I’ve not tested the original LINA, but I have a solid track record with long hands-on experience with dCS Rossini and Vivaldi, both in the original and the Apex upgrades.
Just as the Apex reshaped the industry and owners, the dCD LINA brings something elemental and important to digital playback in the 21st century and to music lovers in general.
It’s no secret that dCS DACs are among the most coveted digital front ends for several reasons: Tradition, impressive heritage, renowned sound quality, flexibility in sound settings, variable output, and last but not least the great Mosaic software platform.
LINA
LINA was triggered by the positive public reception of the Bartók Headphone DAC in 2018, which introduced a patented processing platform, dCS Expanse, that enabled the brand to deliver enhanced headphone optimization. After this, dCS decided to go further and develop a system specifically designed for headphone listening. The LINA Networking DAC and Master Clock were the logical steps in this new chapter, and as you can read in this review, they have created splendid products and ecosystems with the new compact line.
But that was only the first step. The second chapter introduced LINA 2.0, which focused on dCS’s already established embedded DSP and implemented an advanced signal architecture that is not only open to the future, but most importantly unleashes the essence of dCS sound in the smallest, but in no way compromised package. LINA can ignite similar captivating and captivating musical enjoyment as its larger siblings, but without braking the bank.
Operational
The dCS LINA Networking DAC is compatible with all high-resolution music formats, from DSD to PCM, DXD, and MQA, and works with most, if not all, streaming options, and connects easily to external devices and storage drives.
Playback is smoothly managed via the dCS Mosaic Control App, which allows music to be relished and experienced from multiple platforms – including Roon, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, Spotify, Internet radio, and Apple Airplay. Linking to Qobuz, Tidal, and other services is simple (login and password), as is the browsing of the USB key.
As with streaming or file playback, the LINA Networking DAC allows data from streaming sources or storage devices to be converted to high-resolution DSD, DSD/128, or DXD for even higher resolution and more detail.
With multiple digital inputs and a variety of formats, streaming services, and programmability, the dCS LINA Networking DAC is an exceptionally well-envisioned and depicted digital center that not only represents the current state of the art but is also a future-proof investment through the exclusive software/firmware upgrades that ensure that the LINA DAC retains its value over time.
The dCS LINA Networking DAC also features a state-of-the-art, ultra-flexible preamplifier stage with 6V, 2V, 0.6V, or 0.2V RMS outputs that can be used with suitable outboard preamplifiers or, with appropriate input processing, drive power amplifiers directly.
The four touch buttons on the front panel make it easy to set all the functions you need, including input selection, upsampling options, and volume control.
Everything about dCS LINA exudes quality and luxury, starting with the packaging and the manual. I like it when a manufacturer goes the extra mile because it shows how they want to present themselves and how important it is to them that the customer is greeted in a very special way, even before the device is switched on.
LINA Master Clock
I have already written about the importance of timing in my dCS reviews of Rossini and Vivaldi. Timing is the key to everything in audio. It ensures order, accuracy, in-phase behavior, etc.
Our perception of music can change instantly at the slightest deviation from timing: In this respect, we are extremely sensitive to delays and phases.
The LINA Master Clock gives the LINA Networking DAC the same fundamental importance as the Rossini and the Vivaldi DACs, and there is simply no going back to the experience without the clock.
The combination with the LINA Master Clock brings even more order to the music, revealing finer detail, creating greater density, and allowing a greater degree of acoustic cues and therefore a far more realistic reproduction trinity of timbre, tone, and color.
In addition, the entire sonic sphere is better mapped, allowing for a much greater expansion and settlement of focal nodal points and thus a more believable and factual sense of acoustic space.
LINA Networking DAC connects to the LINA Master Clock via two supplied BNC digital cables. One input is for multiples of 44.1kHz and the other is for multiples of 48kHz. The same logic as existing dCS clocking solutions.
By linking the Master Clock with DAC, the music immediately feels more textured and cohesive, providing a deeper focus that can be felt with every fiber of the music.
The correct implementation and execution of the clocking reflects the dedication to the DAC circuitry. When the DAC is properly clocked by a dedicated Master Clock, they form a symbiotic whole, and as with the dCS Rossini and Vivaldi Apex clocks, the LINA clock is of similar fundamental importance.
