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.
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
