FAQs

1 What is a DS player?
2 Why does the Klimax DS sound better than the CD12?
3 What makes the DS players “open”?
4 How does music get onto a standard Ethernet network in the first place?
5 How do I get my music onto a NAS?
6 When I buys a new CD, how do I rip it onto the NAS?
7 I download music from the Internet? Will downloaded music play on the DS players?
8 Can the NAS be used by my other networked products, like other music players, or used for other purposes, like storing home videos?
9 Should the NAS be backed up?
10 Does the NAS have to be in the same room as the DS player?
11 What should I do if my CD collection is too big to fit on one NAS?
12 Can I create a DS player multi-room system?
13 Should I use wired or wireless Ethernet (Wi-Fi)?
14 How should I control a DS player?
15 Can other UPnP controllers operate the DS players?
16 Can I save playlists that I create using the Linn GUI?
17 What audio formats do the DS players support?
18 Why does Linn recommend FLAC?
19 Why doesn't the DS players support other audio formats (aac, wma, etc)?
20 I already have lots of music stored on a hard drive. Do I have to transfer it to a NAS or can I use my existing PC / Mac hard drive?
21 I already have a NAS running SlimServer, which I use with Squeezeboxes around my house. Can I also run TwonkyMedia or another UPnP server on the same NAS and access my music from a DS player in one room and Squeezeboxes in the other rooms?
22 How do I set up a Computer Network?
23 Where can I get training on Computer Networks and Ethernet systems?

What is a DS player?

A DS player is an open, digital music player from Linn. It is a source product, like a CD player, but rather than retrieving music from a CD, it retrieves its music from a standard, Ethernet network.

Why does the Klimax DS sound better than the CD12?

What makes the DS players “open”?

They have open, standard interfaces as follows: Firstly, they have a standard Ethernet input, and standard audio outputs. Secondly, they support the open UPnP AV 1.0 specification for control. Thirdly, they supports open file formats (e.g. FLAC). Fourthly, they retrieve music from a standard, Ethernet network, have no hard drives inside and so have an open system architecture.

How does music get onto a standard Ethernet network in the first place?

From a network attached hard drive. A dedicated networked attached hard drive is called a NAS, which stands for Network Attached Storage. We have tested with the Netgear ReadyNAS. This is a secure, flexible, modular and upgradeable unit that keeps your music collection safe and independent from any manufacturer or product.

How do I get my music onto a NAS?

Linn recommends the Linn DS Ripping Service provided by RipFactory – http://www.ripfactory.com/linn.html. Alternatively, you may purchase a RipStation from RipFactory to allow you to offer the service to your customers.

When I buys a new CD, how do I rip it onto the NAS?

Using a program called Ripstation Micro DS or EAC (Exact Audio Copy). These are free for non-commercial use. Once installed on your Windows PC, you simply put the CD in the computer drive and transfer the CD to the NAS. Apple customers can use a program called Max in exactly the same way. Ripstation Micro DS is available here: http://www.ripfactory.com/rsmicrods.html EAC is available here: http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/ Max is available here: http://www.sbooth.org/Max/

I download music from the Internet? Will downloaded music play on the DS players?

Yes, so long as the downloads are in one of the supported open file formats, or are transcoded to one of those formats. Here are two free, open source transcoding programs: Windows: http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/ Mac OS X: http://www.sbooth.org/Max/

Can the NAS be used by my other networked products, like other music players, or used for other purposes, like storing home videos?

The NAS can be accessed by Linn and non-Linn networked products, for both music and non-music applications.

Should the NAS be backed up?

It’s a good idea. The Linn DS Ripping Service will provide a backup as part of the service, so your music collection can be recovered in the event of fire or other catastrophic failure or damage to the NAS. If you provide your own ripping service, you can configure the customer’s Netgear ReadyNAS to back-up to a server on your premises. Rsync is a free program can be installed on the NAS and configured to automatically back-up to a second NAS or any other hard drive: http://rsync.samba.org/

Does the NAS have to be in the same room as the DS player?

No, as long as both the NAS and the DS player are connected to the same Ethernet network, the DS player will retrieve music from the NAS.

What should I do if my CD collection is too big to fit on one NAS?

Can I create a DS player multi-room system?

Should I use wired or wireless Ethernet (Wi-Fi)?

How should I control a DS player?

Can other UPnP controllers operate the DS players?

Can I save playlists that I create using the Linn GUI?

What audio formats do the DS players support?

Why does Linn recommend FLAC?

Why doesn't the DS players support other audio formats (aac, wma, etc)?

I already have lots of music stored on a hard drive. Do I have to transfer it to a NAS or can I use my existing PC / Mac hard drive?

I already have a NAS running SlimServer, which I use with Squeezeboxes around my house. Can I also run TwonkyMedia or another UPnP server on the same NAS and access my music from a DS player in one room and Squeezeboxes in the other rooms?