Linn or T+A

I had the opportunity to do some side by side listening, and the different units were very easy to tell apart.  First up, my old style Klimax DSM with Organik upgrade.  Driven by Luxman M10-x and Sonus Faber speakers (sorry, didn't catch the model).  

Listened to that set-up long enough to get acclimated to the dealers system/room, then switched to the new version of the Klimax DSM.  A rather surprising difference between them.  From the upper mid-range and up the new unit was a marked improvement.  More detail, less veil, less digital.  The bass tightened some, but the primary changes were in the top end.

Switched to the T+A unit (SD 3100 HV into the T+A integrated, but still using the M10x for the amp).  It completely matched the new Linn on the top end, but now there was a much fuller, more foundational level of bass.  Not big and boomy, but just enough to really complement the high end.  You could easily change the amp and build on the unit's bass.

While I've always enjoy the Linn sound, I also have found it a touch lean.  The T+A resolves that completely.  So I made the change to T+A.  Highly recommended and worth a listen.

agisthos: Yes, you have it correct. I was surprised at the difference between them. In retrospect, I think this makes sense. Those who purchased the new KDSM as a system hub (no included dac since this is for active speakers with dac included in the speakers) have also reported a significant improvement once installed. So there is more than just the organik dac going on here with the newer Linn.

mgrif104: I used the preamp, streamer and dac in both the previous Linn and with the current T+A. With the Linn I used their app until just a few weeks before I traded it in. I had moved to Roon in preparation for using it with the T+A, as the dealer said the T+A app was nowhere near as polished as the Linn app. That turned out to be true. It works, but it is rather crude and limited relative to the Linn app or Roon.