Linn's New Loudspeakers Promise Fun And Versatility In Equal Measure

Linn has launched two new loudspeakers and a new Selekt DSM digital music player. The 199 is a standmounter and the 150 a floorstander, while the Selekt DSM: Classic Hub has the same cartridge-based modularity and compatibility as its predecessor but promises better sound.

Linn claims its new speakers have a performance that belies their size, along with “peerless versatility” for building a system. Its aim was to make both speakers “fundamentally entertaining” but also refined, sophisticated and neutral to play nice with all sorts of source material.

The 119 and 150 take lessons learned from the development of Linn’s flagship 360 loudspeakers, with drive units mounted at the front of the baffle with no grille to minimise occlusion and improve excursion. Their crossovers are designed for signal purity, while the magnet-mounted trim piece is also inspired by the 360, with its concentric grooves mimicking those of a vinyl record and electro-formed Linn logo which doubles as a tweeter guard.

The 119 is rear-ported to enhance the bass, but pair it with a Linn DSM network music player and you can bypass the port and digitally apply a bass augmentation filter for faster, tighter bass. The 150 has downwards-firing ports for a more omnidirectional bass performance and to minimise interaction with walls.

Both speakers are also compatible with Linn’s Exakt configuration, which claims to offer perfect tome alignment to every part of every note for a more natural sound. They can be made Exakt-ready in just minutes.

Linn has a new digital music player too, the Selekt DSM: Classic Hub. This claims to offer the same modularity and compatibility as its predecessor but with better quality. New features include an integrated headphone amp with 1/4” jack output (perfect for private listening at home) and RCA outputs for hooking up a subwoofer.

It also has a new design, with steel buttons, stainless steel feet and a large-format display that extends along the front fascia. The Linn logo is UV-printed on the chassis sleeve.

The integrated, analogue-to-digital conversion stage plays nice with turntables and CD players, while its digital connections allow it connect to video streaming devices, games consoles and Blu-ray players.

The 119 and 150 come in Satin Black, White, Walnut or Oak, with optional black or silver, mild-steel pedestal stands for mounting the 119. The Selekt DSM: Classic Hub comes in either a black or flat silver finish, both of which are subtly textured.

Pricing is as follows: