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Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II – Detail improvements

With the Lindemann Limetree Series, a very exciting product line is available, small “helpers” that are optimised for a specific task. Among them is a streaming bridge, which is now available in a new version as Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II.

German high-end hi-fi manufacturer Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH can announce a changing of the guard in its Lindemann Limetree Series: the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II replaces its predecessor, the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE.

This is the latest generation of a highly versatile streaming bridge.

Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II – The New Generation

The Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II is an extremely exciting system, because it has almost everything you would expect from a modern streaming solution, but is deliberately focused on the essentials.

For example, it does without a D/A converter, so that it is not just a streaming client in the conventional sense, but a streaming bridge. This analogy was taken over from CD players, which, if they are designed without a D/A converter, are called CD transports.

Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II 01

Simple, yet extremely versatile

The Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE is a high-quality network adapter that can digitally transfer music from streaming services as well as local storage media in studio master quality to existing D/A converters or other devices with digital inputs, according to the characterisation of the German high-end hi-fi manufacturer Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH.

The Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II is simply integrated into the network by cable or via an IEEE 802.11ac WiFi module, and can then access corresponding content on the network via UPnP. It is, this detail should be mentioned, dlna-certified.

It is also possible to access various streaming services, such as TIDAL, Spotify including Spotify Connect, Deezer, Qobuz and HRA Streaming from HIGHRESAUDIO via the appropriate app in the form of the Lindemann App for Apple iOS and Google Android. Internet radio and podcasts are also directly available. Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH promises that they are already working on support for TIDAL Connect.

Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II 02

Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II is Roon Ready

In addition, the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II is of course also classified as Roon Ready, meaning that it can be controlled directly via the media management and multi-room audio streaming software Roon from Roon Labs LLC, guaranteeing bit-perfect streaming.

USB as another option

USB is available as a further source; corresponding storage media can thus be used directly locally.

By the way, the USB port of the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II offers a special feature: a USB CD drive can also be connected here. This turns the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II into a CD transport, allowing audio CDs to be played directly.

Bluetooth is also available

Those who want to quickly use a smartphone as a source without a network infrastructure can also do so. The Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II has an integrated Bluetooth interface.

Precise signal processing

Signal processing is carried out by means of a high-precision clock, which the manufacturer calls an ultra-low-jitter MEMS FemtoClock.

Of course, the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II supports all relevant data formats, with both an optical and a coaxial S/PDIF interface available as outputs.

What’s new with the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II?

According to the manufacturer, the streaming bridge has been optimised in many respects. The sampling rate limit of the output can now be set in three steps, 48 kHz, 96 kHz or 192 kHz.

Two re-sampling modes are now available, the user can choose between native playback or up-sampling. If you do not want to change the signal at all, select the Native mode, whereby higher sampling rates, which would exceed the possibilities of the S/PDIF interface, are divided by two or four. Up-sampling, on the other hand, is scaled up to the highest possible value, i.e. multiplied by one, two or four.

While the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE could still process DSD data natively, DSD support has now been discontinued. If a conversion of DSD files into PCM is desired, this should already be done with the playback software, e.g. Roon, Audirvana Studio, J.River and others, says the company.

Getting to the point

The new generation of the streaming bridge from the Lindemann Limetree Series does not present itself as a revolutionary new solution; rather, the generation change to the new Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II involves improvements or adaptations in detail. Existing users of the previous version therefore do not have to look enviously at the new one and do not really have to consider a change. New customers will continue to find in the Lindemann Limetree BRIDGE II what has been offered so far, a fine streaming solution focused on the essentials.

Manufacturer:Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH
Distribution:Lindemann audiotechnik GmbH
Price:€ 795,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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