Linn has a very long history With their DS streamers, and thus also With the user interface. It started with the very little sensual Linn GUI, completely without album art. But after all it did the job. User interface was far better with Kinsky, and with the Kazoo app that came in 2014, they were on par with most of the streamers user interface. It is available for both PC / MAC and iOS and Android. You may read a mood report on the apps ) in our article published in 2013 about the CD-consept.

Linn App

Now Linn has launched a brand new DS control app, and here we find some news and enhancements.Actually, this is a brand New app from ground. Initially, it is available for iPhone and iPad but it will be available on several platforms gradually. The app requires iOS 10 or newer.

Linn's list of enhancements includes these elements:

• Save and access your playlists from anywhere on any Linn music system
• Search all your streaming services and stored music content at the same time from one place
• Improved access to lossless streaming services including TIDAL & Qobuz
• Improved access to multi-room control functionality
• Direct access to all functionality at your fingertips via always-on tabs
• Configure system settings and update product firmware directly from the app

Trial run of Linn App

As a user of Linn Akurate DS for approx. 13 years, immediate test driving is mandatory. Now the situation is that Linn will not take down the old app Kazoo, and I will probably run a parallel run for a while.

The immediately obvious difference between Kazoo and the Linn App is the graphic expression. The transition from a dark to a light design may be a glimmer of light for some users. And as Audiophile.no has just transformed our web design in the same direction, I guess that I am obliged to saying that it is a big step forward ...

The change to allow you to make music searches across streaming services and music libraries is a natural step forward, a feature we are otherwise familiar with from Sonos. Or Roon, that is also supported by Linn.

The TIDAL interface has become more appealing. And for those of us who have TIDAL as their primary streaming service, this is an important detail, especially since even the Linn streamers cannot communicate directly with TIDAL's own app without using AirPlay 2 or songcast. As far as I know, it`s only Sonos that can do this. And still it is only the original app TIDAL that lets you select sort criteria for saved favorite albums and favorite artists. Album info is comprehensive, and better graphic with further links than in Kazoo. Only thing I miss is that launch year should be supplemented with date. This wasn't applies in Kazoo either. We may also mention that MQA is not supported by Linn. They have made a very clear an bold statement against MQA, in "MQA is Bad For Music. Here`s Why".

Spotify is something surprisingly omitted in the new app. Now the situation is that in the old app you were also linked to Spotify's original app, which is a good solution. If you use the Linn App, you need to find the Spotify app yourself. And I suppose You will master that task With brilliance...Since this is Spotify Connect, streaming is always done from the streamer, not the iOS device.

Navigation is enhanced by always having main categories available in the form of tabs at the bottom of the screen. Faster navigation is a fact and is usually welcomed by all users. And then you have direct access to system configurations from the app, which you previously had to access via Linn Config. And no, there are no typos in "Konfig", this is Linn's language universe.

The new Linn App is literally a bright spot for DS users, where appealing graphical user interface is the main ingredient. And so there is still potential for improvement in some few details, which means that we as Linen enthusiasts can still have something to look forward to in updates.

Read more about Linn App at Eksakt Hi-Fi

Read more about the Linn App at Linn