LINN SELEKT DSM
The Linn Selekt DSM is a modular product that can be tailored to taste, with the basic version available for £4000. This gives you a high-end steamer and digital preamp in a single box. Features include network streaming, embedded Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz streaming services, and even the option of Apple Airplay.
There are five digital inputs including an HDMI ARC for connection to a TV and USB for a computer. The analogue world hasn’t been ignored; alongside the single line-level input, you’ll find dedicated sockets for both moving magnet and moving-coil cartridges. Given Linn’s rich turntable heritage, this is no surprise.
All-new modular design
In basic streamer/preamplifier guise the Selekt DSM sits between the company’s entry-level Majik offering and the premium Akurate product. But with an all-new modular design, it’s aimed at a different audience. There are two options for modules: you can upgrade from the capable 24-bit/192khz DAC section to Katalyst spec for an additional £1500, which lifts the sound quality considerably or/and add a Class D 50W per channel stereo power amp module for £1250, as in our review sample.
Since our original review in 2019, Linn now also offers a surround sound module, taking the total unit price to £11,550. It has power amplification for five speakers (and a subwoofer line level output) as well as four HDMI inputs, one output and support for DTS and Dolby Digital Plus codecs. Bluetooth is another recent addition to the DSM’S feature list, as is dual-band wi-fi (2.4/5 GHZ).
Linn’s engineers have worked hard to integrate the modules in a way that doesn’t spoil the Selekt’s performance. Signals are transferred digitally throughout the circuit to reduce degradation and noise, even those that start off in the analogue domain, and the power supply is generous enough to deliver the punch and dynamics expected from a product at this level.
Linn has developed a new dual-core processing engine that should be able to cope with a decade of progression. This powerful brain also allows the company to include the latest version of its Space Optimisation room equalisation software.
Physically, the Selekt DSM is well made and neatly finished. That dial on the top panel is more than just a volume control. Pressing down on different parts gives access to controls such as skipping tracks or pausing. It does feel a little vague, but works well enough. The row of buttons below it can each be assigned a particular task – a shortcut to an input or a specific track on a streaming service.
Some may be surprised at the lack of a full colour display; Linn wanted to avoid visual distractions. The OLED display is crisp and large enough to be read from the other side of our test room. You’ll need Linn’s Konfig app to set up the product, and the Kazoo app to control it. There’s also a physical remote too.
We start off using the Selekt DSM’S network capabilities and it’s as slick as they come, swapping between our reference Naim NAS and Tidal account seamlessly. The Linn’s presentation is crisp and taut, trading the last ounce of sonic richness for an enviable sense of control. We listen to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and the DSM delivers an agile and precise sound. It can track complex musical strands with ease. There’s plenty of punch too, and while that figure of 50W per channel seems modest, even through relatively inefficient speakers such as our reference ATC SCM50, there is plenty of volume.
We move to the digital inputs and continue to be impressed. The optical and coaxial show the standard on-board DAC to be a good one. It’s a balanced and insightful performer that works well across the board. We’re less pleased with the USB input; Linn has taken a long time to include such an input on its products but it doesn’t have the same sense of stability and clarity as the others. It’s usable, but not outstanding.
We return to positive ground with the built-in phono stage. We connect a Rega Planar 3/Elys 2 to the moving-magnet input and our reference Clearaudio Innovation Wood package to the moving coil. In each case the phono module sounds detailed and expressive, keeping the fine qualities we note from the other inputs. The analogue line input is equally talented, especially considering it has to go through an extra analogue to digital conversion in the signal path.
Linn has aimed high with the Selekt DSM. It is easily upgradable and yet good enough to impress on its own terms. If you want a top-end integrated box of electronics this is one you must consider.