Getting into headphones can be a pretty simple process – buy a set of wireless headphones off Amazon, pair them to your phone, and start listening – but if you want sound that’s better than just “okay,” things start to get a lot more complicated very fast. And in order to improve the sound quality, you can expect to increase the complexity by the same degree. While the dCS Lina System does embody some of the complexity of the audiophile hobby, there’s also a simplicity to it: three components, purpose designed to work together, with all the cables you need in the box to assemble quite possibly the best headphone system in the world. But what actually differentiates the Lina system from DACs and amps that are a fraction of the cost?
If you’re planning on buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of audio equipment, you’ve likely gone pretty deep into reviews and forums to get a better gauge on what’s actually worth the money, and one of the most important benchmarks are technical measurements: things like Signal to Noise ratio and Total Harmonic Distortion become key elements of understanding why something sounds good or bad.
While these sorts of basic measurements aren’t everything, often flagship units from premium brands are outperformed by DACs and amps with a fraction of the cost. One of dCS’s distinctives is that they’re committed to producing products not letting musicality get in the way of great measurements – or letting achieving great measurements get in the way of delivering imminently listenable, musical sounding gear. The brand philosophy of “Only the Music” ultimately boils down to making gear that provides perfect accuracy to the original sound, both in the measurable qualities and in the feeling of the music being reproduced.
Lina DAC and Lina DAC X
At the core of this focus on immaculate music reproduction is dCS's proprietary Ring DAC™ system, a unique digital-to-analog conversion architecture that eschews traditional resistor ladder designs. This approach minimizes distortion and jitter, resulting in a highly accurate and natural sound reproduction.
The Ring DAC and dCS Digital Processing Platform
Ring DACs are an evolution of ladder DACs with the key difference being that it randomizes which registers are used for each byte in the digital signal. With a traditional ladder DAC, if you’re processing a 16-bit signal, you have 16 registers with 16 resistors which can be on or off, to represent a number between 0 and 65535.
By nature some registers are used more often than others, and other registers are often required to flip on and off frequently. For example, the first register in a 16-bit array represents the number 1, so it’s on for any odd number, while the last register represents the number 32768, so it’s used much less frequently. Since the resistor is an analog component, there can be issues with the fast switching of a single register, and over time the over-use of some sets can result in degradation of the sound.
With dCS’s Ring DAC technology, any of the 16 registers can be assigned to represent any number at any time, which means that rather than turning the first register one and off a billion times over the course of processing a song, its use is spread across the entire array, eliminating premature wear of components, and reducing repeated fast switching, which can lead to distortion.
Complementing the Ring DAC™ is dCS's proprietary Digital Processing Platform, which handles complex operations such as filtering, upsampling, and signal optimization. This platform ensures that digital audio signals are meticulously prepared for conversion, preserving the integrity of the original recording.
The Digital Processing Platform can also be updated via firmware, allowing dCS to develop new features and improve existing ones, and then deliver those updates to customers through over the air online updates. All of this is controlled through the dCS Mosaic app, which brings the whole thing together, including the streaming features of the DAC, which include Roon, TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, and Apple Airplay 2 support.
Physical Design
Encasing the advanced electronics is a chassis crafted from a single piece of solid aluminum. This construction not only provides structural rigidity but also acts as a Faraday cage, shielding internal components from electromagnetic interference. The 5-axis CNC machining process used ensures precise tolerances, contributing to the DAC's durability and it looks pretty good too.
Lina DAC features a sophisticated flex-rigid circuit board housing over 2,000 individual components. This design consolidates all core functions onto a single circuit, reducing signal path lengths and minimizing potential interference. The result is an exceptionally clean signal path, crucial for high-fidelity audio reproduction.
While the original Lina DAC was designed primarily for headphone systems, the updated Lina DAC X has a larger footprint and additional features like preamp volume control and IR remote control support designed to improve the DAC's function in a 2-channel system.
