Linn Majik DSM
A t the risk of sounding like an aunt greeting her nephew after a lengthy absence, oh boy, hasn’t streaming grown? That thought comes to mind as we scan the all-inclusive specification of the new Linn Majik DSM.
Ten years ago, we called the original Majik DSM “an interesting proposition”, owing to its then-rare combination of pre and power amplification and music streamer. Fast forward to today and, while the Majik has become Linn’s best-selling streaming product, the world of music streaming has grown somewhat since.
Convenient connections
Audio hardware has followed suit and just-add-speakers streaming systems are now familiar propositions. When executed effectively, they tick the boxes of convenience and connectivity while offering a great sound.
Linn was there at the start, one of few streaming-savvy hi-fi brands around when Spotify was in its infancy; but the competition has now opened up. So how does its entry-level streamer system stack up at the more affordable end of the high-end market?
Like its predecessor, the new Linn Majik DSM has been designed to be the nucleus of an AV and hi-fi system – a one-box solution to which a pair of stereo speakers can be connected. It welcomes plenty of sources, with built-in wi-fi and an ethernet socket the gateways to music (up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM) stored on a network and from streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music.