External DAC for a Linn Karik

[Pete812]

Hello all,
This a "dipping toe in the water" sort of question.
I have a Karik mark III that I am thinking about getting an external DAC for as it is quite old and DAC technology has moved on.
Also I have a large number of files on a couple of external HDDs so the new DAC would need to replace my current and also old Music Streamer II.
Don't have endless funds and not into streaming services.
How much would I need to spend to get a noticeable difference, without going overboard?
Recommendations welcome, although not too obscure please :)
The Karik has a S/P BNC output.

[fiddlemaker]

Hello all,
This a "dipping toe in the water" sort of question.
I have a Karik mark III that I am thinking about getting an external DAC for as it is quite old and DAC technology has moved on.
Also I have a large number of files on a couple of external HDDs so the new DAC would need to replace my current and also old Music Streamer II.
Don't have endless funds and not into streaming services.
How much would I need to spend to get a noticeable difference, without going overboard?
Recommendations welcome, although not too obscure please :)
The Karik has a S/P BNC output.


I think the current generation of Chinese DACs at around the £500 mark are great value for money. Mine gives me the best performance from digital sources that I've ever heard in my system (which is heavily vinyl biased, to be fair).
No idea how it would compare to a Karik or a Music Streamer II, though.

[Pete The Cat]

A little while ago I tried a Topping D50S - about £225 - alongside my Linn Karik in place of the Numerik. If more detail is what you're after then this showed me that a modern DAC is the way to go since, fabulous as the Karik was for its time, you're correct that DACs have moved on in strides over the past couple of decades. Mid and upper range were a revelation. The Topping has multiple inputs including coaxial and also Bluetooth. Any preconception of cheapness was dispelled when I saw the box and the solidity of the unit, and I imagine that's the same for quite a lot of Chinese hi-fi now. The trade-off (and there is usually one when changing components) is that the tone was no longer the warmth that makes the Karik so easy on the ears and while I hesitate to say bright the obvious clarity could feel a little hard at higher volumes. Nothing I couldn't get used to though.

Finally, you might not appreciate this but it's worth bearing in mind that the Karik won't last forever and in the UK parts and specialists to service them seem to have dried up. I would guess that if you moved the Karik on, you could use the proceeds to fund a CD transport like the Audiolab or Cambridge, then adding a new DAC you should be good for at least 10 years.

Pete

[Pete812]

Thank you both for your thoughts,
I do like the idea of a CD transport and separate DAC as I wish to continue playing the CD's rather than burning them all to file.
Both the Audiolab and Cambridge are sold here so I will have to look into those again.