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dCS LINA Overview: Network DAC, Headphone Amp, Master Clock & Tech Explained | Moon Audio

Lina Master Clock

$7,750.00
In Stock

Dual crystal oscillators. Enhanced synchronization. Better sound with less jitter & distortion. More details

dCS LINA Overview: Network DAC, Headphone Amp, Master Clock & Tech Explained | Moon Audio

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To celebrate the Lina system's continued success, dCS just released the brand-new silver edition! This means you can now choose from either a silver or black finish when purchasing individual Lina components or the full Hi-Fi system. Each Lina component (the Network DAC, Master Clock, and Headphone Amplifier) is built with an aluminum chassis. The casework is milled to precision from solid billets and then painted to provide a smooth, durable, and tactile finish.

The painted finish on the silver Lina Network DAC, Master Clock, and Headphone Amplifier is an exact match with the anodized finish seen on the silver Vivaldi, Rossini, and Bartók components. The new silver finish provides listeners with the perfect option for those who wish to pair Lina equipment with other dCS products. Mix and match to your heart's (and ear's) desire!

dCS strives to create versatile, premium, and high-performing audio gear that compliments all listening setups and spaces. You can now choose from one of two classic dCS finishes, selecting the look that best fits your taste, home environment, and existing equipment.

dCS Grade 1 Master Clock uses dual crystal oscillators to deliver a precise and stable clocking reference. Used as part of a complete Lina system, it enhances all aspects of sound for an even more immersive listening experience

  • Allows the Lina Network DAC to be locked to a master reference signal for enhanced audio performance
  • Minimizes jitter and irregularities that can cause distortion

KEY FEATURES

  • Dual crystal oscillators - one for 44.1kHz sample rates and one for 48kHz - ensure accurate clocking for all audio formats and frequencies
  • Standalone design with dedicated chassis and electronics minimises risk of clock signal interference
  • Oven-controlled oscillators ensure a consistent and stable performance, even under changing conditions
  • Minimises risk of jitter and delivers a notable increase in sound quality when streaming or listening via USB
  • Delivers clock signal accurate to > +/-1 ppm
  • Uses proprietary clocking technology refined over three decades, for unrivalled precision and longevity
dcs clock diagram

ABOUT

The Lina Master Clock is a product inspired by absolute dedication to achieving the highest possible standards of sound reproduction. It is informed by experience developing master clocks for professional and home use - something dCS has been doing for over 30 years - and the feedback they've received from listeners and audio experts who’ve experienced significant sonic benefits after adding a dCS master clock to their system.

Designed for use with the Lina Network DAC, it uses two crystal oscillators to deliver a precise and stable clocking reference for all audio formats and frequencies. When paired with the Lina DAC, it allows the DAC’s internal clock system to be locked to a master signal for even greater precision and enhanced audio performance.

Its standalone design ensures sensitive clocking components are protected from factors that can cause interference. Each crystal oscillator is also oven-controlled to ensure its performance remains consistent, even under changing conditions and temperatures.

Designed for maximum reliability and longevity, it is a silent but powerful component engineered to operate with absolute precision and consistency, so you can experience the best possible performance from your system. Combined with the Lina Network DAC and Headphone Amplifier, it delivers an even more profound and immersive listening experience, and helps ensure the audio you hear sounds exactly as it should.

35 years in the making

dCS pioneered the use of external master clocks in the 1980s, and they've been honing and refining their approach ever since. The Lina Clock brings together all that they've learned from their extensive experience developing clocks for professional and home use and their numerous innovations in the field.

Proven to inspire

dCS research has shown that adding a master clock to a digital audio system can have a dramatic impact on sound. Subjective listening tests have revealed improved imaging, resolution, dynamic expression and localisation, plus a greater sense of rhythmic movement and flow. It’s for this reason that dCS continued to advance the standard of clocking and develop dedicated master clocks for all multi-component dCS systems.

Expertly crafted

As with all dCS products, the Lina Clock is hand-assembled in Cambridgeshire, England, by talented technicians - a highly skilled team of experts who make sure each product that leaves the dCS factory is built to the highest possible standards. Each clock is subject to exhaustive performance tests and rigorous inspections before shipping, so you can be confident it provides the highest levels of performance and reliability.

Effortless impact

Elegant and minimal in its appearance, the Lina Master Clock is a component designed to enhance your listening experience, without ever demanding your time or attention. Simply switch it on, sit back, and enjoy an even deeper connection with your music.

Always consistent

With its own dedicated chassis and power supplies, the Lina Master Clock provides the perfect environment for sensitive clocking circuitry. Its design ensures clock signals are protected from power interference, crosstalk and other factors that can affect signal integrity (and in turn, audio quality), for a consistent performance day after day, year after year.

dcs lina full system horizontal on desk


LINA SYSTEM

Enjoy the full Lina experience with a Network Streaming DAC, Class AB Headphone Amplifier and Grade 1 Master Clock.

