Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II – The new generation


 

 

Date: 2022-05-06

 

written by Michael Holzinger

The new Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II is the next generation of streaming systems from Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH, a solution that has already stood out with its outstanding features, and which has now been further refined in all essential respects, according to the manufacturer’s promise.

After Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH recently introduced the latest generation of amplifier systems, the Lindemann POWER II 500 and Lindemann POWER II 1000 solutions, the Lindemann Musicbook Series is now presented in its entirety in refined new versions.

Lindemann Musicbook Series
The Lindemann Musicbook Series presents itself as an extremely elegant high-end solution that enables high-quality hi-fi enjoyment in a comparatively compact form factor.

The German company has succeeded in creating a truly exciting product portfolio, which, as already indicated, now consists of a source device in combination with a preamplifier and the power amplifiers.

The user can thus put together a fine chain that takes up little space, yet stands for everything that makes high-end hi-fi.

Making good things even better
The philosophy of Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH has always been based on the principle that there is nothing that cannot be made a little better. Thus, the solutions of the Lindemann Musicbook Series have already undergone several revisions and the concept of the product range has been constantly refined.

The introduction of the two power amplifiers Lindemann Musicbook Power II 500 and Lindemann Musicbook Power II 1000 already made it clear that a change of generation was imminent, and now it is a fact that the Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II is the latest generation of the central component of the Lindemann Musicbook Series.

As with the power amplifiers in the range, they have been carefully refined to create a solution that delivers even more musical information while maintaining a tremendous sense of timing and interaction. The German high-end hi-fi manufacturer even goes so far as to state that the Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II offers sound quality at the limit of what is possible.

The basis of the Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II is, of course, once again the streaming client implemented here, relying on a proprietary platform that is supposed to be characterised by absolute perfection in signal processing, but also by maximum flexibility and convenience in operation.

Focus on analogue preamplifier
All in all, the Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II has been systematically developed further, according to the manufacturer, but the focus has been placed specifically on the analogue preamplifier.

Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH states that the headphone output now sounds even better and can easily drive headphones with very low impedance up to 16 ohms.

Optimisation and expansion in many areas
According to Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH, even more effort was put into the further development of the firmware, where initial bug fixes and corrections finally turned into a completely new stack, according to the company.

Among the most important innovations is the implementation of Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect. In addition, there are other small and large innovations, such as the elimination of the Lipsync problem when connecting a TV, network standby, fixed line output with bypass of the analogue volume control, dB-linear 80-step volume control, sample rate display for the digital inputs, selection of Spotify via the remote control without using the app and much more.

With 1-bit re-sampling, the excellent-sounding converter modules from specialist AKM and the upgraded preamplifier, the new Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II should once again raise the bar for the best streaming DACs in terms of sound, Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH is convinced.

With or without CD
As before, Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH is offering the Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II in two versions, one with and one without an integrated audio CD player.

The background to this is that Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH initially decided against integrating a drive in the last generation, although audio CD playback was always possible via the outstanding D/A converter, including all the associated advantages.

However, external USB drives were used for this purpose, which the user could simply connect. For some customers, however, this was not enough, so that Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH finally decided to offer a version with an integrated high-quality drive on request.

This is also the case with the new Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II, which can be purchased with or without an integrated drive.

100 percent Made in Germany
Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH also addresses the general situation on the market in this context, and not without reason. Attentive readers will probably have noticed that the Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II is one of the few newly introduced components that is based on a D/A converter made by Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation.

After a fire at the Japanese specialist’s factory caused massive delivery problems and thus upheavals on the market, many companies were forced to switch their products to other D/A converters, which was by no means easy, and in many cases involved very far-reaching changes.

Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH, on the other hand, still has a well-stocked warehouse with the corresponding components and will therefore, according to the manufacturer, continue to rely on components from AKM, which, according to the company itself, are probably the best-sounding converter modules and the already legendary 1-bit re-sampling process.

The same applies to availability, which is also a hot topic these days, above all due to the lack of numerous other electronic components on the market in general, and also the tense situation around worldwide logistics in general.

Despite considerable bottlenecks on the electronics market, the manufacturer says it is continuing to build the Lindemann Musicbook Series in series. Production is secured for the next few years, says the company. This works not least because it is 100 per cent “Made in Germany”.

Getting to the point
Making good things even better has always been the principle of the German high-end hi-fi manufacturer Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH, which is naturally also applied to the latest generation of the central component of the Lindemann Musicbook Series, the new Lindemann Musicbook SOURCE II. This is certainly not a revolution, but rather a successful evolution that raises this already very exciting solution to a new level of quality and, in combination with the latest Lindemann Musicbook POWER II 500 or Lindemann Musicbook POWER II 1000 power amplifiers, turns it into an outstanding hi-fi chain in the smallest of spaces.