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Hi, I've found some info on Linn Majik DS Digital Streaming Player ~1750£ on WHF. Did anyone had a chance to listen to this? Does it have any internal hard drive or do I need to use NAS via ethernet port?

This looks like very interesting alternative to CD, although I wonder how do you browse your music collection as it doesn't seem to have remote control similiar to Sonon.

Do you know if any other company is doing something similiar (maybe a bit cheaper).

Simon Lucas:

We've got a Linn Sneaky DS on test at the moment. It goes for £1000 and the review should be in the October issue (on sale August 24th)

Great it would be good to know how does it compare to similar priced CD player as I'm more undecided whether I actually need to buy CD player these days.

Simon I think it would also be good to compare Linn Sneaky DS to Logitech Transporter as it's in the same price range and I'm sure lots of people would be interested in the results!

Did you review the transporter in the past? I couldn't find anything on the website.

If it doesn't get a rave review I'm cancelling my subscription!

I'm so impressed I've ended up buying two of them- it's very significantly superior in sound to my £3k Linn disc player and leads to the conclusion that CD players are obsolete. There's no doubt that a CD ripped to FLAC is superior to the original disc.

 I do hope that you explore its sound quality when used as a source with the pre and power amplifiers disabled using Linn Config, and that you can look beyond the currently clunky Linn GUI software. It's far too good to be used as an all in one unit- it deserves a system of a higher class than its price suggests.

 Jeremy.

jpatrick:

I'm so impressed I've ended up buying two of them

Which one are you talking about Majik or Sneaky? What's your setup? And how do you browse your music on the NAS without the Controller similar to Logitech/Sonos one?

Sorry for so many questions but I quite like an idea of DS instead of CD. Cheers.

I'm talking about the Sneaky DS. I currently use a laptop with the Linn GUI software to control it- you can load up a playlist and then use a standard Linn remote (not supplied with the Sneaky) to skip tracks, pause and so on. A 3rd party developer is writing some software for the ipod Touch though which looks promising, or there's already some software which runs on a Nokia N800 Internet tablet (although this has some limitations around gaps between tracks), Linn recommend you use a NAS for storage but I'm actually using a Sony Media Centre PC with a 1Tb hard drive and Twonky media UPNP software.

My main set-up is all Linn- Unidisk SC as pre-amp, 2 x 5125 poweramps, Ninka speakers (tri-amped) and a Seizmik sub. The other Sneaky is connected to a Meridian pre / power amp with Ruark Sceptre speakers. I've compared the Sneaky's sound to both the Unidisk SC and Meridian 507 CD players and it is significantly better in my view with classical music at least (which I listen to exclusively).

 There's a great deal more discussion about the Sneaky at http://forums.linn.co.uk

 Jeremy.

Linn do recommend some NASes (see http://docs.linn.co.uk/wiki/index.php/NAS) but the whole point of the DS range is that it is open, and doesn't tie you to any proprietary solutions.

 The NAS needs to be running a UPNP AV 1.0 Media Server, Linn recommend Twonky which is preinstalled on some NAS devices, but again you do not have to use this product.