Lina Master Clock
Digital audio has revolutionized how we experience music, bringing the experience of precise, pristine studio-quality music to listeners, without the need for complicated or sensitive analog gear. However, the precision of digital audio reproduction hinges on an often underappreciated, but critical component: clocking.
Understanding Digital Audio Clocking
In digital audio systems, data is transmitted in discrete units called samples. Each sample is a snapshot of one specific moment of audio. The higher the sample rate, the more total samples you have available, and the more accurate your final output will be. But to build the complete audio picture, these samples must be processed at precise intervals, a task managed by a clock signal. This clock dictates the timing of sample conversion, ensuring that the digital data is accurately reconstructed into an analog signal.
A timing deviation is called “jitter,” which introduces errors in the audio signal. Errors in the audio signal end up as distortion and loss of detail, in what the listener hears. Jitter is caused by factors like electromagnetic interference, temperature fluctuations, and imperfections in the clocking circuitry.
A master clock is an external device that provides a highly stable and precise timing reference for digital audio components. By synchronizing all devices in the audio chain to a single clock source, a master clock minimizes jitter and provides for cohesive operation. This synchronization is particularly beneficial in complex systems where multiple digital components must work in harmony.
Lina Master Clock Design
The dCS Lina Master Clock provides the needed ultra-stable timing reference for the Lina system. Lina Master Clock employs two separate crystal oscillators, one for 44.1kHz and another for 48kHz sample rates. The dual-oscillator ensures optimal performance regardless of the audio sample rate.
The chassis and dedicated power supply isolates the clock source in Lina Master Clock from potential sources of interference. Each of the oscillators is also protected from fluctuations in temperature to help maintain consistent performance regardless of external factors. As part of a Lina system, Lina Master Clock doesn’t replace the clock in the Lina DAC, it provides a stable external timing reference, allowing for even more precise digital audio processing.
By providing this stable reference and eliminating jitter, Lina Master Clock can significantly improve audio quality. Listeners will experience enhanced clarity, improved imaging, and a more immersive soundstage. These improvements are particularly noticeable in high-resolution audio playback, where the DAC has to process a larger number of more complex samples, making precision in timing even more important.
Lina Amp
The dCS Lina Headphone Amplifier is the perfect final piece for the Lina Headphone System, giving you everything you need for exceptional audio performance with headphones. Designed to be the cleanest headphone amp possible, this amplifier combines meticulous engineering with innovative features to provide an exceptional listening experience.
Build and Design
The Lina Headphone Amplifier features a solid aluminum chassis that provides robust protection against electromagnetic interference. Internally, the amplifier uses a fully pure analog design with an emphasis on signal integrity. The internal structure relies on relays to create the most direct audio signal path possible and minimize potential sources of noise and distortion. Notably, the amplifier uses a DC servo circuit, rather than DC blocking capacitors, to maintain stability without compromising audio purity.
Audio Performance
The goal of all that engineering is to achieve exceptional sound quality, and Lina Amp delivers a neutral, transparent, and highly detailed reproduction of the original audio, allowing listeners to experience music as the artist intended.
Lina Amp can drive a vast range of headphones, from sensitive IEMs to demanding planar magnetic models like the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled. This versatility is achieved through a combination of low output impedance, wide dynamic range, and an adjustable gain switch, ensuring optimal performance across various headphone types.
Lina Amp reveals intricate details within recordings, offering a spacious soundstage, precise imaging, and a natural tonal balance. Whether it's the subtle nuances of a vocal performance or the complex layers of an orchestral piece, the Lina Headphone Amplifier brings music to life with remarkable clarity and depth.
Putting it All Together
While you can use the Lina DAC or Amp in any chain, the full stack is designed for easy connection and sonic synergy. The crystal clear, precise delivery of Lina DAC is thoroughly complemented by the power and linearity of Lina Amp’s amplification. Adding Lina Master Clock elevates the full system to the next level, offering the most precise, detailed, and musical headphone system on the market.