In reality, the LINA Master Clock is more or less a scaled-down, but not exactly slimmed-down, version of the Rossini Clock. Yeah, one heck of trickling down!
The Music
Like the other dCS DACs, the dCS LINA is free of artifice and glare, taking the listener straight to the heart of the music.
As always, here are some reference albums/tracks that reveal the highly potent inner core of the LINA.
Klaus Schulze – Timewind
Compared to the similarly priced DACs and even some of the higher priced ones, I quickly discovered newfound stories not revealed by similar contenders.
The Timewind dCS LINA combo exposed a smorgasbord of details that show that current digital technology is still limited by the DACs and not the content. With the LINA duo, it feels as if the limitations have been lifted and the listener can tread along the endless paths of music.
Amidst the sea of information that must be derived from zeros and ones, LINA encloses something substantially distinct, a captivating feel that allows the music to fully unfold, reproducing the music on the spot.
John Klemmer – Touch
Many DACs in this price range, regardless of specifications and so-called limitless transparency, produce overwhelming inconsistencies in music reproduction. With Touch, this is immediately apparent.
The dCS LINA DAC and clock do not allow the listener to be swept away by a flood of information without overwhelming him. The listener does not get stuck on this phenomenon, nor the music is ventriloquized. It simply glues listeners to the music, proving that LINA is not just another technology cocktail pushed by the marketing machinery, but a musical DAC that pulls you into the music and spits you out in a completely different way. And the Touch is a perfect vessel to showcase this.
Thievery Corporation – It Takes a Thief
dCS LINA is trimmed for dynamics and highly articulated when it comes to seamlessly anchoring the music. On It Takes a Thief, LINA DAC, and Clock are ably painted on a larger sonic canvas than expected, intimating the entire album with familiar dCS lusciousness, especially with the Mapper 3 setting, where second-order harmonics enchant in situ. LINA is well-wired on all fronts, but I was taken off guard by a surprisingly focused low end. Especially when you consider that everything, including the power supply is housed in one, relatively small chassis.
ARC Trio – Jimmy Haslip · Scott Kinsey · Gergö Borlai
The rendition of “Owosso” was downright magnetic, with no sign of the usual sound fluctuations that are all too easy to hear in this price range.
dCS LINA takes you to a place where your mind comes to rest, your inner clock runs faster and the music cuts straight to your heart.
The combination of LINA DAC and Clock emote and crystallize “Owosso” in a completely different way, gently drawing in the hypnotically beguiling, pulsating rhythms of the Zawinul-inspired masterpiece. The kaleidoscopic narrative of “Owosso” can sound washed out too quickly if the DAC is not able to follow the ARC Trio’s syncopated beats and affluent tones, but LINA sticks to the ever-changing beats and exuberant lyrical narrative with authority and immaculate timing.
Funky Junction & KC Flightt – Voices (Lost & Found Original Dub)
Another track that proved that the dCS LINA DAC is not only a cameo of the overall high-end audio ecosystem, but through its highly potent solitude standing an utterly important integral part, that reveals a unique dimension of music while keeping the sonic balance intact.
The iconic club track “Voices” delicately and understatedly initiates a Reich-like repetitiveness, a kind of soporific immersion into a tribal momentum that requires a higher-than-usual inner core to fully unleash the mojo.
The dCS Lina DAC transcoding of zeros and ones again functioned as a universal musical algebra, with an uncanny ability to set and forget the technology.
The dCS LINA duo puts the listener in the tenacious zone, masterfully avoiding glaring errors and nailing more than just a convincing paraphrasing of “Voices”. When everything is at the right level, “Voices” will not readily leave the subconscious, but will linger for a long, long time.
The Conclusion
The dCS LINA DAC and Clock immediately greets you with a “Hey Presto”, the music starts to purr and the sound magic begins.
the dCS LINA is a complex, interdisciplinary fusion of tradition, know-how, and the latest technologies in the smallest package in the dCS portfolio to date, without forfeiting the essence of what makes these DACs so unique and outstanding.
Like its other siblings, the LINA is an evolutionary product and the result of unbent performance enhancements, free from digititis and expertly merging audibility with natural transparency and mighty dynamism.
