Linn's Davaar 118 Adds Amazon Music and Presto to DSM Streamers — and Tells PowerPC-Era Owners to Plug a WiiM Into the Toslink Input

Linn has released a new firmware update, "Davaar 118," that brings native Amazon Music and Presto Music integration to compatible DSM network players. Both services now appear directly inside the Linn app, meaning owners of supported streamers can browse and play from either catalog without routing audio through AirPlay, Bluetooth, or an outboard streaming box. The update was reported by ecoustics on 2026-08-17, based on Linn's own release documentation.

The headline feature is straightforward enough — two more streaming services, natively integrated. What makes Davaar 118 notable is the line Linn draws around which hardware gets it, and the workaround the company documents for owners of players that fall on the wrong side of that line.

Which players are compatible

Native support for Amazon Music and Presto Music requires Linn's newer ARM-Linux hardware platform, described by ecoustics as applying "beginning with the Selekt DSM generation." Ecoustics points to the Linn Selekt DSM: Classic Hub, priced by ecoustics at "from $8,020," as an example of a compatible product — that figure is ecoustics' example price for one specific configuration, not a price for the firmware itself or a guarantee of pricing across every compatible model.

Beyond identifying the Selekt DSM generation as the starting point for compatibility, neither ecoustics' reporting nor Linn's release notes, as extracted, provide a full model-by-model list, so none is offered here.

Why older PowerPC-based players are excluded

Linn's older DS and DSM network players, built on a PowerPC hardware platform rather than the newer ARM-Linux architecture, do not receive the Amazon Music or Presto Music integrations. Per ecoustics, these older players "do not have the necessary processing and memory resources to support the new integrations directly."

Linn's release notes add further detail on that constraint: according to search-engine extracts of the LinnDocs "Beta:DsDavaar118:Release Notes" page (which returned an access error when consulted directly), PowerPC hardware had already reached its flash memory capacity as of the previous firmware release, Davaar 117, and the software modules required to run Amazon Music and Presto Music are incompatible with that older hardware regardless.

It's worth being precise about what this does and doesn't mean. Nothing in Linn's documentation, as reported, suggests that PowerPC-based DS and DSM players lose any existing functionality with Davaar 118. They simply don't gain these two new services — everything they could already do, they can presumably still do.

Linn's documented workarounds

For owners of PowerPC-based players who want access to Amazon Music or Presto Music anyway, ecoustics reports that Linn's own documentation lays out two options, neither of which involves new firmware for the older unit itself.

• Songcast from a newer player. Music playing on a compatible ARM-Linux DSM can be streamed via Linn's Songcast feature to an older Linn player elsewhere in the system.
• Feed the Toslink input from an external streamer. Linn's documentation describes connecting an external streaming device — ecoustics cites "such as a WiiM" as the example given — into the DSM's Toslink optical input, letting that outboard box handle the streaming service and pass the audio into the older Linn hardware over a standard digital connection.

Ecoustics did not cite Linn as endorsing WiiM commercially, nor does the documentation name a specific WiiM model; it's offered as an example of the kind of external streamer that could be pressed into service. Ecoustics' own framing of the situation — writing that "there is something wonderfully 2026 about" telling five-figure hardware owners to plug in a compact streaming puck — is the publication's commentary, not Linn's, but it captures the oddity of a premium hi-fi brand pointing its own legacy customers toward a low-cost workaround.

What the two services actually offer

Amazon Music integration supports CD-quality and Hi-Res playback up to 24-bit/192kHz, with actual quality depending on subscription tier and the specific recording's availability. Linn's integration works across Amazon Free, Prime, and Unlimited account types, though features and audio quality vary by tier.

Presto Music leans into classical and jazz repertoire, with extensive metadata, digital booklets, and Hi-Res streaming up to 24-bit/192kHz. Its search is built to understand the way classical listeners actually look for music — by composer, work, conductor, ensemble, or individual performer, rather than just track and artist fields. Linn is offering new Presto customers an exclusive three-month trial.

On the app side, Linn's release notes specify minimum versions to use the new services: Linn Android app v4.10.2.1 or later, or Linn iOS app v4.8.16.2 or later.

A broader pattern in high-end streaming

Linn isn't alone in adding Presto Music this cycle. Ecoustics notes that Naim and Focal have recently added native Presto Music support to their own compatible streaming products, and that Presto has also become available on the BluOS platform used across several other brands. Taken together, it's a modest but real trend of a classical-and-jazz specialist service getting built directly into high-end streaming ecosystems rather than being left to third-party apps.

That context also sharpens why the PowerPC cut-off is the more interesting story here. Linn and Naim both sell into a market that expects long ownership cycles and long software support — buyers who spend five figures on a network player generally do so on the assumption it will keep receiving meaningful updates. Davaar 118 doesn't take anything away from older PowerPC hardware, but it draws an unusually explicit line under where new software capability stops, and hands owners on the far side of that line a documented, low-cost way to keep up: an optical cable and a small external streamer.

Frequently asked questions

Which Linn DSM players get Amazon Music and Presto Music in Davaar 118?

Native Amazon Music and Presto Music support in the Davaar 118 firmware requires Linn's newer ARM-Linux hardware platform, described as applying beginning with the Selekt DSM generation. Linn's Selekt DSM: Classic Hub is cited by ecoustics as an example compatible product, priced from $8,020 in that report.

Why don't older PowerPC-based Linn DS and DSM players get the update?

Older PowerPC-based Linn DS and DSM players lack the processing and memory resources needed to support Amazon Music and Presto Music directly, according to ecoustics. Linn's release notes reportedly add that PowerPC hardware had already reached its flash memory capacity as of the prior Davaar 117 firmware, and the required software modules are incompatible with that hardware.

What can owners of older Linn players do to access Amazon Music or Presto Music?

Linn's documentation, as reported by ecoustics, describes two workarounds: Songcasting music from a compatible newer ARM-Linux DSM to an older Linn player, or connecting an external streaming device, such as a WiiM, to the older player's Toslink optical input so it can handle the streaming service externally.

What app version do I need to use Amazon Music and Presto Music on a Linn DSM?

According to Linn's release notes, Davaar 118 requires Linn Android app version 4.10.2.1 or later, or Linn iOS app version 4.8.16.2 or later, in order to use the new Amazon Music and Presto Music integrations.

What audio quality does Presto Music offer through Linn's integration?

Presto Music, a classical- and jazz-focused streaming service, supports Hi-Res playback up to 24-bit/192kHz through Linn's native integration, along with extensive metadata and digital booklets. Its search functions understand composers, works, conductors, ensembles, and individual performers, and new Linn customers are offered an exclusive three-month trial.

This article was written by an AI system from Into The HiFi AI Desk, generated from the following sources, with no human editing pass before publication: ecoustics, "Linn Adds Amazon Music and Presto to Newer DSM Streamers While Older Owners Get the WiiM Suggestion", LinnDocs wiki, "Beta:DsDavaar118:Release Notes".