The Linn CD12's smiley face has inspired the sleeker, more sinister looking, smiley face of the current Klimax range. |
Linn says that a product with the no.12 designation as it's model name only comes around once every quarter of a century or so! It's the only other product with a no.12 designation after the Linn Sondek LP12, which was first made in the seventies. Linn said at that time, it would not make a CD player until it can make one that sounds comparable to the LP12. That's a very lofty goal indeed.
This CD player cost RM$90k when new, once upon a time, when the great British pound was truly unassailable in it's value. Since it's launch, among those lucky enough to have auditioned one, many have declared the CD12 as the best CD player in world. I wasn't one of those people, I've never heard one till now.
The Linn CD12's output circuitry is fully balanced, as evident by the 2 pairs of single ended RCA out, and a single pair of XLR output. AES, toslink, BNC and co-axial digital out is provided too. |
This CD player will lay out all the details it could dig out of those five inch silver dics. The result is a highly detailed and transparent window in to a musical event recorded on CD, albeit, if some what flat and two dimensional kind of sound stage(only if compared against the best of today's up sampling capable players). However, one of the performance aspects that kept me astounded for the whole 2 weeks that this player was with me, was the way it held images tightly, calmly unfazed by musical peaks within it's allocated space within the sound staging(at this stage most players would start to sound nervous and the sound stage falling apart!). Can a player this creamy smooth rock too? Surprisingly it can. Rock music never lost it's vital bite and energy when playing thru this Linn. They just sounded a little darker and flavourful, just like a fine bottle of 24 year Chivas Regal malt. The Linn is certainly in it's element when doing the usual audiophile music variety of vocal(especially simple girl guitar stuff!), jazz and classical music. The Linn has an amazing ability to sweeten, and make female singer's voice more sultry and alluring than usual, and searing string sections of an orchestra at full on tilt always sounds pleasantly woody in harmonics, accompanied by the necessary attack and vigour yet never cutting in to the ears. Playing the Linn CD12 does in a lot ways sounds like the LP12, but I'd have to say the later is still superior in many ways, sonically speaking, of course.
Compared to today's available digital technology, the Linn loses out somewhat on band width and out right dynamics. For the little that the Linn lacks, it more than makes up with what is lacking in most of todays' high end hifi, and that's a musical soul.
The display is simple LED only. It'll display the usual information track no. and various modes of time. |
As I write, the unit has been returned to my buddy. I have a burning question on my mind, will he return to CDs from CAS??? I also wish to thank him for sharing his joy with us.
5 comments:
Hi Big E,
I also have a burning question for you ! Any chance of you returning to playing the cd ??
Cheers,
Mike
For red book cd source, I will always prefer Meridian which to me sound much more "alive" and "voluptous". As they always say, YMMV
Hi Ken,
I have no experience with the Meridian but I share almost the same experience you have with my Ayre CX-7 too.
May I know which dac or soundcard you use for your cas ?
Cheers,
Mike
Mike,
I've not abandoned CDs. I just ripp, then play instead of playing them direct.
Ken,
Why am I not suprised that you do not agree with me? Ha!Ha!
Hi Mike,
I am using the Meridian 508.24.
Hi Big E,
Everyone has their likes and dislikes. I am just not that enamoured with Linn.
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