As the most recent and smallest representative of the brand’s product line, LINA is in no way toned down, but rather sonically to the point and follows the firmly anchored dCS sonic heritage.
dCS LINA reflects the nature of musical reality and pulsates in harmony with the inner beat of the music. It is no coincidence that all the neurons start to float in the right way when music plays as it does not interrupt the flow of music for a split second.
If the mind wanders off during the listening, the connection is broken and all the magic is gone. Quite the contrary, the dCS LINA combo dives into the details, focusing on transparency and musicality in favor of the original.
LINA is a dCS thoroughbred that embodies the core of the brand sound and encapsulates the emotions that dominate the mélange of technology and expertise and this includes the dCS Mosaic platform that has proven to be a fully mature solid software platform allowing easy-to-implement future updates.
There is a certain incantation that happens with the right combination of upsampling, mappers, and filters that immediately enchants, reckons with the nature of reality, and allows for a unique unraveling of musical mysteries.
LINA is quintessentially dCS, proudly part of the brand’s oeuvre, and simply works where the music lives and where all the technology flows together into a seamless whole. Most importantly, it does not sound virtual but ups the ante of validity in more ways than one. By providing a homogeneous sonic distribution from input to output, through the skillful use of mission-critical technologies, LINA produces superbly controlled results that are subordinate to the music, not the sound.
And that alone is a reason for the high praise. LINA is untethered from technology and simply lets you immerse yourself in the music, without distraction. dCS LINA is unnoticeable noticeable dCS! And that is the greatest compliment I can shell out.
With such an abundance of DACs on the market, especially in compact sizes, it might seem for a moment that digital technology is on the verge of irrelevance, but the dCS LINA stands boldly and proudly as a resounding triumph. Appearances can be deceiving, especially with small sizes.
And yet. With the LINA, a true ambassador of the brand, dCS presents its proud creation in a refined, stylish housing that offers far greater performance than expected.
LINA is another stage in the evolution of an ever-forward-thinking dCS team, tirelessly striving to develop, expand, and perfect the digital craft and it is perhaps the most ambitious effort in the dCS portfolio and a true staple. Presented as a true, full-blooded dCS DAC, it delivers something exceptional in size with the dedicated clock that will, and already has, open many more doors, even to people who would not normally be attracted, as like its other dCS DAC siblings, offers an unforgettable experience in an elegant, more affordable package. And there are no frills about the price, which is more than can be said for many similarly priced DACs.
The unique interconnectivity reflected in expertly correct technical choices, as already experienced with Vivaldi and Rossini, has positive consequences that ripple across the musical spectrum without altering the scope of the musical image while creating a deeply emotional interaction and evoking an extremely natural reproduction. Many DACs on the market are characterized by one particular stand-out attribute, but few are capable of casting the music factuality.
With dCS LINA the abstract language of reality, the language of zeros and ones, is transformed into the language of music, pulsing beneath the surface but offering a sonorous, in-your-face actuality that won’t leave you cold.
Too many DACs in this price range can suck the soul out of the music, but LINA delivers an exemplary, exceptional antipode.
I like the futuristic retro look of the LINA, the minimalist design elements, and the flexibility of the sound mangling, which is of wide variety yet not too complicated to allow even the uninitiated in high-end audio to adjust the sonic balance of the system. Above all the instantly recognizable, dCS stand-out transparent yet harmonically rich sonic crux, bypasses the logical gatekeepers and aims directly at the right sensory receptors, creating in sync, a sort of sympathetic resonance.
While the LINA may be considered by many to be the ultimate state-of-the-art headphone listening system, it is in fact much more. The headphone part is only one aspect of the LINA trinity.
Chapeau to David J Steven. and team!
On that note. To simply call David a typical CEO would be selling him short. Never condescending, he’s both an avid audiophile and a music lover who is at the forefront of development, steadfastly committed to pushing the boundaries, making dCS products accessible to a wider audience, and appealing to the younger crowd, while not missing the groove of the third millennium. And that’s the spirit we need to keep our beloved industry moving forward!
And that reflects intimately with the dCS LINA. With LINA, listening to music is fun, easy and intoxicating.
