[Not so fat head]

Yeah I think the pandemic forced alot of manufacturers and dealers to try to get gear into potential customers hands with in-home auditions. I realize we have CanJam events but this isn't the only way to get gear into the eyes and ears of customers.

If a dCS dealer that serves the Los Angeles area or any official dCS internet dealers, reading this please contact me as I'd love to do an in-home audition of the network DAC. I'm very familiar with the usual requirements and am okay with putting a CC down if needed to make everyone feel comfortable with everything.

Sounds like you’re a perfect reviewer candidate , I’d read it!

 

[Whazzzup]

Well since we’re looking for testers/influencers. I’d love to see this tailored system take on the hodgepodge of brands that make up my rig, just to hear what’s what. Toronto Canada anyone….

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

Was hoping this was an all in one unit rather than a modular approach and much cheaper. Will be keeping my Bartok. At present I do not see an advantage to the Lina and as such do not understand the pricing structure. Waiting for reviews.

 

[oniel459]

Was hoping this was an all in one unit rather than a modular approach and much cheaper. Will be keeping my Bartok. At present I do not see an advantage to the Lina and as such do not understand the pricing structure. Waiting for reviews.

I’d be curious if want bartok owner ab tests the Lina headphone amp only versus bartok and ends up getting it.

 

[Ruprit]

That does not look like a high end volume pot for something at this price. Not that it matters to me but I think it's a fair question/concern.

I was about to post the same thing.

At $9K I expect perfect channel matching like you can find in amps a third of the price (Benchmark LPA4), or less (Arcam rHead). I do not expect to see a $20 Alps pot that looks to be the stereo model and not even balanced. Even the Schhit Jotunheim used a proper balanced Alps pot!

 

[BLacklWf]

If you have powered speakers, you could probably connect them to the XLR headphone output on the front of the headphone. It's ugly, but would probably work. But yes, it looks like DCS deliberately left preamp functionality out of both the DAC and the headphone amp. Whether this was done due to limited space in the boxes, or simply to stay out of the Bartok lane isn't clear.

I guess the latter. I was hoping perhaps a cheaper Bartok - but supposedly dCS did not want that. I think dCS can add volume control via software update if they want at some point.

 

[BLacklWf]

We had talked extensively with dCS engineering about the Lina amp, which I've been openly saying to interested parties is the star of this launch, in my opinion.

They replied about their output stage. Instead of running a few normal transistors in parallel for more current-handling, they use an uncommonly large part to supply the current big planars need.

Lina HP Amp – the link is the extent of what I could glean from asking more about its design

The torture test was done with the 2V (not 6V) output from Lina DAC into Lina amp's (on low gain) unbuffered input driving a Susvara, and it got painfully loud at 2 o'clock, with headroom to spare. That's before we get onto the optimal 6V, or high-gain, and start to hear fireworks.

Despite what I've said about easily driving Susvaras and, by extension, Abyss, dCS managed internal gain perfectly on Lina amp. We got up to 10 o'clock on sensitive gear like Rosson RAD-0s and Focal Stellias, and managed 12 o'clock for ZMF Headphones. dCS were serious when they said Lina amp will drive any headphone.

We had a great time at launch yesterday, and hopefully Zepp's attendees will have something to share for all of us here.

I think the hardware-wise Lina DAC circuit is about identical to Bartok other than being folded and removed the volume pot. I think dCS removed the variable volume via software in order to protect Bartok's sales. Perhaps a smart decision for them. Sucks for people like me. Well.. not that I'm very interested in Lina anyway.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

IMHO, this is like the Mac Studio and Studio Display from Apple. Buying separately allows you to upgrade individually when the technology improves. I got the Mac Studio M1 Ultra and Pro XDR Display for this reason. Now I need the LINA next to them. lol...

 

[zach915m]

Here's my dCS Lina video:

Overall I greatly have enjoyed having this unit and we will be showing it off at CanJam Chicago as I'm sure there will be some other units there as well. Check out the video to see if I'm going to throw all my tubes out and buy a Lina!

 

[Slim1970]

Here's my dCS Lina video:

Overall I greatly have enjoyed having this unit and we will be showing it off at CanJam Chicago as I'm sure there will be some other units there as well. Check out the video to see if I'm going to throw all my tubes out and buy a Lina!

I’ll be stopping by your table to check out the Lina and the Atrium’s!!

 

[Z_Showmaster]

Here's my dCS Lina video:

Overall I greatly have enjoyed having this unit and we will be showing it off at CanJam Chicago as I'm sure there will be some other units there as well. Check out the video to see if I'm going to throw all my tubes out and buy a Lina!

