (LAN), 24-bit audio can be streamed to various parts of your home at high quality and perfectly synchronised.

“There is no delay at all. You will hear the same part of the song in any room where the Linn DS player is,” Gilad said.

You can listen to playlists from a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) or, if you are connected to the Internet, you can listen to Internet radio or Cloud Music Streaming services.

Just a software download and owning two Linn DS players is sufficient to make you Songcast-ready - there is no need for other components or programmes. Your iPod, iPad or iPhone and other smartphones can be used to control the music.

Gilad said Linn is still sticking to using ethernet connections for the time being.

“Wifi is still progressing and it is changing a lot. It is also rather noisy and it is not ready for Linn to use in its digital streaming products,” he said.

Another new product from Linn is actually a rework of an old product - the Linn Isobarik speakers from 1973

“We have a passionate team of designers and they felt that with new materials and technology available, it could be timely to have another look at the isobarik system,” he said.

Essentially, they wanted to merge the treble qualities of the Majik speakers with the bass of an isobarik system using the latest drivers.

Gilad said they were pleased with the results, but decided to do it for the entry-level Majik range as the performance of the Activ Servo Bass system of the Klimax 350 speakers was more difficult to surpass.