Assistance with Linn system hub choice

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MarcoPolo
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Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by MarcoPolo »

Hello all

Greetings from NZ.

I am looking for a little help with choosing a system hub for a new Linn system, Here in NZ it's not easy to listen to a wide variety of products as with only 5 million inhabitants, dealers do not carry anywhere close to everything there is.

My system will be

Hub
Exactbox-I
Majik 140 speakers

The hub can be either a Selekt or an Akurate. I have a Selekt here on demo, with Katalyst and amplifiers, bi-amped onto 140's. That is as close as I can get to hearing the system as the Selekt hub and Exactbox-I are not present in NZ for audition and would have to be ordered from Scotland for my order.

A Selekt in hub form is NZ$7,250 and an Akurate in hub form is NZ$5,500.

I am confused as to which to choose. The dealer says Selekt because it is newer and sounds better when he has heard it. This is not logical, because Akurate should be better, but Selekt being newer might I suppose mean that it is true until Akurate is upgraded in due course.

Selekt is a bit more versatile as a box - has wifi, Bluetooth, modular nature for re-purposing later etc. but Akurate theoretically should be a better hub/preamp. Selekt looks nicer but that might be more for my wife's benefit!

There's not much information out there to go by - I am hopeful some folks here might be able to help.
Many thanks.
beck
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by beck »

Welcome MarcoPolo!

First question: do you at present own any hifi equipment or are you in the proces of buying?

If you are only into Linn Exact I will suggest that you pose your question to the Linn forum on Hifi WigWam.

If you are openminded you might get some other options from forum members here.
Playing cd’s…………
Defender
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by Defender »

Welcome Marco,
my first question is do you want to go streaming or would analog also be an option?
a Majik LP12 and a Lejonklou Boazu would even save you some money and might be the more musical option.
Last edited by Defender on 2021-01-15 20:20, edited 1 time in total.
Spannko
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by Spannko »

Hello Marco Polo,

I’d also be interested in knowing what your musical expectation might be. What’s the most enjoyable system you’ve ever owned or heard? What have you heard that hasn’t been to your taste? Of the systems you’ve enjoyed, what was it about them that got you excited? Similarly, what was it about the systems you didn’t enjoy?
MarcoPolo
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by MarcoPolo »

Spannko wrote: 2021-01-15 17:35 Hello Marco Polo,

I’d also be interested in knowing what your musical expectation might be. What’s the most enjoyable system you’ve ever owned or heard? What have you heard that hasn’t been to your taste? Of the systems you’ve enjoyed, what was it about them that got you excited? Similarly, what was it about the systems you didn’t enjoy?
My previous best system was a Naim CD3, Sudden A21A and ProAc speakers. Also a Magnum Dynalab FM tuner (circa mid 90's).

I never owned vinyl (I am in my mid 50's) because I went to boarding school and lugging turntables and records back and forth from school was just impractical, so cassettes were my teenage format then CD and now streaming. I have not bought physical media in at least 10 years.

We share the house with a German Shorthaired Pointer, a Springer spaniel and a Fox Terrier, so having a free-from-japes, dust free and never-knocked-by-a-passing-dog location for a Sondek etc is not really practical.

I have never had a system I did not enjoy, really - I have had systems I certainly improved on in the next change etc though.

I enjoy listening to jazz (the musical, melodic variety rather than the strange off-key variety!), smooth jazz, MOR things like Dire Straits, America, Joni Mitchell and that sort of thing.

What I love most about good hifi is discovery - playing tracks you have heard hundreds of times before and hearing some small detail you never noticed, for example.

In my lounge on demo just now is a fully specced Linn Selekt (Katalyst, amp modules) driving a pair of Majik 140's bi-amped and it is a fine sounding system. I have tried a Naim XS2 streamer with a Rega Aethos driving Fyne 501SP speakers but that did not work for me at all. The Naim dealer wants to try the next streamer up NDX2 and the Supernait 3 with some other speakers but I think he will have to struggle to beat the Linn - especially with Exakt.

