Linn

Selekt DSM Edition Hub

£16,950 as tested

Engineered for the highest levels of performance, Linn's latest Selekt DSM Edition Hub is an entirely modular platform that supports the functionality you would ordinarily expect from a number of discrete components. Its physical appearance is more akin to a piece of art, instead of the utilitarian stereo components we're all accustomed to. It is designed to be a single device that 'rules them all', to form the core of a music system via a single user interface. The question is, does it succeed?

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Formally debuting the Selekt DSM in 2018 (now known as the Selekt DSM: Classic Hub), Linn's original vision was for this product to be an entirely modular streamer platform that offered not only high audio performance but also the ability to customise and upgrade capabilities over time. This is an approach that Linn has had at the core of its business for the better part of five decades, starting with the product that the company was built upon, the Sondek LP12 turntable. Even today, the company says that a customer with any LP12, of any age and any level of performance, can keep their original deck and upgrade every modular element.

Linn calls the Selekt DSM the “most configurable streamer ever”, and it's hard to disagree when you initially eyeball the online configuration list. With two options of chassis type (Classic and Edition), three levels of DAC performance (Standard, Katalyst and Organik) and optional modules that allow for operation as either a streaming source, a source with integrated amplification, or even use as a source in a surround sound system, it's safe to say that the Selekt platform can do most what anyone would ever want of it.

In creating a digital counterpart to the LP12 concept, Linn has spent the time since the release of the original Selekt DSM demonstrating that there is a market for a product that demonstrates longevity, modularity, and performance. Additionally, in an era where the world is focused on sustainability and minimising electronic waste, the concept that customers can keep the existing core chassis of their unit and upgrade the 'engine' with new DAC boards, amps, and even the ability to create a fully integrated 5.1 surround sound receiver over time, is appealing.

With the new Selekt DSM: Edition Hub, Linn claims to have delivered a higher-performing Selekt DSM Hub that has inherited trickle-down technology from the company's reference, flagship Klimax DSM product, including the award-winning, entirely homegrown DAC architecture – Organik. New to the Edition Hub, Linn has included a 1/4” headphone out and a dedicated Sub Out RCA pair on the rear panel providing further versatility and functionality than its Classic Hub sibling. The headphone output is fed by its own dedicated DAC with a view to ultimate flexibility of use in a modern household – where headphone listening late at night is commonplace, to not disturb neighbours, children, or likely both.

This product has an expansive range of connectivity options, as you would expect. Supporting USB, coaxial (x2) and optical (x2) digital inputs and an HDMI 2.0 ARC connection, there's also Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection for streaming purposes. Analogue fans will like the RCA line inputs, plus moving magnet and moving coil phono stage inputs; the layout is compact but very well apportioned. Using the Organik DAC, options exist for both single-ended and balanced XLR analogue outs, and it is possible to use Linn's proprietary Exact digital connection if leveraging this technology for an active speaker setup. It would have been nice to see more XLR inputs on the back panel, but given the available space, this is understandable.

Linn offers an optional HDMI 2.0 module and an optional DSP Surround Upgrade that allows the device to decode Dolby Digital TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. In a home theatre configuration, the maximum number of output channels you can have with a Selekt DSM is 6; however, if you have one or more pairs of Linn Exakt integrated loudspeakers, then this can be expanded up to 8. The largest surround configuration the Edition Hub can support is 7.2. Dolby Atmos is not currently on the product roadmap, but Linn said, “never say never…”

With respect to streaming services, the Edition Hub is more advanced than many competitive products, offering native connectivity to Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer, Spotify and Calm Radio. The device supports Apple Airplay and Airplay2 protocols and Bluetooth connectivity. While only for now listed as being a Roon Tested device, Linn claims that progress towards becoming Roon Ready is steadily advancing. Within the Roon ecosystem, Linn Streaming is also available as a streaming protocol alongside the ubiquitous Apple Airplay.

SPECIAL SOURCE

For the unit under test here, the top-flight Organik dual mono DAC module was included. Conceived and manufactured entirely in-house, the homegrown, all-Linn DAC combines bespoke FPGA processing with a discrete conversion stage, optimised to work as a system enabling Linn to precisely control and optimise every stage of the digital to analogue conversion process for the first time. Linn's engineers informed me that the performance advantage of the Organik architecture comes from its unique combination of PWM Delta-Sigma modulation, a discrete analogue conversion stage and the use of an ultra-stable power supply with precision clocking and expert PCB design…

“When used together, the PWM modulator and AFIR conversion stage are immune to many of the problems that affect other discrete designs where small errors in switching times or resistor values can generate distortion”, the company says.

However, in order to realise the full potential of this conversion method, attention must also be paid to other factors such as power supply, clocking, and perhaps most importantly, the physical layout of the circuit board.

