 Frankly speaking I was waiting for this for a long time. A digital player, audio player, that can play almost every kind of audio discs invented. And all of them in its native domain: SACD from the beginning to the end as DSD, CD treated in a pure form without passing through the DVD-Audio circuits. It gets even better – every format is available in stereo – RCA and XLR – and multichannel 5.1 (RCA only). )
During the test the newest issue of “Hi-Fi Choice” (November 2007, Issue 299, s. 50-52) fell into my hands, and there is a test of the Akurate CD. And at this occasion some digression. There are many strategies for conducting tests (I mean the methodology of the tests). One of those, brought to a really high level, and quite attractive, was worked out in the “Magazyn Hi-Fi”. Journalists (or editors, as the specialized journalists are called) of this redaction, worked in underground. They did not come out of their hiding, they did not fraternize, did not befriend. The expansion of this way of working, often represented in other specialist magazines, is the total isolation. It means, than before the test, before the text is written, one should not know anything about the tested device. So the reviewer does not read anything, does not gather information, etc. I think that this is seriously wrong. There was in the XIX and early XX century such a tendency in science, for example in literary criticism, but especially in anthropology, to not let anyone influence you. The history of literary research and daily practice show, that this was a wrong assumption. It was also fully discredited by anthropology, one of the newest and most fruitful of the sciences. It is about the fact, that the thesis stating that it is possible to detach the researched subject from its entity is wrong (I have written about that a few times, but please read it again). This cannot be divided. At most we do not recognize the connections. But if the connections exist, we have to show them every time and show their influence on the research. This is the reason, that in modern research all available sources are used. In this case this means reading all available literature on the topic, company materials, listening to everything possible, talks with distributors, manufacturer and other users. And only then, after digesting all available information, our own judgment must take place. I am writing about this, because I learned two things from the HFC review, I didn’t notice at first. One thing is the lack of HDCD decoding, although this is a leading LINN format, available in every other product of this company. Strange, but it will be shortly explained. A second thing is the possibility of upsampling the CD signal to the 24/96 format and outputting it on the digital output. The first thing is easily explained: there are no available Pacific Microsonic PMD 100 decoders, that were used for HDCD signal decoding. However there is a limited number of those still available, but those are magazine leftovers, and cannot suffice for mass production. And LINN is a serious company and cannot limit itself in that way. In addition – in HDCD players the signal from classic discs was slightly handicapped, because one of the flaws of prof. Johnson’s idea was the lowering of the signal by 6dB. This made it necessary to throttle the signal from normal CDs by the same amount (often in the digital domain). However now there is a new decoder available, the PMD 200, compatible with new formats, like DVD-Audio. The problem is, that it is no longer a dedicated piece of silicon but software implanted in a DSP used in the DVD path – every Dolby Digital, DTS or MPEG2 chip has that piece of software, but it is up to the manufacturer if he decides to unlock it (it depends on the manufacturers will and wealth, the license is quite expensive). An example for this can be the LINN Majik player, which is in fact a DVD player with all functions blocked except for the CD and… CD DTS function. The HDCD decoding is done in the ESS Vibratto chip, that was designed to decode the vision and signal from a DVD disc. But where am I aiming at: the idea behind the design of the Akurate CD was to minimize the length of the sound path. This was explicitly stated by the chief of the designers, Jim Robinson, in the mentioned test. And in that case the signal from the CD cannot be run through an additional chip. And that is why we do not have HDCD on board. The second issue, a shorter one, is the mentioned upsampling. Robinson confirms it, so it must be done that way, however I did not find any mention of it in the company materials – that the signal 16/44.1 can be changed to 24/96. I have not the slightest idea if this is done only for the digital output or in general. And if this is standard processing for the PCM signal, is it only for stereo or for all outputs? There is such a possibility, because before the converters we have a powerful DSP processor, the Spartan from the company Xilinx, that besides taking care of the sampling frequency (there are two nice clocks next to it) can, in theory, handle the upsampling. We have no proof for that, and more – this would be in opposition to the short signal path idea… )
