Akurate DS versus DSM

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Patdel
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Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Patdel »

Which is the best streamer?

The extra electronic in DSM ought to disturb the signal some. But does it matter?
Ianw
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Ianw »

Well, at Linn HQ a group of us old Linn site members, including me, heard a back to back dem of Klimax DS and DSM all Kat.


All agreed the DS was better overall even with HDMI turned off on the DSM. I’m running a DDSM Kat to allow connection of my Urika 1, although I have to say DS is superior.


The same could be true for the Akurate but I’ve not heard that dem.
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Patdel »

With DS as only source the choice is clear. I have as many have, a large TV screen and the question is: Is the gain in TV-sound with DSM worth more than the modest loss of DS-musicality?

I must choose quickly because my DS is on the way to Scotland. :) DSM upgrade is about 1000euro more I think.
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mrco99
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by mrco99 »

If you want the best streamer, go for ADS/3 Katalyst.
If you want the most versatility - and the best resale value I'd choose ADSM with Katalyst.
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Defender »

if its just music quality than go DS if the housing is still upgraded with the upgrade to DSM than you need to evaluate for yourself how much important is that for you incl. the possible resale value.
The rest of the additional DSM „features“ depend on if you can make use of it.
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Patdel »

I suppose it's not often ADS is compared with ADSM. I don't need more versatility than streamer and TV. So is the TV sound via HDMI into ADSM something truly special. It might be I think.
It's nice to have the new casing... but worse streamer and 1000euro I don't know.

Anybody have practical experience from this? Everybody have ADSM?

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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Ferdydurke »

Hi all

I'd like to throw in another aspect . My dealer offered me an officially no longer available upgrade for my ADS/0 to ADSM/3 instead of a "simple" upgrade to ADS/3, what at first sight seems to be a bargain. Though following a thread in german forum "Aktives Hören" about upgrades of Linn gear by the well acclaimed engineer Gert Volk I was informed that in the ADSM/3 every analogue input undergoes an immediate AD-conversion; the whole signal processing is digital, and it's only after digital volume control that the reconversion to analogue takes place when routing the signal to the pre out sockets. So, what might be ok for digital sources could in my opinion turn out to be a caveat for vinyl lovers. (And a forum fellow stated that indeed vinyl reproduction via ADSM/3 lost much of its grace to him.) Seems a bit weird to me for a company that started as (and still ist) a TT-factory, but, well, Linn has always been famous for idiosyncratic decisions...
Any thoughts about that?
Saludos, Ferdy
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Matteo »

Ferdydurke wrote: 2021-03-23 17:24 Hi all

I'd like to throw in another aspect . My dealer offered me an officially no longer available upgrade for my ADS/0 to ADSM/3 instead of a "simple" upgrade to ADS/3, what at first sight seems to be a bargain. Though following a thread in german forum "Aktives Hören" about upgrades of Linn gear by the well acclaimed engineer Gert Volk I was informed that in the ADSM/3 every analogue input undergoes an immediate AD-conversion; the whole signal processing is digital, and it's only after digital volume control that the reconversion to analogue takes place when routing the signal to the pre out sockets. So, what might be ok for digital sources could in my opinion turn out to be a caveat for vinyl lovers. (And a forum fellow stated that indeed vinyl reproduction via ADSM/3 lost much of its grace to him.) Seems a bit weird to me for a company that started as (and still ist) a TT-factory, but, well, Linn has always been famous for idiosyncratic decisions...
Any thoughts about that?
Saludos, Ferdy
Hi Ferdy

Being an analogue boy and listening to the LP12 most of the time, I also had a lot of doubts regarding the ADSM/3 as a pre.

Last summer I did a demo of my AK/1 vs. ADSM/3, with my LP12 as source ... It took less than 1 minute to decide to sell the AK/1 and buy a new ADSM/3 (with the bonus of a free Karousel).

During the same demo session I also listen extensively to some Exakt products (series 3, 520, 530 and ASH/AE-i w/109) ... none of them was more musical than my set up.

As already said in another thread, Katalyst is a game changer.

Regards

M.
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by Matteo »

Consider also that, since '80, a lot of vinyl are digitally sourced.

The LP12 seems a better transport than a DS/DSM though.

I did some comparisons between Qobuz and the same (digital) master on vinyl, and the LP 12 was always more musical.

If I remember well, there is a post somewhere on WigWam by ThomasOK on this subject.

M.
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Re: Akurate DS versus DSM

Post by donuk »

Thank you Matteo for your thought provoking comments.

In what ways is an LP12 a better "transport" than a digital streamer? Wow and flutter? Cross-talk? Signal to noise ratio? Introduced distortion? I guess it is just because it is "more musical".

Forgetting about the complexities of delivering Qobuz to your system, which would sound better: the audio signal that hits the disk cutter from the master digital file or magnetic tape, or the audio signal fed into your amplifier and speaker.

If the argument is that it would sound better/more musical if it were played back by the LP12, then the perceived improvement comes from the effect the LP12 has on the signal - ringing around the wooden box and the springs, and other effects.

This has a pleasing effect and can sound very musical and put the LP12 in the lead in a number of ways.

I have a number of uncompressed FLAC files of past favourite LPs which I recorded in the days I had a good LP12 system. They are very pleasing to listen to, very musical, and quite uncannily vinyl. But can the sound ever be better than when it was once in the digital domain? From the master file it is just entropy after that....

Donuk beautiful downtown York
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