You guys should just skip all of the hassle and get the Linn KDS/3.
The input is straight off of any music server via ethernet cable, so you can say goodbye to any colorization from USB cables and any extra box between the source and a DAC.
It is similar to the Lyngdorf in that it waits until the last possible moment to do the analog conversion. It runs through an FPGA, first, where it bests any up-sampling I have ever heard, even the Chord DAVE (and especially PS Audio), and some of the best R2R DACs I have heard in my home, like TotalDac, Metrum, and the Yggy.
Every internal process of the Linn KDS/3 is governed by its own power supply, unlike 99.9% of the other units out there (if there are some like the Linn, I don't know about it). The importance of these power supplies cannot be expressed enough. There is a large margin for error in any DAC that has a single power supply that runs every process. Artifacts can be introduced at every stage, depending on the complexity of the DAC's architecture, and let's face it, DACs are growing more complex by the minute.
Finally, there is the pre-amp, which is akin to the Metrum Adagio pre-amp, in that the volume does not produce any distortion upon raising it. This is actually a rarity, and manufacturers won't publish spec on their pre-amps lest the user sees an aggravating rise in distortion.
Anyway, I'm in love with mine. I don't think I'll part with it. Y'all should look into one. Oh yes, and it comes with Linn's own room correction.
My DIs have been breaking in for almost 72 hours now. I haven't been doing any critical listening, because my room is on its way from crap-to-good, but I walk by and I hear things in songs that I've never heard before. The snare hits and cymbal decay is amazing.
The input is straight off of any music server via ethernet cable, so you can say goodbye to any colorization from USB cables and any extra box between the source and a DAC.
It is similar to the Lyngdorf in that it waits until the last possible moment to do the analog conversion. It runs through an FPGA, first, where it bests any up-sampling I have ever heard, even the Chord DAVE (and especially PS Audio), and some of the best R2R DACs I have heard in my home, like TotalDac, Metrum, and the Yggy.
Every internal process of the Linn KDS/3 is governed by its own power supply, unlike 99.9% of the other units out there (if there are some like the Linn, I don't know about it). The importance of these power supplies cannot be expressed enough. There is a large margin for error in any DAC that has a single power supply that runs every process. Artifacts can be introduced at every stage, depending on the complexity of the DAC's architecture, and let's face it, DACs are growing more complex by the minute.
Finally, there is the pre-amp, which is akin to the Metrum Adagio pre-amp, in that the volume does not produce any distortion upon raising it. This is actually a rarity, and manufacturers won't publish spec on their pre-amps lest the user sees an aggravating rise in distortion.
Anyway, I'm in love with mine. I don't think I'll part with it. Y'all should look into one. Oh yes, and it comes with Linn's own room correction.
My DIs have been breaking in for almost 72 hours now. I haven't been doing any critical listening, because my room is on its way from crap-to-good, but I walk by and I hear things in songs that I've never heard before. The snare hits and cymbal decay is amazing.