[Not so fat head]

Funny!
I’m a DIYer enthusiast.
I actually built my own amplifiers, have never used a cheap RK27.



Hopes this helps your innovative journey through head fi.

Nice packaging job! Nicely mirrored with the boards..
I used to rebuild very high end cassette decks, Naks, Sony ES (when ES meant something), Pioneer Elite...etc...

 

[Icenine2]

I respect dCS and what they are doing for the headphone space.

If you don't like it fine, that's not my problem. If it's above your price threshold then that's fine too. But please don't ruin it for the rest of us.

I listened to a dCS Lina DAC. It was fantastic. It was also very pricey. For three thousand dollars less I decided to go with Weiss.

But the Lina DAC is an outstanding DAC!

I ordered a Weiss DAC501- 4Ch. I will meet Daniel Weiss in-person in Zurich this coming week and I'll take possession in-person.

I decided on Weiss this time but next time I could very well go with dCS. I like to keep an open-mind.

I would love to listen to a Weiss.

 

[Zhang Enyuan]

dCS Bartók Compared lina which one is better？

 

[piksnz]

Same. Surprisingly none of the reviews does a comparison with bartok 2.0

 

[Frankie D]

Same. Surprisingly none of the reviews does a comparison with bartok 2.0

I agree. I would like a comparison of Lina to Bartoc and Lina dac plus clock to Rossini and then Rossini Apex ( if it was close to the non Apex Rossini ). Seems to be allot of non-information.

 

[Andrewteee]

dCS may be trying to keep the two lines distinct and not have lots of comparisons between them. Just an idea.

What I’ve heard is that the Lina HPA has more power than the Bartok so it’s better at driving some headphones, but otherwise it sounds very similar. It’s still going to be the same Ring DAC.

 

[piksnz]

dCS may be trying to keep the two lines distinct and not have lots of comparisons between them. Just an idea.

What I’ve heard is that the Lina HPA has more power than the Bartok so it’s better at driving some headphones, but otherwise it sounds very similar. It’s still going to be the same Ring DAC.

Thanks. I can see old reviews where reviewer crapping bartok being mellow etc. But the same person reviewing Lina DAC component only saying best DAC they have heard. Saw few reviews with similar theme. Confused did 2.0 bring Bartok ahead of Dave and others suddenly or Lina DAC is superior than Bartok.

 

[Zhang Enyuan]

Thanks. I can see old reviews where reviewer crapping bartok being mellow etc. But the same person reviewing Lina DAC component only saying best DAC they have heard. Saw few reviews with similar theme. Confused did 2.0 bring Bartok ahead of Dave and others suddenly or Lina DAC is superior than Bartok.

exactly Many people say Lina is the best
The original factory is also vaguely revealing the content of Lina Headphone's flagship technology So many doubts Lina itself is not cheap Whether the amp is good or bad is also a concern for everyone

 

[adrianm]

I have to say, Lina is a great dac, if:
1. You use C crossfeed , not Expanse. It's absolutely horrible.
2. You use DXD not DSD upsampling. Sounds super soft and veiled.

 

[Andrewteee]

I have to say, Lina is a great dac, if:
1. You use C crossfeed , not Expanse. It's absolutely horrible.
2. You use DXD not DSD upsampling. Sounds super soft and veiled.

I have the Bartok and don't use any form of crossfeed, but preferred Expanse when I was experimenting with it.

I use the Elite with the Bartok and last night I switched go the balanced XLR cable from unbalanced and it was a nice improvement.

As an amp, have you compared the Lina amp to the Ferrum combo using the same DAC?

 

[adrianm]

I have the Bartok and don't use any form of crossfeed, but preferred Expanse when I was experimenting with it.

I use the Elite with the Bartok and last night I switched go the balanced XLR cable from unbalanced and it was a nice improvement.

As an amp, have you compared the Lina amp to the Ferrum combo using the same DAC?

Expanse sounds really artificial to me. I much prefer the normal crossfeed. Massive difference with the Oor with XLR vs SE.
Not yet, i've been comparing dac sections via the Oor. I expect to be disappointed by the Lina amp from what i've read. I have to say, this thing really needs the clock to sound good. It's pretty veiled compared to Dave without it.

 

[adrianm]

Did a short review here in case anyone's interested :
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-dave.766517/post-17110419

 

[kakapo]

I've had a look at quite a number of Lina reviews and not one has mentioned alternative cables.
Anyone seen one that does?

The XLRs provided between dac and amp are probably not world beating.
And there may be gains to be had with different clock cables too. The Mutec reclocker+reference clock does better with uprated clock cables, and this could be the same.

 

[innocentblood]

for those who were unimpressed with Lina's amp, did you try switching between 2V and 6V? I had a chance to listen to the Lina with my Abyss Phi TC and the amp was set to 6V. I personally had a very pleasant listening session and my volume pot was around 12pm I think. I was using my SC cables and was listening for nearly 75mins. my personal take is that the Lina does sound very good with the Abyss Phi TC.

 

[marcusd]

Our review of the Lina Headphone Amplifier has just been published. There is some mention of the DAC and clock effects, but we will have separate reviews of those also in the coming weeks

https://headfonics.com/dcs-lina-headphone-amplifier-review/