Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Aqua LinQ
#1
The Aqua LinQ has recently caught my attention.

I know very little about the company and I cannot ever recall listening to any of their products, but the Aqua LinQ seems to have many features that could potentially make it an ideal source for a Devialet Expert amp.

There is only one input, RJ-45 Ethernet.  So this is essentially a network attached endpoint or network bridge, if you like.

No USB output, this unit is optimised for S/PIDIF or I2S.  This is a good thing in my view, as it can feed the Devialet via AES/EBU, which is the best way to feed a Devialet, according to my ears at least.

It is not "Roon Ready" as such, but Aqua are on the Roon partners "Roon Tested" list, and the LinQ is described as "Roon Ready bridge (RAAT)".  Better than this in my view, it supports HQPlayer NAA, so you could use it Roon to HQPlayer to LinQ, AES/EBU to Devialet.  You would then have the option of using any of the HQPlayer filters, you could up sample to 24/192 or even DSD64.  It also has UPnP / DLNA if you prefer to use JRiver or similar.  It is interesting to note that the reviewer in the link below preferred the sound using JRiver UPnP over Roon RAAT, although it is a shame that it was not tested with Roon / HQPlayer NAA, which has at least the possibility of being the best of the lot.

OK - I have not tried one, so I have no idea how it might ultimately perform, but it does look to me to be something with a lot of potential.

I would get all excited and rush out and buy one now, just based on specifications, but it is not cheap.  It is £4982 retail in the UK, or 5680 euros elsewhere, which seems like a lot of cash in these uncertain times.  Worse than this, Roon Ready and DLNA are supported by different modules, you can select one or the other, but if you want both the price grows to £6k.  I have not been able to work out if HQPlayer support is yet another module, but I suspect that it is and will be again at additional cost.  (presumably in the region of another £1000)  Whilst this may seem appalling from a cost perspective, it could be that the approach of using dedicated modules for each streaming protocol has some performance advantages?  It also offers a degree of future proofing.  This does make the sMS-200Ultra, which supports Roon, HQPlayer, LMS, Shairport, DLNA, LibreSpot, MinimServer, Bubble UPnP etc., look like a swiss army knife and a bit of a bargain.  Then again, in practical terms, 95% of the time I use mine via HQPlayer.  I do use Shairport occasionally, usually just streaming stuff from an iPad, but I would still have this functionality via the CI Board.  So I guess it is a case of deciding how you would really want to use it, then just getting the module(s) you need.

At this price it would have to be a "try before you buy" type product.  It might be no better than AIR, or combined with HQPlayer it might be a match for the mighty dSC Vivaldi Upsampler, who knows.  At a glance, it does look like a very nice product, linear power supply, high quality sockets, this kind of thing.

The above makes it rather more expensive than the dCS Network bridge, it remains to be seen (or heard) how the LinQ might perform, but it does at least offer the advantage dCS in that it supports HQPlayer NAA.  It also has a switchable OLED display, if that matters.  It looks like an interesting product though, something to keep an eye on perhaps?

https://www.aquahifi.com/linq.html

https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/...aqua-linq/

See also link below for a video from a very nice Scottish gentleman who is offering a home demo, and has a beautiful vase full of flowers, although I suspect he might be a sales type person who really wants to sell you one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp4Ba36mLik

Plus a nice video showing the things innards, featuring calming music via DSD, and flashing green LED's.  (I do like a green LED)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFpM4vJPXTM

EDIT: After a bit of research, I have read that the HQPlayer NAA module is due to be released in September, which is somewhere between now and very soon.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
Reply
#2
Quite expensive... no clock input so your REF10 would be redundant unless you keep the MC-3 and EtherRegen of course. But a beautiful box it is!
*
Devialetless!
Roon, ROCK/Audiolense XO/Music on NAS/EtherRegen/RoPieee/USPCB/ISORegen/USPCB/Sound Devices USBPre2/Tannoy GOLD 8
250 Pro CI, MicroRendu(1.4), Mutec MC-3+USB
Reply
#3
ogs Wrote:Quite expensive... no clock input so your REF10 would be redundant unless you keep the MC-3 and EtherRegen of course. But a beautiful box it is!

Agreed.  In fact, this is exactly why my current overcomplicated streaming solution is so good. 

It has all the streaming modes I need, it makes full use of a REF10 and has my preferred AES/EBU output.  So, whenever a nice new products comes along, I can look at it an say to myself, yes, looks good, but no HQPlayer NAA, or no 10MHz clock input, or no S/PDIF output, or whatever.  I can thus dismiss any new product that appears, spend no cash, and remain happy with what I have.  This eliminates "upgradeitis" and save lots of cash and hassle.

Maybe one day someone will bring out a product that does actually feature HQPlayer NAA, a 10MHz clock input and S/PDIF output?  Until then my cash is safe and I can enjoy the tunes!
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
Reply
#4
On the cheap end that could be an Allo "DigiTen", featuring a clock input. RoPieeeXL has the NAA... Smile
*
Devialetless!
Roon, ROCK/Audiolense XO/Music on NAS/EtherRegen/RoPieee/USPCB/ISORegen/USPCB/Sound Devices USBPre2/Tannoy GOLD 8
250 Pro CI, MicroRendu(1.4), Mutec MC-3+USB
Reply
#5
(07-Sep-2020, 13:23)ogs Wrote: On the cheap end that could be an Allo "DigiTen", featuring a clock input. RoPieeeXL has the NAA... Smile

Quite hilarious!  To be completely honest, I actually double checked Allo's website, just to check if you made that up or if I had missed the release of this mighty new product.

Joking apart, there might be a serious point here.  Considering my past experiments, I have achieved very good results feeding my MC3+USB / REF10 via S/PDIF.  My best results were achieved using my aging Arcam Blu-ray player as a source, with music played from a USB thumb drive.  So if this gets very close to the sMS-200ultra / tx-USBultra, and maybe in some respects there is a nicer sound via the Arcam, how might an Allo DigiOne Signature compare?  

I am as sure as I can be that the Allo Signature would at least be a touch better than the Arcam.  For a start the Allo would have the advantage of running HQPlayer, and on top of that there are some very compelling subjective reports for the Allo.  Furthermore, it measures very well.  So as a simple way to get a decent quality S/PDIF feed to the MC3/REF10 combo, the Allo makes a lot of sense.  Considering the price of the thing, I am genuinely very tempted to try this.

The only thing that puts me off is the potential hassle actually getting one to work.  A case of a steep learning curve, I know nothing about Pi's, Ropieee or any of this stuff.  That said, owning the sMS-200 has taught me all I need to know about writing software images to SD cards and similar, so I am (fairly) sure I would get one up and running without too much grief.  

I shall do some further investigating, and as I said, i am genuinely tempted to give this a try.  If nothing else, it is £5k cheaper than the LinQ, and would serve as good experience and training for when the DigiTen is finally released.

EDIT: I see there are Pi options with the Allo DigOne Signature, I presume the RPi 4 Model B is the one to get? (although it is $2.50 more expensive than the RPi 3 Model B)
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)