But let us get back to the description, as the introduction becomes longer than the test, and we have not described the whole device yet. Like I mentioned – I waited for this. The only thing is – three or four years ago. This is not a problem of LINN, or its fault, but the fate of the “dense” formats is sealed – they will be just a margin of the disc collections. Maybe this is the reason an incredible advance was made in the reproduction of the ordinary CDs? Anyway the idea is right, let’s take everything away that has to do with vision from a multiformat player and we have an audio device. LINN is talking about a CD player, but in reality, the part devoted to that format is only a small part of the electronics found inside the Akurate, and formally it is a multiformat player. But I am digressing again – take the vision away and the audio remains. This is the way it was done here. But we have to know, that this is wishful thinking in some way. What does it mean to take vision out of a DVD player? If we want to keep the DVD-Audio capability the only thing we can get rid of are the video converters. Because the main decoding circuits, the “brain” of the device will remain. This leads me to a small remark – why not bring the video signal out by means of HDMI? The chip is in use anyway, so the financial costs are minimal, and the capabilities of the device grow. I answer: it would not look good. Because the audiophiles are against everything that is related to vision and such an idea would not be liked. That’s it. Taking the above into consideration I would risk saying that the Akurate CD is just something like the Unidisk 1.1 without video output on the back plate. I tested the mentioned devise some time ago for “Audio” (6/07), so I know what I am saying. In some way, maybe even in big way, this is true. But this does not encompass the CDs. I mentioned the lack of HDCD: in all Unidisks this decoder is present, and this means, that the signal from the CD must pass through a DSP decoding vision, etc. And here not. And this is probably the most important information regarding this device. If you do not agree, then you can forget about everything I wrote earlier, and I apologize for wasting your time. I mentioned the late “Magazyn Hi-Fi”. Because the Akurate CD is an incredibly competent device, and I managed to arrange everything in time, I asked another person to write his thought about this device – Tomek Folta, who has already written some words for you, for example about the Madity concert, or describing his feeling about the Chillout Studio listening session. And we will start the sound description with his opinion. SOUND )
Opinion I Linn Akurate CD is for sure a special player. Since the very beginning it makes the impression of being very musical. The sound that is served by the player after placing a disc in its drawer (in my case the playing with this cast piece of utilitarian art, the mechanism of every expensive LINN player, takes at least a few dozen seconds) is characterized by the vividness of the transmission. The planes are created with precision, nothing is superimposing, and nothing flows together. From the very bottom of the frequency range, this is reproduced splendidly in absolute terms, through the juicy midrange to the treble, the LINN treats us with a very coherent sound. Tomek Folta Opinion II It cannot be overlooked, that Tomek liked the LINN. But listening to the Scottish player, you must smile with recognition. This is a very competent, nicely sounding device. It can be heard that its sound is not an effect of an IC here, a resistor there, but an outcome of long listening sessions to a well prepared device and changes made on living tissue. There are better elements, some worse too, but overall the impression is excellent – and this regardless if we listen to it for five minutes or five days. If I had to characterize the timbre of the LINN, and that is the point deciding about the unanimously positive receipt, I would say it is on the warmer side of the force. It is not about warming in the sense of warm tube amplifiers, where commonly the upper bass and lower midrange are underlined, but in the sense of the best SACD players I heard, namely the Accuphase DP-800/DC-801 and EMM Labs CDSD SE/DCC2 SE. Also the players from dCS and Esoteric are splendid devices, but those are more on the cold side. Anyway, the LINN Akurate CD plays with a saturated, thick sound. There is no emphasis of any frequency range there, but rather a discrete lay-back of the upper midrange. In this aspect, the device behaves very much like another player, a leader in the price range below 20000zł, the Meridian G08. This means smooth, fluent sound with very good saturation. Even more – the LINN plays with a better, in absolute terms, and not only compared to the Meridian, bass. It maybe isn’t the attack like the one proposed by the Lektor Grand Ancient Audio or other hi-end players, but in terms of timbre – it is. Because in general, the saturation of the lower frequencies, but in a smooth, equal way, without any holes, is performed perfectly here. This is the way, or maybe slightly better, how the mentioned Accuphase sounds, or my Lektor Prime. Let us listen to the fantastically recorded disc Minimum-Maximum, Kraftwerk (EMI, 334 996 2, 2xSACD/CCD), for example the piece “Autobahn” and we will hear what I am talking about. We have a strong, full voice of the “robot” and full, strong, kicks of the bass. The Prime plays it better from the CCD layer, but for example the two times cheaper DU-50 from Luxman, a very good player, does not sound that strong and dynamic. )
