Premium audio maker Linn created something truly special in the Selekt DSM: it’s always an exceptional streamer & DAC, but can be upgraded & modified unlike any of its rivals… a feature which says something profound about the brand.
Today it seems the term “product” is at odds with “craft.” So many of the things we rely on are glued, pressed and clamped together as cheaply as possible, designed instead for “maximum marketability” to ensure sales. Even well-made products are often designed to be obsolete in a matter of a few years—to keep the market in need of the next model. Spare parts, service offerings, DIY-ability, and all things “long life” are no longer in the budget of the manufacturing world.
A cheap plastic knob breaks on your device? Time to buy a new one—it’s your only option. Oh, and once you own it, be ready to pay a monthly fee for the right to use it.
Bleak and disheartening, no? Here’s the good news: not every company out there is on board with this self-destructing product philosophy. There are artisans yet who have the…dare I say, courage…to make products that deliver the best performance possible, for as long as possible.
In the dark age of planned obsolescence, Linn’s ever-dynamic Selekt DSM streamer is a beacon of future-proof light.
When it comes to the electronics part of your system, nothing beats a gorgeous-looking and razor sharp music streamer. I say razor sharp, because Linn don’t pull their punches: they really have dedicated themselves to ever-improving what they do. Sound reproduction, aesthetics, build quality—you name it.
But what’s even more alluring is Linn’s ethos. They believe when you buy a quality, engineered audio product, it should serve you for life. And that’s exactly the foundation on which their incredible Selekt DSM streamer is built.
Linn’s Selekt DSM music streamer is built to serve its owners for life; it can be modified to perform just about any function in your system (and well!)…
Even better, every piece of relevant software and hardware that Linn develop and release will be retrofittable to your existing Selekt DSM. So it has been thus far with their earlier streamers, and so they intend to continue.
For instance, in 2015 Linn released their own proprietary “room correction” DSP software (called Space Optimisation). With it, any speaker placed anywhere in any room—even right back against the wall if needed—could be made to sound like it was in the ideal “audiophile-approved” sweet spot. When this happened, their 2007 streaming devices (considered dinosaurs by brands who push planned obsolescence) got the free software upgrade overnight, despite their 8 years of service.
“The Linn Selekt DSM literally sounds better as time goes on… it’s an appreciating asset.”
Now with all this flexibility and choice, we must ask, “How does it work?”
Fortunate for anyone eager to acquire the last piece of audio electronics they’ll ever buy, Linn have made it easy to work through the Selekt DSM options. Let’s walk through them:
1. Choose one of two “hubs”(bodies)
This is the only selection that defines your streamer indefinitely—the performance level and functionality can be modified and upgraded. This choice will largely depend on aesthetics and appreciation for craft.
There are only a few functional differences. Both give you all the common inputs including HDMI ARC for a smart TV. Both have phono preamp inputs for MM and MC. Both have the same buttons and controls. Both use the same app. The major difference is that the Edition hub adds pre-outs, making it the only hub which can be connected to a separate subwoofer.
The Classic hub is the standard option; it consists of folded aluminium casework atop an 8 mm machined aluminium base. All-glass front—large, clear display—and a handsome dial that controls volume among other things, with gently illuminated hash marks telling you how much juice the unit is pumping.
The Edition hub is the premium option; it’s built of a substantial, fully-machined casework. It’s more robust, hence more able to dampen vibrations from the speakers, which soften the edges of an amp’s music signal. And it looks awesome. Across the front sits “mirrored spy-glass” and the control dial has a better build, and a sleeker look.
All up, the premium Edition hub is ideal—especially for those who believe fine craftsmanship is inherently valuable. “Aesthetics,” if you like; those who would choose a piece of handmade Japanese furniture over something “decent” from IKEA.
Right. Then once you’ve decided on your hub…
2. Choose from three performance tiers (DACs)
The Selekt DSM has the same high-quality streaming device inside but, depending on your ambitions, the output device(s) can be fitted with one of three DAC performance levels.
An interesting fact about Linn, they began in the 70s by pouring over vinyl playback, developing one of the most successful and highly acclaimed turntables (the Sondek LP12)… and then just 30 years ago, began to pour over digital music playback in the same way. Since they’ve developed high-performance digital clocks, network processors, upsampling systems and more.
So as you rise through the ranks of the DAC selections, there are surprising jumps in performance.
Linn’s DAC performance tiers means you can get a new Selekt DSM at whatever performance tier makes sense for your budget… and easily upgrade down the track.
Here’s a quick rundown of the tiers:
The Standard DAC is the most budget-friendly of course, but still delivers a great sound to meet Linn’s high standards.
Take a step up and you have Linn’s Katalyst DAC, which combines third-party chipsets with their own in-house technologies: improved clocking, separated power supply wells and especially important, a stabilised input voltage. The result is of course, better sound quality in all respects.
Finally at the top sits something special: Linn’s Organik DAC is the result of a massive undertaking, where they’ve designed and assembled a complete FPGA DAC from scratch, in-house. It’s the same DAC they use in their flagship Klimax streamer which goes for $70,000, and it can be fitted to the Selekt DSM for a fraction of the cost.
Once you’ve chosen a performance tier, it’s time for the final step…
3. Decide what you want it to do…
The only thing that’s consistent across all Selekt DSM units is, essentially, the high-quality streaming component. It’s built to suit Linn’s “cartridges”—component systems that provide output functions. You can configure a Selekt DSM to do almost anything you want, including to act as any of the following:
- Streaming DAC running to a stereo system or pair of active speakers
- All-in-one streaming amp running directly to passive speakers
- All-in-one streaming amp bi-amped (or tri-amped) providing extra control to a pair of speakers
- Home theatre receiver with 5.1 surround sound outputs and multiple HDMI inputs
- And there’s more…
Plus there’s the “flagship” purpose for the Selekt DSM: the Organik dual mono configuration. This essentially dedicates one of Linn’s top-performance DACs to each output channel (2 DACs), giving you immaculate pre-out signals via coaxial or XLR to a pair of monoblock power amps.
No matter which configuration you choose, you always have TV compatibility that will blow away any soundbar, phono staging for a turntable, and room correction DSP capability. You also have classic quick preset buttons on the unit to program playlists, and an excellent app.
The app is genuinely responsive and tidy. It has good queue editing features… and I don’t take that for granted. It’s too rare. You can even select what function you’d like the “Play Now” button to perform; Linn don’t assume you always want to cram an entire album onto the queue.
Performance, features, versatility, upgradability… it’s enough to make Linn’s Selekt DSM a contender for “King of Hi-Fi Electronics.”
Interested in taking a closer look? The best place to start is to find a dealer who can take you through an audition. The only real way to know how good something sounds is by hearing it yourself. If you’re in the Sydney area, we’d be happy to host you in our showroom. Give us a call and we’ll make sure a Selekt DSM is set up and ready to go when you arrive.
