For all LinnenberG gear…
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I may or may not have a satie incoming if this deal goes through. I know it’s a gamble but I’m pretty curious and the ad’s been sitting for awhile, likely cause not many have heard of the brand.
I was talking to the seller (2nd owner) and he’s had a few dacs in his system and was able to compare against the satie… mainly metrum pavane 3, holo may, wavelength crimson, abbas 4.0, and his current totaldac d1-direct.
He favored satie over the first 2, preferred the wavelength slightly w/ good preamp, and thinks it’s competitive with the abbas. Totaldac would be a step ahead.
He also mentioned the original owner thought that the satie was voiced similar to his baltic 3, which I thought was pretty interesting.
Anyway, couldn’t really find out anything else about the dac other than the preamp being pretty high performing.
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Yoooo nice, if it goes though would be really interested on how you think it holds up in your setup
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Very interested as well, have heard the Satie at an event, was sounding very good. As said before concerning Telemann, Satie gets quite good attention here in Germany as well (many excellent reviews received).
Also a good indicator: quite diff7cult to get something used from LinneberG,so every one keeps it 
Where I got to test the MERASON DAC1, he also had the Satie and he told me its for him better than Weiss 501, but that was just another opinion, never tested at home
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Sweet! Satie deal went through… or more like nobody wanted it. lol
Kind of crazy I was able to score a $10k dac for basically the price of a fully-loaded holo spring. Guess that’s just how it goes sometimes.
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That’s absolutely amazing. Very happy for you and can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
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So very very early thoughts… it’s probably not even fully warmed-up yet. lol
via usb / final d8kp / filter is probably default (will play around once I’m more familiar) / compared to amber 3
usual disclaimer of not having other dacs of similar tier to compare to
Right off the bat, the satie is most definitely a tier above the amber and is a much more natural-sounding DAC. If the amber were warm forward, the satie would pretty much be in the neutral camp. Not sure yet if it would be neutral forward or neutral relaxed.
The amber has a more punchy/ballsy sound in the bass offering more warmth while the satie is more neutral here, though the satie is much more tight and taut. The satie is also able to extend much lower and reveal more texture within overall bass, with an added sense of quickness and fluidity. I think the amber here aims for a more macro fun approach while the satie is more accurate/detailed/natural/controlled.
Mids are again more natural on the satie and actually helped filled in the mids on the d8kp. Not sure what else to add here other than it sounding very realistic, tangible, and honest over the amber. I do feel they’re voiced similarly in the mids, maybe with a bit less warmth on the satie but more true to life than the amber.
Treble on the amber can get a bit energetic and forward, sometimes a bit too much depending on the pairing. Satie again is just more natural and even handed across while offering more control and extension. It basically makes the amber sound a bit harsh in comparison, and maybe I’d say the satie is on the darker/relaxed side of things.
All I really have so far and, again, the dac isn’t even fully warmed up yet… nor is the streamer! lol
But overall, it’s really impressive so far, it’s just very very natural sounding with impressive texture. Only time will tell whether I end up really liking it or not.
Anyway, this dac is pretty legit and if you see one pop up don’t be afraid to snatch it quick.
As an aside, it’s really nice to have a preamp on this thing so I can fine tune volume. I don’t really have a way to test out its performance, but I’d imagine this would work very well on those wanting to use power amps on the desk (cough cough @M0N). So less need for a separate pre. Also, this is xlr only no rca, and controls are done via remote only, no other physical buttons other than a standby button (which kind of sucks).
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Damn perhaps I need to check one of these out lol. You were able to pick it up around 3-4k? That’s pretty insane value given what you’ve said. Been talking with a friend, and I might be able to grab a gp telemann through him at some point, so will see if that can go through (although won’t be soon). Thanks @gerihifi and @hifiDJ for putting this on my radar. Will be curious on your thoughts with more time on it
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Yup, pretty much. There were only 3 sold in the us according to hifishark. It’s kind of tough putting things in perspective with the price I paid for it. I mean, I can’t really complain about anything sound-wise. Build-wise… well let’s just say it’s not as good as the spring or the amber. lol
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Eh, it’s a dac, I’ve never personally been to concerned about build considering you mainly really never touch it, so not a problem for me lol. Or perhaps that’s just what I force myself to think so I can live with the totaldac lol
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Yeah not really a problem just thought it was worth mentioning
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I think I’ll take this back. lol
Tried the aes input last night and it was surprisingly more open and alive dynamically.
I don’t know if it’s the differences in inputs, the cables (callisto/mu-7r), or a combination of both.
But the usb in comparison sounded a bit dead, closed-in, and relaxed.
Kind of like the difference between lo gain and hi gain on some gear.
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In my experience this is what happens when you have a high jitter usb signal. Totaly possibe the usb on the linburg just isnt great tbh
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:theface:
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Another one for sale out of nowhere
Linda tempted after your impressions so far
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I think that was an old ad that sold for $4.5k when I checked hifishark. Maybe it didn’t end up selling…
In any case, I of course haven’t heard that many high end DACs but at that price I mean I highly doubt you’ll be able to find anything that’ll out-resolve it. This is just my guess though. It’s most definitely a step up in performance over the spring and amber, I think.
I have more in depth impressions written up but wanted to make sure before I posted anything.
Fwiw, basically I think it does well walking that fine line of being resolving and forgiving. It’s on the neutral relaxed side but still has enough to be engaging. Great micro performance, macro could be improved. But I don’t see it as a problem for what I’m thinking it goes for. Natural timbre/tone too and really great extension on both ends. It ain’t a particularly energetic leaning DAC but it ain’t lacking either.
It’s also a bit smaller and lighter than the spring in size since I know you probably want something reasonably sized on your office desk.
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Wait, legit? I just assumed it was full size. Guess ill look up dimensions
Same width, shorter depth
If it’s not on the manual I can measure it for you if you want…
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No need. Thats aready plenty.
Oh right, btw @Draaly, if the seller has all original packaging the thing comes in a huge ass flight case. Just fyi. Lol
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