And still the sound as a whole is a little relaxed, meaning that through the quieting of the energy of the upper midrange and soft lay-back of the treble we have an incredibly vivid, saturated, but a bit quiet sound. Maybe I exaggerate a bit with my expectations from the LINN, but because this is a very good device, it must be compared with the best. And so while playing CDs the sound is a bit quieter, the attack is not led until the very end. When I played the Japanese remaster of the Eagles Hotel California (Asylum/Warner Bros, WPCR-11936, CD) on the Prime, at the moment of the first sequence of guitar and voice the drums hit hard (those are fantastically recorded!) my impressions with the LINN were a bit softer and more delicate. The same happened to the bass guitar – the timbre was fantastic, but the coherence was worse. The same appeared with the Japanese version of III from Led Zeppelin (Atlantic/Warner Bros., WPCR-11613, CD). Interestingly, the latter one, despite – or maybe – thanks to the smoothing out of the upper part, sounded just great, as without problems the guitars, voices, etc, could be distinguished, while normally the vocal gets lost beneath the rest. Metal purists would maybe say that they miss the crunch and asperity known from this type of recordings, but with the LINN they will be able to hear it in a way closer to the original (I mean the live) version. One thing, that CD players from this price range and SACD player from a higher level do better, is the insight into the recording. It seems that the drawing of the instruments is done by the LINN more in terms of timbre than envelope or attack. I do not want to have it sound like something is muted here, it is not the quality level for something like that, but the insight in what kind of structure do the instruments have, in what acoustic space they are placed, is a bit behind the timbre here. In this aspect, with SACD, the Luxman does it better, but that player is unique in terms of “dense formats” resolution. The Ancient Audio Lector V did this a bit better with the CD. But if we compare the Akurate CD with the top multiformat player from LINN, the Unidisk 1.1, it will come out, that the two times cheaper Akurate sounds better than the all playing bigger brother! Listening to the LINN we do not have the impression that we miss something, that we loose something, because this is a well mannered, competent player. But if we compare with something really resolving, we will hear that the Scottish player leaves the gesture somewhere mid-way, that it does not finish what it begun. And comparing among the different formats, it is least felt with the SACD, a bit more with the CD and most with the DVD-Audio. I don’t know why, if it has something to do with the emphasis on SACD, or with the need to decode the signal in a DSP, but like in the Unidisk also here I have the feeling, that this format is not treated on equal rights with the others. And frankly speaking, I do not wonder why. Even I, a big follower of PCM in the form of DVD-A have abandoned this format. Yes, I am still buying a disc in this format for my collection, but in the same timeframe I buy about a hundred CDs and ten SACDs. On the other hand, this is quite a compliment for the Akurate for its work on the field of the CD – I think that the CDs sound better, more fluent and have a better timbre than the DVD-A! The usually praised by me reproduction of the disc Somethin’ Else by Cannonball Adderley in the 24/192 version (Blue Note/Classic Records, HDAD 2009, DVD-A 24/96+24/192) did not have that energy, that fluency that had the CD. And the SACD? Really superb! It is a pity, that Sony left this platform alone (the people from Mobile Fidelity are quite angry, because they were tempted to change the platform, and when they finally did, they were left to themselves), because the newest generation of players, like the mentioned Accuphase or just the LINN can get very much out of such discs. When I listened to a new position from the Mobile Fidelity stables, issued in a cardboard sleeve (!) disc Invitation – Milt Jackson Sextet (Riverside/Mobile Fidelity, UDSACD 2031, SACD/CD, #1828/2500; this is for sure the Award of the Year in the “Music” section) my jaw just dropped on the floor. Of course I still heard the softening of the midrange, a slight lay-back of the whole, but the energy of the treble and the beautiful bass compensated for this with interest. It is hard to make judgments if something is good or bad. Much depends on the environment, the discs, the room, etc. But in this case I am sure, that we deal with a really high class, very good player. DESCRIPTION )
The player Akurate CD from the company LINN is in fact a universal audio player. It plays CDs, SACDs, DVD-Audio – and the last formats in stereo and multichannel. It does not have any video output. We will also play DAD discs (Digital Audio Discs) something like a DVD but with only 24/96 sound on it. Some time ago Chesky records produced that kind of disc.
