Linn Akurate CD Player initial impressions

[earwicker7]

I haven't had a huge amount of time to play around with my new CD player. Actually, it's neither new nor mine, it's a loaner until mine arrives, but the only difference will be that mine is black. But I thought I'd throw out a few quickies...

It's kind of hard for me to compare this to my old player, a modded Opus 21. It's kind of like comparing a Ferrari to a Porsche... the Ferrari is better, but how can you bad-mouth a Porsche? I didn't ditch the Opus because of not liking it, as it is a great CD player; I just wanted a universal player.

So, the first thing to address is SACD and DVD-A. I'd like to start by screaming at the people who have helped bury these formats by picking convenience (cough iPod cough) over quality. Don't get me wrong, I own and frequently use an iPod, and, like a car stereo, they have their place. But the fact that this industry handed us a gem (actually, two gems) of a format and was rewarded with zero sales is infuriating. These formats are light years ahead of regular digital, almost approaching vinyl in quality.

With that outburst out of the way, I'll address overall sound quality. I'm not a professional reviewer, so I'll put it simply... it sounds about $2,500 better than the Opus. Seriously, though, it's not day and night, as it was when switching from PC-based to the Opus, but there are some nice refinements. The high end is not a huge difference from the Opus, just a tiny bit more natural... cymbals sound a little more like cymbals and less like a recorded version of them. The bass, though... drool!!! The one thing that has really impressed me is, for lack of a better word, the "slam" on drums and bass. It's very nice, you get the thump you need without the boom you'd expect, making it very easy to forget you're listening to a recording. I'm not normally one for drum solos, but damn if Moby Dick doesn't sound great through this.

Final word, for now--this is easily the best I've heard digital sound. Is it worth a 50% price increase over a fully modded Opus? That's hard to say, as the Opus sounds incredible. I think I'm officially in diminishing returns territory, but those little returns sure are nice. It just goes to show that in this hobby, whenever you think you've topped out, you end up discovering there is even more to hear.

[CanMad]

That's great news Earwicker! Thanks for the mini review.

I also lament the failure of DVD-A and SACD. I find it hard to believe that after the relative success of the SACD version of DSOTM, Sony didn't think it worth releasing The Wall and Wish you were here on SACD. There are some good discs out there though, and you seem to have a liking for classical and there's plenty of that on SACD. Regarding DVD-A, don't buy anything from Silverline records e.g. Bob Marley, Motorhead, Ministry they all sound like absolute cr@p, they seemingly made no effort to produce good sounding disks and CD versions can sound better.

If you like a bit of rock (I think you got Surfer Rosa on SACD?) try and get hold of Metallica's Black album on DVD-A.

Enjoy!

[earwicker7]

Originally Posted by CanMad

That's great news Earwicker! Thanks for the mini review.

I also lament the failure of DVD-A and SACD. I find it hard to believe that after the relative success of the SACD version of DSOTM, Sony didn't think it worth releasing The Wall and Wish you were here on SACD. There are some good discs out there though, and you seem to have a liking for classical and there's plenty of that on SACD. Regarding DVD-A, don't buy anything from Silverline records e.g. Bob Marley, Motorhead, Ministry they all sound like absolute cr@p, they seemingly made no effort to produce good sounding disks and CD versions can sound better.

If you like a bit of rock (I think you got Surfer Rosa on SACD?) try and get hold of Metallica's Black album on DVD-A.

Enjoy!

Yes, Surfer Rosa is amazing on SACD! As to Black... I would love to hear some of Metallica's earlier stuff, but And Justice for All was the last album of theirs I enjoyed.

I have DSOTM but haven't listened to the SACD yet... thanks for reminding me, it's up next!!! Now if they'd just do their early catalog on high-res.

[vcoheda]

awesome. (any pics?)

thanks for the impressions. nothing better - no better feeling - than when a new piece of gear lives up to, if not exceeds, your expectations. regardless of the price, it if does that - it is wholly worth it.

you also may be one of the few owners of an Akurate. i haven't seen any reviews on it. how long has it been out.

[earwicker7]

Originally Posted by vcoheda

awesome. (any pics?)

thanks for the impressions. nothing better - no better feeling - than when a new piece of gear lives up to, if not exceeds, your expectations. regardless of the price, it if does that - it is wholly worth it.

you also may be one of the few owners of an Akurate. i haven't seen any reviews on it. how long has it been out.