  • Designed and hand-assembled in the United Kingdom
  • Purpose built for headphone playback
  • Engineered for the purest expression and the finest possible sound

  • Solid state Headphone Amplifier ensures optimal performance with a vast range of headphones, from IEMs through to reference-level over ears

  • dCS Ring DAC and Digital Processing Platform guarantee exceptional sound from all digital recordings - whatever the source, genre or audio format

  • Network DAC supports streaming via Roon, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, TIDAL, Internet Radio and Apple AirPlay


  • Lina Master Clock delivers precise and stable clocking reference, for enhanced synchronisation and improved sound quality when streaming or listening via USB
  • Modular three stack design allows you to configure your system to suit your space, arranging units horizontally or vertically
  • Flexible, FPGA-based architecture ensures long product lifespan, with new features and enhancements delivered via simple software updates

ABOUT

With a dedicated Network DAC, Headphone Amplifier and Master Clock, Lina is the first dCS system purpose built for headphone listening. Designed to drive a vast range of headphones, and deliver incredible sound from all digital recordings, it offers the ultimate sonic experience for headfi connoisseurs.

A bold vision

Lina began with a desire to create the definitive system for headphone playback - one that reveals the full potential of your chosen headphones, and the full breadth of detail and emotion in your music. Drawing on our extensive experience developing pioneering audio products and technologies - including the multi award-winning dCS Vivaldi, Rossini and Bartók - we set out to engineer a brand new series that embodies our singular approach to sound reproduction, while reflecting the unique needs and demands of headphone listeners.

Rooted in heritage

Lina is a product made possible through three decades of relentless innovation - a tireless pursuit to advance the standard of sound reproduction, and bring people closer to the music they love. Informed by 35 years of continuous development, it combines state-of-the-art hardware and software with a technical lineage that can be traced back to the advent of digital audio, and the creation of the world’s first ever high-resolution digital converters.

A custodian of sound

Offering technical precision, transparency and musicality in equal measure, Lina reproduces each aspect of a recording - from the subtlest of sonic details, to the sense of rhythm, movement and harmonic flow - with absolute integrity. Whatever your chosen track, it delivers a performance that feels vividly detailed, effortlessly natural, emotionally compelling and always faithful to the music. Put simply, it brings a new level of realism and purity to headphone playback.

High performance, small footprint

Lina uses state of the art circuitry, electronics and digital processing to deliver a huge range of features in a compact and elegant format. Its unique flexible circuit board allows us to provide all of the functions you’d expect from a dCS system in a much smaller footprint, without compromising on sound or performance. Our smallest product series yet, it is designed for use in a wide range of environments, from shared offices to home studios, bedrooms and smaller living spaces.

Tailor made

Every element of Lina’s design - from its touch screen UI to its tactile painted coating, understated aesthetic, and slimline, modular form - has been carefully considered and developed with headphone listeners in mind. This ‘purpose built’ ethos extends not just to external features, but internal circuitry, components and software. Unique in its design, sound and capabilities, it combines our renowned playback technologies with a wealth of innovations developed exclusively for the headfi community.

Designed for you

Lina provides the freedom to listen however you choose, without compromise. Together, its Network Streaming DAC, Headphone Amplifier and Clock provide a complete digital audio system that confidently handles each aspect of the playback process. With its wide range of inputs and outputs, powerful streaming platform, and flexible settings, it delivers a stunning experience, whatever your listening preferences, equipment or musical tastes.

dcs lina full system horizontal on credenza


Press and Reviews

dCS LINA Network DAC, Headphone Amplifier and Master Clock Review
Moon Audio

by Drew Baird
May 2022

dCS LINA Network DAC, Headphone Amplifier and Master Clock Introduction
LINA Introduction

by dCS
June 2022

Clock TypeGrade 1 Master Clock, with oven-controlled crystal oscillators
Product Dimensions / Weight121.5mm (H) x 220mm (W) x 339mm (D) / 7kg
Shipping Dimensions / WeightTBC
FinishBlack machined aluminium
Clock AccuracyBetter than +/-1 ppm when shipped over an ambien ttemperature range of +5°C to +45°C
Startup TimeTypically 10 minutes to rated accuracy
Word Clock Outputs2 x independently buffered TTL-compatible output on 75Ω BNC connectors
Output 1: fixed at 44.1kHz
Output 2: fixed at 48kHz
Power Link (synchronising on/off state with other products)2 x RJ45
Power90-120v & 220-240v, 50/60Hz nominal
Consumption 10W
CertificationsCE / EMC
CCC
KC
FCC
Included with your Lina Master Clock1 x Mains cable [2m]
1 x Power Link cable [0.5m]
2 x BNC [0.5m]

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