The device looks identical to other digital sources of this company – from the Majik to the Unidisks. It a fully aluminum enclosure, with cast front panel, that is inseparably connected to the top and side panels. That kind of unification, also made in Cyrus allows for the reduction of manufacturing costs. Unfortunately, a large part of the front panel – the more silvery part – is plastic. We have to remember that this is not the CD12 and there are no massive cast parts, chambers inside, etc. A kind of reminiscence to what was before is the cast, fantastic drawer, being a part of the drive designed by LINN, a proprietary multiformat drive called Silver Disc Engine. Below the thin, moving fast and reliable, drawer a big blue display is placed. It gives lots of information, but it can be read quite easily. To the sides we have only six buttons with different shapes. All other functions are provided by means of a system remote control, manufactured in the same factory that supplies Arcam. Attention is drawn by the quite large ventilation holes, that are also on the player’s bottom. This is because in the front, near the right side a fan is placed to cool down the DSP chips. I don’t know if it is needed here – in the Unidisks, where we had lots of additional processors for the vision it maybe was, but here it destroys a bit the overall picture. But maybe this is to keep the power supply cool – here, a tradition in this company’s devices, we have an impulse power supply with the company name “silent power”. The circuit spans over two PCBs – the basic one, that includes elements for the drive control, screwed to the bottom, and a second one, with the converters and audio output circuitry. I mentioned the drive – this is a proprietary design (it looks as if it is based on a Sony design) with the impressive drawer. Compared to the CD12 a kind of disappointment is the chassis of the drive – there it was heavy and cast, here it is from plastic and only covering the top. The control ICs are placed on the bottom (Sony) and there is also the ESS Vibratto chip. This is a powerful MPEG2 vision decoder, Dolby Digital sound, DTS, Dolby Prologic II, HDCD and others. In this case the ability to decode DVD-Audio is only used – also in the lossless MLP compression (although the logo is missing). As mentioned in the introduction, Akurate CD does not decode HDCD discs. This is because the signal from the reader goes directly to the DSP on the other PCB, where it is re-clocked – to minimize jitter – and sent to the stereophonic chip Cirrus Logic CS4397. Then we have the I/V conversion, filters and output buffers – all based on the double Burr-Brown OPA604 chips. Just in front of those much more interesting chips can be found – the BB INA2134. These are inter-stage chips, improving impedance compatibility, etc. Because they do not offer any amplification (the amplification equals 1), they are not used to amplify the signal. One of their capabilities is the creation of “virtual grounding”, but they can also summarize differential signals. And this is maybe their main task here, as the path until here is not symmetrical. That is the reason we have BB chips in front of the XLRs used to symmetrize the signal. Oh, I did not mention the DSD signal path: the chips are on the main PCB and from there the signal reaches the converters by means of a computer ribbon. It seems that another computer ribbon is used to transfer the LPCM signal from DVD-Audio and PCM from CD. So it is just like the designers promised – each format is treated separately, without being converted into another one (like in Arcam, where the DSD signal is converted to LPCM or in the dCS or Esoteric, where the PCM signal is converted to DSD...). In general it must be said, that this is a very modern device, with a splendid drive, care taken for the “purity” of the signal, that escapes the common opinion of audiophiles about a digital source – it does not have a big transformer (although the voltage is filtered many times, even just by the circuits), the enclosure is not like it was before, the drive actually also not, and the whole resembles more a multiformat player than a CD. That’s life.
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