Aqua LinQ streamer and La Scala MkII Optologic DAC

REVIEW
Jason Kennedy
Aug 23, 2021

I played this system to a friend who chose Black Sabbath’s audiophile favourite (not) ‘Fairies Wear Boots’ [Paranoid, Vertigo] and he couldn’t believe how clean it sounded, putting his finger on what makes the LinQ so powerful in the process. It reduces the low-level grunge that undermines digital audio to a far greater extent than most streamers, this isn’t something you are necessarily aware of until its gone or you play a vinyl record on a great turntable. Here it seems to have totally disappeared.

By using a protocol that’s designed for audio rather than one for connecting computer peripherals (UPnP/DLNA), Aqua has found a way to raise the streaming game to a new level. It would of course be intriguing to hear their UPnP module which would establish whether it’s the software or its implementation that’s doing the trick but if you buy the HQPlayer version of the LinQ and combine it with a La Scala MkII it seems very unlikely that you would want to try anything else, however it’s nice to have the future proofing that this approach offers. In short, I want one!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

LinQ

Type: Solid-state network streamer with modular renderers
Analogue Inputs: none
Digital Inputs: LAN (via etherCON RJ45 connector).
Supported Digital Formats: AAC, AIFF, DFF, DSD, DSF, FLAC, WAV
Music services/Wi-Fi inputs: Tidal, Qobuz via Roon/N/A
Analogue Outputs: N/A
Digital Outputs: Two coaxial S/PDIF (via RCA and BNC jacks), one AES/EBU, dual AES, AQLink I2S
Frequency Response: Not specified
Distortion (THD + Noise): Not specified
User Interface: Roon
Dimensions (H×W×D): 100 × 450 × 370mm
Weight: 9kg
Price: £4,982

La Scala MkII

Type: Hybrid high-resolution PCM and DSD-capable digital-to-analogue converter
Digital Inputs: One AES/EBU, two coaxial S/PDIF (via RCA and BNC jacks), one USB B, one AQLink (via RJ45 etherCON)
Analogue Outputs: One stereo single-ended (via RCA jacks), one balanced (via XLR connectors)
DAC Resolution/Supported Digital Formats: All PCM from 44.1kHz to 384kHz with word lengths up to 24-bit, DSD64 (2.8224MHz) and DSD128 (5.6448MHz). The following format restrictions apply: DSD128/384kHz and beyond are supported through AQLink & USB only
Frequency Response: 20Hz–22kHz, ± 0.5dB
Distortion (THD + Noise): < 0.1%, 1kHz at -20dB
Output Voltage: 2.2Vrms
User Interface: front panel display
Dimensions (H×W×D): 100 × 450 × 370mm
Weight: 9kg
Price: £6,200