Thank you very much for the detailed explanation and forum participation, I really appreciate it as owner of 4 Linn systems, including two Klimax DSMs. I’d like to encourage Linn and Roon to move forward on making the more recent DSM models Roon Ready. The bespoke Linn Streaming connection between Roon and Linn endpoints is workable, but the seams show. A full integration via RAAT would make both products better than their simple sum.
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That’s the explanation from the perspective of two companies that have agreed on the so-called lowest denominator. But that only solves Roon and Linn’s problem. It doesn’t solve my problem. The perspective of the Linn customer is left out.
This doesn’t seem to be a major problem for Linn, as Linn doesn’t seem to care about his customers’ perspectives. And since Linn doesn’t seem to know the point of view of its customers, I’ll put it here, i.e. my opinion as a Linn customer, in brief words:
My first Linn device was the Akurate DSM. I bought it in October 2016 and paid my dealer an amount of almost €8,000 for it. This device sounded relatively modest. However, I was able to significantly improve its sound with the Katalyst upgrade, which I purchased for another €2000 in May 2018.
In February 2020 I bought the Klimax DSM. For this I paid my dealer €18,000.- For the organic upgrade in November 2022, another €6,400.- was due. So I am a customer who paid a total of €34,400 for two Linn devices.
Now comes Linn: A few months after the Organic Upgrade, I discovered that the Klimax DSM including Organic DAC is being offered as a complete original Linn device for € 12,300. To make it very clear again: The same device for which I paid a total of €24,400 is now officially being sold for €12,300. With this, Linn quickly pulverized the value of my Klimax DSM on the used market.
But Linn thinks about his customers. But only to those who buy in the future. Because there is a gift for the 50th company anniversary. If you are willing to buy a Linn product for another €4,000, you will receive the new Utopic power supply for free. Anyone who, like me, bought an organic upgrade a year ago will come away empty-handed. To be clear again. A customer who now buys new Linn products for €3,000 (plus VAT) will receive €1,600 for free. An existing customer like me, who paid €34,400 for two Linn devices in the past, gets nothing.
@simonc, now you can guess what I think about it. But whatever you can even begin to suspect won’t really apply to what I still think about Linn: Nothing. And no, I will not spend another €1600 on the Utopik upgrade. Because either Linn remembers its regular customers and includes them, or the company doesn’t care about existing customers.
Perhaps this current gift campaign of the Utopik upgrade is also the first indication that Linn may be beginning to understand that they are losing their existing customers with their previous price policy.
In my opinion, there are a few things going wrong here. This applies to both the explanation of technology and collaboration with Roon as well as dealing with the existing customers. This means Linn loses its customers. If the higher-earning middle class no longer sees itself included, it will be interesting to see which customers Linn sees its future with. As a customer, I now feel left out.
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To add another technical aspect to my comments above. It’s not just a matter of the DAC not being recognized or not being recognized in its capabilities, it goes much further than that. Because:
Yesterday I wanted to play a DSD file on my Akurate (Katalyst DAC). Only hash noise could be heard. It is therefore clear that the Akurate cannot cope with the file format. The (supposed) solution would not be a problem. You just have to activate DSD over PCM (DoP). Unfortunately that doesn’t work. Roon has not integrated this feature into either the Akurate or the Klimax in the settings. Here is a screenshot of what it looks like:
As you can see from the screenshot, the (DoP) option simply does not exist. Not with my two Linn devices.
With my preamplifier (AVM PA 8.3) it looks like this:
My expectations of Linn are clear. Solve the problem in the interests of your customers and save yourself any explanations. This will only lead to absolute annoyance for customers. Any reassurances won’t help here. What is needed here is a solution, not an explanation.
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Speaking as owner of 4 Linn systems: your expectations are bizarrely inflated. The Linn system you bought was not advertised as Roon Ready. You are asking it to be, at no extra cost to you. Quite an entitled stance.
@StereJo
I understand your grievances but they are, for the most part, completely off topic.
@simonc
Thank you for the explanation and for chiming in. Even if it doesn’t fix anything, it’s great to have some information rather than none.
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Another major device update and no DSM/3.
Hello @noris could we get an update on this when you can please? Supporting the high-end, niche-market customers involved in this thread seems completely inline with the strategic direction agreed with the new owners…
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There is a beta firmware release with RoonReady support. It doesn’t work for now with stable Roon version. I’ve reverted from beta and wait, this seems promising.
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Wow. Now, that is exciting. Thanks for sharing!
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My Roon account allows uncertified devices, here is my KDS upgraded to Organik playing DSD256 over RAAT
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That is fantastic seeing those screenshots, thanks for sharing!
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Linn DS/DSM’s become ‘Roon Ready’!?
I never thought I’d see the day! 
It was long overdue, and about bloody time IMO. To have a £30k streamer on sale without the requisite support to play DSD256 via Roon was just shocking 
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Yes, this is fantastic news!! I’m testing it out now…
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Looks promising apart from the icon…not sure that looks like my Klimax DSM 
Nope! My KDS looks like this:
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I hope there will be no impact on SQ.
It’s still stated on LinnDocs :
“Songcast is used to share audio between Linn Products when using Roon. It does not use RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) for sharing Music, so cannot be set up as a Roon-Ready sharer.”
For what I remember from the former Linn forum, and for what it’s worth, Linn took that path because they try to avoid proprietary protocols and prefer to rely on their “native” protocol.
We know SQ can be a subject of discussion for some listeners with other audio gears (for instance some DCS owners prefer to go native with the DCS Mozaic player than Roon in terms of SQ, some others thinks it’s has more to do with psychoacoustics to stay polite … we know all that)
Since we all have invested in resolving components, and tend to have a focus on those subjects, we soon shall draw our on opinion 
And we have what we asked for !
Last thought, without having any insight, I welcome this shift and find it reassuring as it’s seems to offer a stronger partnership between Linn and Roon.
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This is great news - THX for sharing.
I own an Linn Selekt DSM Classic Surround and it would be great to have it Roon Ready.
If it would work with this current beta version, I would give it a try.
Torben
We just need a bit more patience 
We’ve waited for this several years by now…
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