This purchase does not replace a system - my previous system was sold in the UK 15 or more years ago when I emigrated. I received a small inheritance and have decided to use it to get a new system, as staying in is the new going out these days and I miss having good gear.
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by PaulC »

Hi,

my understanding from my Linn dealer is that the Akurate Hub is somewhat better than the Selekt Hub. I have an Exakt system (Akurate hub + 520 speakers). In my view it's a very musical system and I am very happy with it. I have an Akurate LP12 in the system as well. It's important I tell you that the LP12 delivers a significantly better musical experience (more rhythmic, easier to follow the tune, timbre of different instruments experienced as more 'right', more coherence between instruments and more coherent as a whole) than the streaming in my opinion. If you were to hear it for yourself you would not hesitate to buy an LP12, no matter the potential inconvenience and extra cost.
MarcoPolo
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by MarcoPolo »

PaulC wrote: 2021-01-16 01:12 Hi,

my understanding from my Linn dealer is that the Akurate Hub is somewhat better than the Selekt Hub. I have an Exakt system (Akurate hub + 520 speakers). In my view it's a very musical system and I am very happy with it. I have an Akurate LP12 in the system as well. It's important I tell you that the LP12 delivers a significantly better musical experience (more rhythmic, easier to follow the tune, timbre of different instruments experienced as more 'right', more coherence between instruments and more coherent as a whole) than the streaming in my opinion. If you were to hear it for yourself you would not hesitate to buy an LP12, no matter the potential inconvenience and extra cost.
Yes I’ve no doubt that’s the case. Likewise if you download the FLAC files and play them from a NAS Drive, they are far better than streaming. I’ve never tried Qobuz because it’s not available in NZ, but Tidal HiFi isn’t bad for day to day.

I just struggle to work out why the Selekt hub costs more than Akurate. Getting detailed information to explain that is proving hard!
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by PaulC »

The Selekt has features that the Akurate doesn't e.g. Bluetooth. It's also built according to Linns modular design philosophy, which the Akurate isn't, meaning components can be upgraded at some later point. It also means that should you regret taking the Exakt pathway you can easily upgrade your Selekt Hub to a Selekt DSM. You don't have that option with the current Akurate-Hub. More that likely the Akurate-Hub will be replaced in the same way the Majik-Hub has been in the near future. How long that will take however I have no idea.
Last edited by PaulC on 2021-01-16 12:03, edited 1 time in total.
Defender
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by Defender »

regarding your worries with dogs - you can have a wall mount for the turntable
MarcoPolo
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by MarcoPolo »

PaulC wrote: 2021-01-16 11:48 The Selekt has features that the Akurate doesn't e.g. Bluetooth. It's also built according to Linns modular design philosophy, which the Akurate isn't, meaning components can be upgraded at some later point. It also means that should you regret taking the Exakt pathway you can easily upgrade your Selekt Hub to a Selekt DSM. You don't have that option with the current Akurate-Hub. More that likely the Akurate-Hub will be replaced in the same way the Majik-Hub has been in the near future. How long that will take however I have no idea.
Thanks. Yes, that seems to be the way of it. The one thing I have been unable to ascertain is whether there is any difference between the two in SQ terms in hub configuration as there obviously is in full DSM configuration but in a hub/Exakt setup it is less clear.

Unless there is a dramatic SQ reason to get the ASH, the looks of the Selekt are more pleasing to my wife and the fact that later I could remove it and re-configure it to a stand alone music or surround sound TV unit etc is a useful second life for it. However, since it appears that it is better (for whatever reason that may be!) AND cheaper, perhaps the obvious solution is to go Akurate Hub/Exaktbox-I.

It's just a bit unclear whether there is much difference between them in sound as hubs. The dealer here in NZ is convinced SSH sounds better in each case he has heard it in that configuration but the price difference just makes it look a trifle odd. I am going to ring another dealer (there are not a great many in NZ!) on Monday and ask them if they can explain.

More data is always better.
PaulC
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Re: Assistance with Linn system hub choice

Post by PaulC »

I’ve not done a side by side comparison so I am unable to comment. I can only tell you what my Linn dealer thinks. I would say that I trust his judgement though. Nonetheless there are other Linn dealers using this forum and who are better positioned to answer your question that I am. What I can tell you is that everything counts (something which I have learned by reading the message threads on this forum). That means the nas you use, the hard drives on it, how you rip your cd’s, your choice of Ethernet cable, your choice of switch, what Hifi furniture you place your hub on etc. All of these can and possibly will count for more than the differences between the A-hub and the S-hub. If musical reproduction is of paramount performance for you then if the A-hub is somewhat better than the S-hub, logically it has to be the A-hub that you choose. Even small differences are very satisfying when you hear them. However, if there is truth in what I've learned on this forum, and my own experience tells me there is, then it may not be enough to simply to choose the better device. If everything really does count, you would need to choose the best option when it comes to all the other components you will use that influence the musical experience. Taking time to read the many message threads on this forum can be of invaluable help.
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