Organik uses an 8-layer circuit board enabling power and clocks to be optimally delivered to the DAC. Power for the conversion stage is generated by a discrete regulator and delivered using multiple internal power planes. Clock traces are matched to within fractions of a millimetre to ensure that every part of the DAC receives its clock at exactly the same time.

The Organik DAC itself upsamples all audio to 98.304MHz, so theoretically, it can support any sample rate below that. In practice, though, Linn supports PCM sample rates up to 24-bit, 384kHz and DSD256. The latter streams are filtered using a Cascade of Moving Average (CoMA) filter to remove most of the high-frequency noise. Filtered DSD streams are then upsampled to the Organik modulator rate and converted to analogue in the same way as PCM streams.

Also included in the Selekt DSM platforms is the Linn proprietary room correction solution, Space Optimisation. This uses sophisticated acoustic modelling to build up a complete picture of how your speakers, their placement, and the unique characteristics of your room interact to affect the sound you hear. It can then help identify frequencies that are artificially distorted by your environment to reduce their signal to improve upon the in-room frequency response. As every speaker design is different, the sound from any one particular set of speakers has a unique set of interactions with your room and surroundings.

Space Optimisation models these interactions by taking account of the characteristics of your speakers, such as the position of each drive unit and the response of bass reflex ports. Linn has an extensive database of speakers for this purpose, built from an anechoic measurement of the speaker. The company claims that the acoustic modelling used by Space Optimisation is able to avoid every source of error inherent to traditional microphone-centric measurements, meaning you don't need to be an acoustic engineer to use it and get great results.

IN USE

From the first glance at the Edition Hub, one can immediately appreciate that it is closer to the standard of build quality, materials and design of the flagship Klimax DSM. With a rigidly bolted chassis made from machined plate aluminium, the appearance is of clean lines and invisible joins. While beauty is typically more than skin deep, in this case, form follows function. The selection of machined plates for the chassis construction ensures a far more rigid housing with greater mass, capable of providing better acoustic and electromagnetic isolation for the internal electronics.

The move from the original Selekt DSM Hub to the Edition Hub is aesthetically better in every way imaginable. There are no visible fixings, and the overall design is now sleek and contemporary while simultaneously being perceived as more luxurious and premium in the finish. While the Selekt DSM could be placed within an equipment rack, the Edition Hub finish lends itself to being out in the open, in pride of place as a feature in your living room.

Control of the Edition Hub is via a variety of mechanisms, including a dial on the top of the unit, an infrared remote control and a variety of Linn-developed mobile apps. The Linn app for iOS is the control software for iOS users. Kazoo is software that is currently available for Windows, Mac and Android users. There is also a Linn App in the pipeline for Android users, which Linn says has had development delayed due to the pandemic. The initial configuration of the Edition Hub is made via Konfig or via a web browser. Linn says that this is legacy software and will soon cease to be developed.

In 2018 Linn launched the ability for users to configure their Linn devices via a web browser at linn.co.uk. A retailer will assign a customer's streamer to them and create their Linn account upon installation, and they will be able to access the same functionality and more via the web. The company recommends that Space Optimisation is best configured via the web instead of using Konfig as the version of Space Optimisation (v2) available via the web is far more sophisticated, including dynamic filtering to account for sound pressure changes during playback, advanced room modelling and greater filter controls. The infra-red remote control is simple and unadorned but pleasing to hold with nicely tactile buttons, although its functionality is presently unmapped in the Logitech Harmony device database.

In a market awash with nondescript black boxes, Linn has seemingly set out to reinvigorate that personal connection one used to have with sound systems. With many of us now using apps on devices to control our systems, the tactile component of playback has been removed. To this end, Linn has created a singular control interface to the Edition Hub, a dial on the top of the unit formed from polished cut glass sitting atop one hundred individual LEDs to illustrate discrete volume increments. But this dial is much more than just a volume control, as its 4-axis tilt functionality allows you to pause, play, skip and cycle through inputs. In the Edition Hub, the control has an intricate photo-etched surround and uses a turned stainless steel bearing. The finish is more akin to a piece of jewellery than anything you are likely to have seen in a hi-fi component before. The dial has the Linn logo distinctly machined onto the top surface to proudly declare the product's lineage.

The front of the Selekt DSM is simply adorned with six smart buttons that you can custom program using Pins. These are analogous to 'Favourites' – a quick, one-touch means of calling up and playing a favourite playlist, album, song, genre, radio station, or even quickly and seamlessly switching to a turntable input. The six 'smart' buttons have been improved over the Classic Hub, with a satisfying action and an anodised finish, again taking cues from the reference Klimax DSM.