Always a fan of Zach's hot takes

 

[SalR406]

My tuppence about the LINA, which I have neither seen in person nor heard:

• Brand: dCS makes inspirational, aspirational equipment that performs at the highest level. I’m glad they’re investing in the headphone space and I wish them every success with the LINA launch. I’ve talked with dCS reps at multiple shows and it’s very easy to wish them well.
• Design Language: Based on photos and videos, these are beautiful pieces with an appealing design language.
• Software: I’m glad dCS includes Roon Ready certification across their product line, and pays attention to their software quality overall. Sometimes, a manufacturer makes great hardware products but falls down in the software quality department - both reliability & usability. My sense is that dCS gets the software right.
• Form Factor: The form factor is strange. Each of the three pieces (DAC, Clock, Amp) measures 8.6 inches (220mm) wide by 4.8 inches (121mm) tall by 13.3 inches (339mm) deep. Let’s consider installing LINA in a typical 19 inch (483mm) audio rack. At that size, all three pieces will not fit side-by-side on one shelf. Two pieces side-by-side, with the third on a different shelf is fine, but breaks up the nice aesthetic of having them all together. How about stacking them vertically on one shelf in the rack? Three pieces stacked would require 14.4 inches (365.4mm) of vertical space on the shelf and two pieces stacked would require 9.6 inches (243mm). That’s too tall for most racks, except for the very top shelf. My deskside Symposium rack, for example, offers 8 inches (203mm) of vertical space between shelves. You might argue that since this is a headphone system, LINA is intended to sit on a desk or work table, rather than in an audio rack. I think it’s rare for a desk to have a 27x16 inch (685x406mm) space available to accommodate LINA side-by-side (allowing a little bit of inter-chassis space and some cable space at the rear). That brings us to stacking vertically on a desk. This is probably the best configuration, but the system is still quite large at 14.4 inches (365.4mm) tall. The form factor is strange - not quite suited to an audio rack or to a desktop.
• Product Positioning: It’s not clear to me how LINA is positioned in the dCS product line. Does it sit above the Bartok HA or below or alongside? The full LINA system costs about 50% more than the Bartok HA, but the LINA DAC component alone costs about 25% less than the Bartok (non-HA). Does that mean the Bartok is the better DAC? What about when you add in the LINA Clock piece?
• Amplifier Power: The power output specs of the LINA headphone amplifier are modest. The HIFIMAN Susvara is a common headphone among customers at the top end of the market. It’s known to perform at its best when paired with high-power headphone amplifiers or even speaker amplifiers. Is dCS not targeting Susvara owners with the LINA? That would be a strange choice.
• Preamp Outputs: Many headphone systems also include small powered desktop speakers. I use Genelec 8030C speakers in my system, in addition to headphones. Headphone amplifiers typically also act as preamps and really need to offer balanced preamp outputs. So many great headphone amplifiers omit this feature - e.g. Pass HPA1, Moon 430HA, McIntosh MHA150, Luxman P750u, T+A HA 200. The Bryston BHA-1 also misses the mark because, while it does offer balanced preamp outputs, they are always hot (not muted when headphones are plugged in). The LINA amp does not offer preamp outputs, joining this group. I think that’s a poor choice. I said the same thing about the T+A HA 200 when it launched not too long ago. The Benchmark HPA4, Niimbus US5, and Violectric V550 do offer this important feature.
• Alternative 1: Many prominent manufacturers of digital components like Auralic, Lumin, Bricasti, Linn, Chord, EMM, Esoteric, Mola Mola, Mytek, Naim, and Weiss don’t have a standalone headphone amplifier offering. If dCS wants to offer the headphone market something new, why not just offer a new headphone amplifier to be used with the existing line of DACs? The new amp could share the design language of the existing DACs so it gives the customer the feel of a well-matched system aesthetic. If it outputs, say, 8 watts into 60 ohms, it would cover all (non electrostatic) TOTL headphones out there. Susvara owners would likely be very interested. Such an amp would likely be the headphone amplifier of choice for most dCS DAC customers and the very summit of solid-state headphone amplifiers across the market.
• Alternative 2: dCS could truly shoot for something that would fit on most desks, such as a small all-in-one. One new product that includes a network endpoint, DAC, and headphone amplifier in one chassis with a much smaller footprint. Something like a half-width, half-depth Bartok HA. Perhaps the full quality of the larger DACs couldn’t be achieved in such a small chassis, but I know I would love the prospect of a small desktop all-in-one from dCS.

Congratulations to dCS on their achievement. I offer my thoughts here in good faith, supposing that feedback from a prospective customer could be useful. In spite of these perspectives, LINA is an exciting product. It really doesn’t suit my needs or my space… but I still want it. Cheers!

 

[IanB52]

I think the hardware-wise Lina DAC circuit is about identical to Bartok other than being folded and removed the volume pot. I think dCS removed the variable volume via software in order to protect Bartok's sales. Perhaps a smart decision for them. Sucks for people like me. Well.. not that I'm very interested in Lina anyway.

DCS does stuff like that, like withholding firmware updates to the Bartok to not undercut the Rossini. They make good stuff, but are a bit of a snooty company in that way.

For a headphone setup, this system is better because the DCS digital volume control in the Bartok sounded very much digital and you have to keep it between 70-95 for planars. Most of the volume control range is unused! An analog volume control is a good thing.

 

[IanB52]

I found it from: https://www.moon-audio.com/dcs-lina-headphone-amplifier.html

Internal topology looks a lot like Ferrum Oor, with mostly better in-house parts and transformer.

 

[IanB52]

The price makes zero sense, what costs, R&D and MFG expenses are being recovered here?
I love to see the cost breakdown…..
If you plan on selling 10 of them, then sure….

Thing with DCS is almost everything is made in house, and very little off the shelf, they also have pretty robust aluminum casing. Made in the UK. All that stuff costs a lot, plus they have very good engineers, proprietary DAC/digital designs, and scale down technology from their ultra high end DACs. The Lina DAC and clock are actually the cheapest they make. That said, I think you also pay for the brand prestige.