Network streamer £16,955
Linn’s Selekt DSM is a network music streamer, but look closer and you find far more sophistication and versatility than that suggests. Linn loves to use the word ecosystem when talking about the Selekt DSM, and as pompous as that sounds, it’s a pretty apt description. This is a modular design that can be specified to the performance and features the buyer wishes. As a high-end product, it costs accordingly.
There are two basic variants of the Selekt DSM: the Edition Hub (£9950) on test here and the 2018 original, now renamed the Classic Hub (£4900). We reviewed and liked a heavily optioned version of the original in 2019. The difference comes down mostly to the casework. The Edition Hub is significantly more luxurious, with beautifully machined thick aluminium panels that make the standard version feel like a biscuit tin.
This sturdy new casework provides a more stable and better-isolated foundation for the electronics to work from, so improving sound quality. The lovely looking control dial on the top has an uprated bearing for smoother and more precise operation, and the dial is photo-etched for crisper aesthetics. Add the Edition Hub’s improved steel feet, stereo subwoofer output and headphone socket, and it becomes clear that this is far more than just a cosmetic trim upgrade. That said, the price gap between the two variants still feels huge, bearing in mind most of the internal electronics are identical.
IMPRESSIVE FEATURE SET
Regardless of the Hub chosen, the list of standard features is impressive. There is a good range of embedded streaming services – Tidal, Spotify Connect, Qobuz and Deezer, as well as AirPlay 2 and Roon compatibility. Connection to your network can be done wirelessly, via ethernet – our preferred wired option, for greater stability – or via Bluetooth (4.2).
Most of these things are pretty standard for digital-based products of this type, but where the Selekt DSM veers off-piste is in the inclusion of a stereo line-level analogue input as well as a moving-magnet/moving-coil phono stage. Add the Linn’s built-in volume control and it is clear that the DSM is capable of replacing a fair few boxes in a traditional set-up. Simply plug it into a power amplifier or, even better, active speakers and you will have an appealingly minimalist high-end system.
The Selekt DSM’s connectivity is class-leading. As standard there is the usual trio of digital inputs – USB, coaxial (x2) and optical (x2) – alongside a single HDMI 2.0 ARC connection. The inclusion of an HDMI is a thoughtful touch, allowing
