Klimax DS: Streaming Audio Ain't Cheap, It Seems
The Klimax DS is a streaming media player that supports FLAC and WAV (and presumably MP3) and is controlled by a touchscreen remote. It doesn't have any storage itself, but streams audio like ripped CDs from network attached drives, upsampling to 384 or 352.8kHz.
Sounds like most of the audio streaming devices that have been out for years, right? The Klimax DS does have one more distinguishing feature: it costs "less than $20,000." (Audiophilia strikes again!)
Product Page [Linn.co.uk] (Thanks, Marcus!)
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GULP! I'm pretty sure the "value" of my audio materials are out of the league of something like this. So much pressure!!
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David B.
I cannot for the life of me see what makes this superior to a Transporter from Slim Devices (makers of the squeezebox).
Except for the 384khz thing, which just sounds like a joke. It seems to me most audiophiles would shudder at the thought of resampling when they can just use a good DAC.
The Transporter can only handle up to 96K/24 bit sources, whereas the Klimax goes up to 192K/24 bit. Presumably there's some other stuff which makes it better apart from the Linn badge, although that's probably enough for some.
It's also worth bearing in mind that while the price may seem ludicrous that's just because the dollar's tanking at the moment. In reality the price is merely obscene.
"I cannot for the life of me see what makes this superior to a Transporter from Slim Devices (makers of the squeezebox)."
Err, it sounds better? That's what Linn do - they make hifi that sounds fantastic, and the two reviews thus far say that the Klimax DS is the best audio source product ever produced.
Don't get me wrong, I love Slim - they've created the category and have a fabulous GUI - but they're very unlikely to match Linn for sound quality.