I'll post pics when I get mine... this one's a loaner. I should have the new one next week. Right now I'm concentrating my poor camera skills on the soon-to-be-in-the-for-sale-section Opus 21. I wanna make sure it goes to a good home.

Yeah, it's an obscure brand, and I kind of took a gamble on it. I don't know how long it's been out, to be honest. There aren't many high-end universal players other than Esoteric and Meridian (both of which I strongly considered), so I didn't have a lot of choices. I'm a gadget geek, and was very impressed by the way they handle the universal aspect, which is to completely shut down any circuits that the format (DVD-A, SACD, Redbook) being used at the time doesn't need. It was a gamble that worked out, thankfully.

[yage]

Originally Posted by earwicker7

Yeah, it's an obscure brand, and I kind of took a gamble on it. I don't know how long it's been out, to be honest. There aren't many high-end universal players other than Esoteric and Meridian (both of which I strongly considered), so I didn't have a lot of choices. I'm a gadget geek, and was very impressed by the way they handle the universal aspect, which is to completely shut down any circuits that the format (DVD-A, SACD, Redbook) being used at the time doesn't need. It was a gamble that worked out, thankfully.

It's not quite that obscure of a brand. The Linn Sondek CD12 was the most expensive compact disc player when they brought it to market a couple of years back ($20,000) which, naturally, raised some eyebrows. They also make a highly regarded turntable - the Sondek LP12.

In any case, glad it worked out for you!

[Mindless]

Glad you like it. I'm weeping in envy. Bastard...

I wish my Linn Ikemi wasn't on service, such a lovely sound. I definately like the Akurate better but it was a whole different price, a price which was completely out of my league but also a price that I thought couldn't justify the sonic differences.

vcoheda: The Akurate CD is fairly new. They released it (along with the rest of the Akurate line) eariler this year, so it's pretty much one of the newest CDPs out there and at about $9000+, it should be one of the best too. The price could explain why there are few reviews of it.

These things are built like tanks. Eventhough they don't weigh much (5kg~), they probably have the most stable transport mechanisms I've seen.

[earwicker7]

Mindless... I see in your signature that you have the GS-1000/Black Dragon combo. Is it balanced or single-ended? I just shipped my pair off to have a balanced Black Dragon added.

What were the differences? I'm hoping it takes a tiny bit of the "brittleness" off the high end, which is the only thing that I think keeps the GS-1000 from getting an A instead of a B+.

Also, where are you getting the $9,000+ from? I thought the list was closer to $7,500. I hope you're right, as it would mean I got an even better deal . And, uh, more bragging rights... (insert evil laugh). Linn's website isn't much help on this unless I'm missing something.

[Asr]

Thanks for the impressions so far. Need more details of the soundstage and mid-range of this bad boy though. Inquiring minds just need to know!!!

[Mindless]

Originally Posted by earwicker7

Mindless... I see in your signature that you have the GS-1000/Black Dragon combo. Is it balanced or single-ended? I just shipped my pair off to have a balanced Black Dragon added.

What were the differences? I'm hoping it takes a tiny bit of the "brittleness" off the high end, which is the only thing that I think keeps the GS-1000 from getting an A instead of a B+.

Also, where are you getting the $9,000+ from? I thought the list was closer to $7,500. I hope you're right, as it would mean I got an even better deal . And, uh, more bragging rights... (insert evil laugh). Linn's website isn't much help on this unless I'm missing something.

My Black Dragon is single ended, for now anyway. As I haven't heard the stock GS1000, I can't really make a comparison between the two but comparing what I've read other people say about the stock cans and what I hear, it's definately an improvement.

With my BD GS1000, I can't say I've experienced any of this brittleness you describe. Everything to me is crystal clear and very adamant in the higher end, the only thing that has been bothersome at times is 's'-sounds with some female vocals on certain not-so-great recordings. Bass is also very solid. It has a great sense of authority, everything is delivered effortlessly and with punch. Midrange is equally sweet - male and female vocals alike, with the exception of thoes 's'.

Well, here in Sweden the retail price is about 60000SEK, that's about $9300. If it was $7500 for you, it is a great deal.

Indeed, Linn's homepage isn't much help. It gives you an idea of their products and 'house-sound' but nothing else.