Boxen Gross. Big speakers? Not for this commentator’s first visit to the Kreuzberg hi-fi store of the same name. Instead, I’m here to meet one Guido Schuetze – Brand Ambassador for Linn in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – for an extended introduction to the Scottish company’s first foray into a more mainstream-friendly all-in-one device: the Selekt DSM.
At its heart, Linn’s Selekt DSM is a streaming DAC – with Ethernet, USB, 2 x TOSLINK, 2 x coaxial and HDMI ARC inputs – plus MM/MC phono stage with options for integrated 50wpc (into 8 Ohms) in-house-designed Class D power amplifier and/or upgraded Katalyst DAC. Pay for what you need. Don’t pay for what you don’t.
What a video can show (that the written word and photos cannot so easily) is the Selekt DSM’s glass control dial that rotates for volume but tilts for on-screen menu navigation. Further, making playback one-touch-simple are the six programmable pins to which inputs, playlists, radio stations or even single songs can be assigned.
And because 99% of this unit’s target market live in the real world, where an acoustically treated listening room is a pipe dream, Linn’s web browser-accessible Space Optimisation software interfaces with the Selekt DSM’s internal DSP for better control over the lower frequencies.
Schuetze has the rest:
Further information: Linn
US pricing:
Selekt DSM: US$5200
Selekt DSM with integrated power amp: US$6825
Selekt DSM with Katalyst DAC: US$7000
Selekt DSM with integrated amp and Katalyst: US$8775