Hello
The selekt impresses me at the moment with clarity and Details. My room is not optimal and I sit close to the back wall. This gives me room modes and an unclean deep bass. Here the space correction plays out its strength.
Who knows if the differences between standard and edition are only headphone output and housing or also a better electronics/amplifier?
I believe the Edition Hub is supposed to have a better power supply. You of course have the options of the different DAC levels but that may be for both models, Iām not sure.
I listened to a standard Katalyst DAC version some while ago before the Edition Hub was available and thought it was excellent. My only reservation was the sound through the analogue input (used for a phono stage in my case) so in the end I stuck with my Naim separates. But as a streamer I would say itās better than both the Nova and a ND5XS2 but of course itās a different sound signature so personal preference will play a part.
Thx
Power Supply is same and DAC Moduls too
I demoed the nova against select with katalyst dac this week. although i really wanted a 1-box solution as an upgrade from my muso2 i was rather disappointed by both and found the 222/250 a huge step up in sound quality. surprisingly the linn had real problems playing qobuz hi-res over wi-fi and had to be demoed on ethernet while both naim systems were faultless on wifi. the dealerās wifi wasnāt that great but i was rather shocked by how badly the linn performed. in termās of sound quality the linn certainly had more detail than the nova but in the end i found it rather sterile and uninvolving YMMV
Interesting. I use the Edition version, with dual mono organic DACs. The analogue inputs are, of course, digitised for space optimisation purposes. I do not know if RIAA duties are done in the digital domain. What I can say for sure is that my TT still sounds better than original digital files.
I am at a loss to explain this, despite the fact that eventual streaming of the analogue inputs is at >12 mb/s, higher than digital files. This is not expectation bias!
darko did a recent video on this - his conclusion was that the mastering for vinyl was often less compressed than for digital and that the resulting difference in dynamic range was more significant than the extra detail available in hi-res digital
I guess that any rationaliation is a good starting point! Sounds credible.
J
I heard extensively over the weekend and am enthusiastic about Linn. After I have reactivated the Nova, I am shocked how soft and fat the bass is. I have to admit that it is due to the room correction and my room setup is simply bad and the Linn can compensate for that. My phono preamp goldnote ph10 is clearly better than the integrated one.
I saw that video. Itās an interesting thesis but it can be properly tested only if a label could be persuaded to release the actual file used for mastering a vinyl reissue to enable an accurate measurement of the dynamic range and a comparison of the file for mastering a vinyl reissue with a high-res download. Working from digital rips of vinyl, as Darko was forced to do, introduces to many variables to be able to draw any firm conclusions.
I also saw a marketing opportunity for the labels here if Darkoās thesis is proven: Offer the less compressed version for listening in environments with low background noise (for example, at home) and the more compressed version for noisy environments (the car, the tube, and so forth).
Very interested in following this discussion since Iām owning a Rega P8 in combination with my Nova
I prefer the Nova before the Selekt. When I compared them at my dealer I find the Nova played the music in a way that really appealed to me. I still love my Nova itās a awesome all in one player.
The problem with comparing the Selekt with anything else is the huge variety of configurations you can specify. In its most basic and cheapest form, the Selekt is an all-in-one roughly price comparable with a Nova. But shell out another Ā£12k and you get Linnās next to top-of-the-range pre/streamer and you still need a power amp. I think Linn talk about an āecosystemā. Whether thatās a sensible marketing strategy Iām not sure, but it does mean that thereās not really such a thing as a āstandardā Selekt model.
Roger
Agreed with these comments.
Also, there is no point in making comparrisons in SQ, as if you use Space Optimisation the Selekt will sound totally different to anything else. Itās going to come down to whether you like that totally differentness. It does need an initial adjustment to on the part of the listener and Space Optimisation does need to be implemented accurately.
Surely, in terms of price Nova should be compared with Majik, not select. I have a Selekt Edition Hub with dual organic dacs on loan at the moment and it is certainly better than a nova!
Had the Selekt Classic here again with organic dac. Was great, whether much better than katalyst dac, difficult, with a few weeks distance. But Selekt enthusiastics me again.
I have now made a mistake and test the selekt edition with organic dac. Iām flat. So grippy, so detailed, so much stage, I havenāt never heard music so in my room. Madness
cledi13
Whatever you do, donāt try it with dual organic! I was very impressed with that combo running into may ATC Actives. Less dramatic than Naim maybe but lovely sounding.
I have dual organikā¦flabbergasted by what I am hearing. Mind you, I started using SO at the same time (because can now be applied to all inputs), so more than one thing has changed. Very expensive, but a sonic bargain
I am not blinded though, and I bet the Naim equivalent is bril. too.
Donāt want to go off topic but, just wonder if you connect the P10 directly to the Linn Selekt using the internal phono stage?
Good question and how does it sound!
Thanks, Iām asking this because you donāt see the combination of Rega and Linn that often ā¦