Linn Organik DAC – Klimax DS/DSM upgrade now available

It’s over a year (already?!) since we first heard Linn’s next-generation Klimax DSM and the sublime performance Organik DAC delivers. It really is a stunning piece of audio engineering.

Now, Organik DAC is available as a retrofit upgrade to ALL Klimax DS and DSM streamers, so owners of older generation Klimax can experience the performance leap of Organik – even the very first model manufactured in 2007; joining Klimax Exaktbox and Klimax 350 integrated loudspeakers in the eligible line-up for Organik DAC upgrade.

The benefits are two-fold:

• The upgrade brings your Klimax DS or DSM cherished streamer up to the current, next-generation Linn standard
• You will unlock DSD256 and 24-bit/384kHz streaming capability

The audio improvement is massive; and easy to demonstrate. Bring in your Klimax DS or DSM (Katalyst or prior) and we will compare it to our older generation demo Klimax DS that has been upgraded to Organik DAC architecture. And if you want to go even further, then to next generation Klimax DSM (2021). Or we’ll bring Organik KDS to you, whichever you prefer.

Just get in touch with George or one of the team to discuss – 0141 221 0221 or glasgow@loud-clear.co.uk.

Organik DAC upgrade for Klimax DS or Klimax DSM is £5,400
(£6085 with HDMI 2.0 upgrade for later models).

There is no need for your Klimax product to return to Linn*; we can perform the board swap quickly and easily at Loud & Clear or in your home.

*a small number of early KDS/0 and KDS/1 products that have never been upgraded may require factory return for electrical safety verification.

Organik forms the beating heart of next-generation Klimax DSM – the ultimate streamer – and is largely responsible for its rave reviews, magazine front covers across the globe, and five Product of the Year awards (so far).

With this novel DAC architecture, implementation, and realisation, Linn has finally completed the puzzle: complete control over the entire signal chain – an ambition fifty years in the making.

Discover the full story in this ‘Organik Origins’ video:

Technical Detail
There are many different types of ‘discrete’ DAC. Although simply making something ‘discrete’ does not necessarily result in high performance. The performance advantage of Organik comes from its unique combination of:

• Modulation method – Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Delta-Sigma
• Conversion stage – Discrete Analog Finite Impulse Response (AFIR)
• Implementation – Ultra-stable power, precision clocking, and expert PCB design

When employed together, the PWM modulator and AFIR conversion stage are immune to many of the problems that affect other discrete designs — where small errors in switching times or resistor values can generate distortion.

However, in order to realise the full potential of this conversion method, great attention must also be paid to other factors such as power supply, clocking, and perhaps most importantly, the physical layout of the circuit board.

Organik uses an 8-layer circuit board, facilitating optimal delivery of power and clocks to the DAC. Power for the conversion stage is generated by a discrete regulator, and delivered using multiple internal power planes.

Clock traces are matched to within fractions of a millimetre, to ensure that every part of the DAC receives its clock at precisely the same time. All these elements work in harmony to create an analog signal with incredibly low levels of noise and distortion — far lower than anything we’ve ever achieved before.