For the purposes of testing the Edition Hub in my system, I sourced a high-definition audio stream using native Qobuz connectivity as well as Roon. I took advantage of the analogue inputs set to a fixed input in a home theatre bypass configuration and used both subwoofer outputs to connect to REL 212/SX and Paradigm Sub 1 subwoofers. The dual XLR outputs from the Organik DAC fed a pair of McIntosh MC1201 monoblocks, which in turn powered a pair of JBL K2 S9900 loudspeakers.

THE LISTENING

In raw playback performance, the Linn is no slouch. Offering a lovely, rounded but vibrant sound that stayed true to the DAC stage's Organik namesake, the Edition Hub is as happy articulating simple audiophile staples as it is playing complex material. It has a very liquid character, yet this presentation isn't to the detriment of detail retrieval or attack, as can often be the case. My usual DAC of choice is an MSB Premier, and the Organik DAC in the Edition Hub gives it a very good run for its money. Vocals are a particular high point, coming across as both lifelike and affecting, while the nuance attached to more elegantly recorded acoustic pieces is striking. The rendered soundstage is extremely solid, and even in the most complex material, it never becomes difficult to discern individual instruments or effects.

The Linn's DAC delivers bass in a lovely, fluid manner. On the low frequency-driven track Thanks To You by Boz Scaggs, the Edition Hub served up an expansive bottom end without compromising the balance of the music. Things were tight and well-defined, forming a solid foundation for other instruments to rest upon. Percussion clicks and synths blended well into the mix, adding texture and rhythm without overpowering other elements. Vocals were subtly presented but effective, conveying lyrics with clarity and nuance. Guitar parts were tastefully arranged, adding colour and dimension to the sound.

With complicated music that employs aggressive effects like distortion, many pieces of audio playback equipment fall short. However, the Edition Hub handled the intricate and dynamic sounds of We Fall In Love by Lamb impressively. The synthetic bass was rich and full, providing a futuristic vibe, while ring modulation on the sampled drums added a unique edge to the sound. The Edition Hub maintained a refined and precise sound, even with these often aggressive and distorted drum effects. Vocals were presented with a spacious quality, appearing from the edges of the stereo field, creating a captivating soundscape. The Linn handled the most intricate elements of the mix with ease, despite the inherent complexity of the musical content.

A recent discovery of mine, Carol of the Bells by Straight No Chaser is a barbershop-style acapella track that has rapidly become a reference vocal track for me – and the Edition Hub presented it exceptionally well. Imaging, in particular, was excellent, making for a crystal clear and accurate vocal presentation. The panning effects of multiple singers created an ethereal quality, while the lower bass notes were a solid anchor for the song. While reverb tails were perceptible, they did not mask other song elements, and each unique voice was detectable and identifiable in the stereo field.

The ability of the Edition Hub with its new Organik DAC to capture both emotion and vocal intensity is quite the party trick. Empty by Ray La Montagne came across with a spacious and immersive sound that effectively conveyed the depth and passion of the performance. The track features a simple but effective arrangement, with acoustic guitar and subtle percussion providing a sparse and understated backdrop for the expressive vocals. The mix is well balanced, with each element given its own space in the stereo field, creating a clear and distinct separation of the instruments.

Through the Organik DAC, the acoustic guitar sounded warm and full-bodied, with a rich tone that added to the melancholic mood of the track. The subtle percussion, consisting mostly of shakers and tambourines, provided a gentle rhythm and texture that added to the natural feel of the song. However, La Montagne's vocals are the standout element of the track, and the Organik DAC left nothing on the table. It exhibited the raw and emotional quality of his voice, letting just the right amount of reverb and space in to give a sense of depth and presence.

CONCLUSION

Linn has created a new market segment with its Selekt DSM Hubs. The ability to offer a one-box solution with so much connectivity and flexibility while retaining class-leading audio performance is truly an engineering achievement. This is no ordinary playback device, and the platform's flexibility is superlative. The Edition Hub with Organik dual mono DAC sounds and performs like a far more expensive collection of discrete components. Price-wise, when considering equivalent multi-box replacement solutions from other manufacturers, it is quite a good deal. On the aesthetics front, the Linn is both distinctive and unique – indeed, it's safe to say that there is likely to be limited pushback from your significant other on having one of these in your home…

Consolidating components into a single platform may not be for everyone. Still, if you have limited space or are no longer able to get every product in your system working together seamlessly, there's a lot of value in this approach. The Organik DAC, included in the tested unit here, is a class-leading solution. It provides a rich and enjoyable presentation of music that will be difficult for many listeners to find fault with. Linn's commitment to continual modular upgrades makes investing in a platform of this nature a sound decision. It's well worth serious consideration for anyone in the market for a new system or looking to streamline an existing one.

For more information visit Linn

Related: Linn Factory Tour - Access All Areas (2015)