For what it represents as a complete, compact, genuine musically, and featured packed 21st-century digital front-end package, I’m happy to award dCS LINA DAC and Clock with the 2024 Mono & Stereo Best Buy Product Award and Highly Recommended Product Award. Yes, the double-decker!.
I would like to thank dCS, Absolute Sounds London and Imacustica Lisbon for arranging the review samples. ❖
Price
- Lina Upsampling DAC / Network Streamer £12,500
- Lina Master Clock £7,250
Technical
LINA Networking DAC
- Product Dimensions / Weight121.5mm (H) x 220mm (W) x 339mm (D) 7.4kg
- Upsampling• 1 stereo balanced pair on 2x 3-pin male XLR connectors (pin 2 = hot, pin 3 = cold). These outputs are electronically balanced and floating, the signal balance ratio at 1 kHz is better than 40dB. Output impedance is 3Ω , maximum load is 600Ω (a 10kΩ – 100kΩ load is recommended) • 1 stereo unbalanced pair on 2x RCA Phono connectors. Output impedance is 52Ω, maximum load is 600Ω (a 10kΩ – 100kΩ load is recommended)• Output levels are 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V, or 6V rms for a full-scale input, set in the menu.
- L-R CrosstalkBetter than –115dB0, 20Hz-20kHz
- Streaming CompatibilitySupports the following platforms and services:• UPnP
• Qobuz
• Deezer
• Tidal
• Internet Radio
• Spotify
• Apple AirPlay 2 (support at 44.1 or 48kS/s)
• RoonReady - UpsamplingMulti-stage DXD oversampling with switchable DSD Upsampling (1-bit 2.822 or 3.07MS/s) and DSDx2 Upsampling (1-bit 5.644 or 6.14MS/s).
- Digital Inputs• 2 x AES/EBU on 3 pin XLR 44.1-384kS/s• 1 x S/PDIF BNC Coax 44.1-192kS/s• 1 x S/PDIF on RCA 44.1-192kS/s• 1 x Toslink 44.1-96kS/s• 1 x USB Type B 44.1-384kS/s, PCM and DSD, DSDx2 in Async Mode• 1 x USB Type A connector for mass storage devices (navigated using Mosaic)
- Frequency Response (set to filter 1)• Fs = 44.1 or 48kS/s +/-0.1dB, 10Hz-20kHz
• Fs = 88.2 or 96kS/s +/-0.1dB, 10Hz-20kHz -3dB @ >38kHz
• Fs = 176.4 or 192kS/s +/-0.1dB, 10Hz-20kHz -3dB @ >67kHz
• Fs = 352.8 or 384kS/s +/-0.1dB, 10Hz-20kHz -3dB @ >100kHz
• DSD64 +/-0.1dB, 10Hz-20kHz -3dB @ >90kHz
• DSD128 +/-0.1dB, 10Hz-20kHz -3dB @ >100kHz - Residual Noise (6v output setting)• 16-bit data: Better than –96dB0, 20Hz-20kHz unweighted
• 24-bit data: Better than –113dB0, 20Hz-20kHz unweighted - Sample frequencies and formatsSupports the following audio formats
and sample rates:
• 44.1-384kS/s up to 24 bits
• DSD/64, DSD/128
• Native DSD + DoP (input dependent)
• FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MQA - Power Requirements90-127V / 220-240V, 50/60HzPower consumption: 30W
LINA Master Clock
- Product Dimensions / Weight121.5mm (H) x 220mm (W) x 339mm (D) / 7kg
- Startup TimeTypically 10 minutes to rated accuracy
- Clock AccuracyBetter than +/-1 ppm when shipped over an ambient temperature range of +5°C to +45°C
- Word Clock Outputs• 2 x independently buffered TTL-compatible output on 75Ω BNC connectors
• Output 1: fixed at 44.1kHz
• Output 2: fixed at 48kHz
Contact
Data Conversion Systems Ltd,
Unit 1, Buckingway Business Park,
Swavesey, Cambridgeshire,
CB24 4AE
United Kingdom
Website: www.dcsaudio.com
EmaiL: info@dcsaudio.com
Tel: +44 (0)1954 233950