Since Lehmannaudio turned the “emergency exit” of classic hi-fi amplifiers into a gate to a new musical perception with their Linear back in 2004, headphone outputs with frustrating sound have become a thing of the past. The Linear D in its topical mk II version demonstrates that there’s always room for improvement: its digital-analogue converter of the latest generation and its thoroughly revised analogue board let you experience all-new horizons when listening to your favourite music – goose bumps guaranteed.
“Already the first bars foreshadow its potential, the music is reproduced with enormous clarity.”
— Hifi & Records
Comfort and performance
The Linear D mk II is the perfect complement to streamers and CD players. It recognises digital signals, automatically selects the optimal input and needs no input selector. The Sabre DAC from ESS on the quad-layer circuit board, which has been optimised against HF interference, offers both digital S/PDIF and Toslink inputs.
Low-loss mica capacitors on the mainboard and in the converter analogue filter as well as ultra fast amplifier stages on the converter board guarantee reference quality. The thoroughly revised analogue board in Low-Z Copper provides as yet unheard-of dynamics. Owing to three settings the Linear D mk II adapts to the most diverse headphone-source combinations, and with one analogue and two digital inputs it also delivers a breathtakingly expressive performance as a streaming preamp on active loudspeakers.
The Linear D mk II makes people happy who want to enjoy music in an intense and pristine way and brings together those who share musical enjoyment: two parallel outputs on the discrete class A solid-state output stages powerfully feed two headphones of equal impedance without compromising the listening experience. SSC absorber feet decouple the Linear D mk II from its base and provide calmness. So the Linear D mk II sounds even more sculptural now: with lush, yet never ostentatious lows, delicate resolution and zero-gravity elegance over the entire frequency range.
Turn the massive, damped potentiometer of the Linear D mk II. Rediscover your analogue and digital musical treasures!
| Analogue section | |
| Input impedance | 47 kOhms |
| Maximum gain | 0 dB, 10 dB, 18 dB, 20 dB selectable via DIP switches |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz (-0.3 dB) to 35 kHz (-1 dB) |
| Signal to noise ratio | > 100 dB at gain 0 dB |
| THD | < 0.001 % at 6 mW/300 Ohms |
| Channel separation | > 80 dB at 10 kHz |
| Output power | 400 mW/60 Ohms 200 mW/300 Ohms |
| Output impedance | pre-out 50 Ohms phones out 5 Ohms |
| Connectors audio | Neutrik headphone jacks with gold plated contacts 1 x pre-out 2 x phones out gold plated RCA sockets with teflon insulation |
| Power consumption | 15 W through internal, regulated power supply |
| Special feature | analogue board in Low-Z Copper vibration-absorbing SSC feet |
| Outer dimensions W x D x H | 110 mm x 280 mm x 44 mm (4.3 x 11 x 2 in.) |
| Weight | 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs.) net |
| Digital-analogue converter | |
| Digital inputs | 1 x TOSLINK (automatically prioritised) 1 x RCA 75 ohms |
| Sampling Rates | 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 192 kHz |
| Resolution | 24 bits |
| Chipset | ESS Sabre K2M |
| Analogue filter | Silver Mica capacitators |
| Max. output level DAC | 1.8 V eff. |
| Special feature | The analogue input is automatically activated, when no digital signal is recognised |
