I'm not very surprised. Linn is moving in its own direction. It's latest "Exakt" technology is a fully integrated system that just won't work with other components.
If you are not familiar with Exakt, it employs a DSM streaming unit (that also has preamp functionality) to stream content from a NAS drive to the speakers via Cat 5/6/7 ethernet cable. Each speaker (or the stands) contain active crossovers, built in DACs, and built in Chakra (switch mode power supply) amps.
What's interesting about the Exakt system (which I still haven't heard) is that it keeps everything in a lossless digital signal right up until the last possible second.
The active crossover works in the digital domain, slicing the incoming stream into four separate digital signals, by frequency. Each frequency band is then passed to a separate DAC (each speaker has 4 built in DACs in the Akurate systems and I think 6 in the Klimax system), and finally, each analog signal is passed to a separate Chakra amp (again, 4 or 6 amps per speaker).
The system also is software controllable (DSP) by a laptop to tailor it to your listening room. Supposedly, reviewers say the system is good enough to get a system to sound identical whether the speakers are placed in the middle of the room or against a wall. The software is upgradeable.
The benefits of this seem pretty apparent, and the reviews I've read are excellent. The downside, of course, is that it greatly limits your options for mixing and matching brands and upgrading piece by piece along the way.
I believe there are 3 Exakt systems:
Akurate DSM + Akubarik floorstander speakers = $41,000
Akurate DSM + Akudorik stand mount speakers = ??
Klimax DSM + Klimax 350 speakers = $80,000
Linn is a lot like Apple. They are not afraid to abandon technology or give tradition the boot if they have a reason for it. (E.g., people freaked out when Apple got rid of floppy drives, and then optical drives.) And they prefer a walled garden approach, where they control the whole chain from soup to nuts to make sure it doesn't get screwed up by a third party. Coincidentally (maybe), they also both mill components out of solid billets of aluminum.
This sort of system is no fun for audiophile hobbyists, and unattainably expensive for the large majority of people. However, it also makes a hell of a lot of sense and my guess is that this concept will trickle down and be picked up by other brands (although there aren't that many high-end companies that have the resources and tech to pull this off. What other companies make high end speakers, amps and DACs?
If you are not familiar with Exakt, it employs a DSM streaming unit (that also has preamp functionality) to stream content from a NAS drive to the speakers via Cat 5/6/7 ethernet cable. Each speaker (or the stands) contain active crossovers, built in DACs, and built in Chakra (switch mode power supply) amps.
What's interesting about the Exakt system (which I still haven't heard) is that it keeps everything in a lossless digital signal right up until the last possible second.
The active crossover works in the digital domain, slicing the incoming stream into four separate digital signals, by frequency. Each frequency band is then passed to a separate DAC (each speaker has 4 built in DACs in the Akurate systems and I think 6 in the Klimax system), and finally, each analog signal is passed to a separate Chakra amp (again, 4 or 6 amps per speaker).
The system also is software controllable (DSP) by a laptop to tailor it to your listening room. Supposedly, reviewers say the system is good enough to get a system to sound identical whether the speakers are placed in the middle of the room or against a wall. The software is upgradeable.
The benefits of this seem pretty apparent, and the reviews I've read are excellent. The downside, of course, is that it greatly limits your options for mixing and matching brands and upgrading piece by piece along the way.
I believe there are 3 Exakt systems:
Akurate DSM + Akubarik floorstander speakers = $41,000
Akurate DSM + Akudorik stand mount speakers = ??
Klimax DSM + Klimax 350 speakers = $80,000
Linn is a lot like Apple. They are not afraid to abandon technology or give tradition the boot if they have a reason for it. (E.g., people freaked out when Apple got rid of floppy drives, and then optical drives.) And they prefer a walled garden approach, where they control the whole chain from soup to nuts to make sure it doesn't get screwed up by a third party. Coincidentally (maybe), they also both mill components out of solid billets of aluminum.
This sort of system is no fun for audiophile hobbyists, and unattainably expensive for the large majority of people. However, it also makes a hell of a lot of sense and my guess is that this concept will trickle down and be picked up by other brands (although there aren't that many high-end companies that have the resources and tech to pull this off. What other companies make high end speakers, amps and DACs?