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LINN Majik vs Classik vs Wakonda vs Kairn

I have owned a Linn Kairn for over 10 years. I have no complaints nor do I ever plan to sell it. Recently I acquired a LINN Majik for a second system and was REALLY amazed at how good it sounds. Even the small 33wpc amp built into the Majik seems capable enough to drive smaller speakers. The excellence of the Majik made me wonder if the LINN Classik Music sounded as good as the Majik or possibly better?

I have also heard that the Wakonda with 'Circular Brilliant' or 'Slimline Brilliant' power supply were very good preamps. Are these two different Wakonda versions better or different sonically than the Majik or Classik Music? I have never heard any reference to the 'Slimline Brilliant' being vastly superior to the 'Circular Brilliant'? (Only that 'Slimline' is just better) My hunch is that the 'Circular Brilliant' is a torroidal transformer inside a shielded case. Does anyone know what's inside the 'Circular Brilliant'?

So, are there any strong opinions as to whether the Classik Music sounds better than the Majik? To my knowledge the Majik does NOT have 'Brilliant' power supply, but I'm not sure about the Classik Music?

Also, having the added convenience of a LINN CD player built into the Classik Music makes it very appealing for a small room...but is this internal LINN CD player really worth the up charge for an all-in-one unit, vs these other LINN offerings like Wakonda or Majik?

How would you compare these four different Linn preamps, sonically, especially the major differences between Majik, Classik and Wakonda? I presume the Kairn is the best of the bunch.

And as a follow-up question, is it safe to 'split' the preamp output on the Majik 2 or 3 times and use one pair to drive an external amp and another pair of outputs to reconnect to the Majik? I can't see any reason why this would harm the Majik, but would there be a limit to how many times you could split the preamp-out signal of ANY preamp? The Classik Music DOES include a dedicated Pre-out, but the Majik does not. Does splitting a pre-out signal effectively split the output power?

Thanks in advance for any comments.
nsmith7
14 responses Add your response
polk432
1,142 posts
 
4drjohn, I'm getting a Linn Classik w/tuner tomorrow. $484.00 yeah, I got a decent price. This will be my 3rd one. I have an all tube system, but can't play it for several months a year due to lightening here in Florida. I got a pair of Katans last week that I will use with one sub. You can always add another amp later on if you feel the need for more power. I've also owned Ninkas, and Majik 140's that worked well with the Classik. I love the Classik for a second system, because it is very flexable and you can add to it as you go. The one for 600.00 on ebay might be had for 500.00 The seller listed it for a day for that much. I know because I spoke with him. It also has the remote. You need to demand the box and manual. He dosen't have them, so this may help. The Classik should sound great with the Ninkas. Best of luck, and let us know what you do.
4drjohn__duplicate-0249
1 posts
 
I'm trying to make this decision also. Driving my Ninka speakers. Should I buy Classik or Majik. I would like to add Sonos for my digital music. Thanks for any advise. Mainly shopping EBAY
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt
710 posts
 
It may be quite old.

The 1st Briliant Power Supply was the size of a toroidal. It BPS wad inside a shielded enclosure the size of a toroidal. Are you sure you don't have that one? If you have a small S/N you may not have a BPS. The round BPS was an improvement over the original.

The latest version had a very small shielded slim BPS in the area where the other was, hence the name slimline brilliant ps. Linn claims it was their best version of the Majik.

At about that time Linn also when from through-the-hole soldering to state of the art surface-soldering. It was a massive investment in retooling but yielded the shortest signal path an a very fast sound.

That is the the one I had, but I personally don't know the sonic differences between the versions. This latest version with surface mounted devices and slimline BPS is unofficially know as the Majik II

I hope this helps.
rapogee
256 posts
 
I wonder if there were differences in all the Majik's.
My integrated has a huge Toroidal Transformer, I was quite surprised, nothing close to my Krell but it pretty big for sure for a 33 watter.
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt
710 posts
 
Dilly,
If your speakers are bi-wireable you may consider adding a second Linn amp to bi-amp them at some time in the future. You will get louder sound, greater dynamics, bigger soundstage, and better bass.

As you can afford it you may consider a LK-85 for the lows. Use the Majik for the highs and the LK-85 for the lows. To hook it up go use the pre out from the Majik connected to the LK input, then from the LK output back to the Majik amp in. All Linn amps have the ability to daisy chain many amps together for better sound. Try to pick up Linn Black interconnects as they do make a difference with Linn.
dilly
113 posts
 
Thanks very much Mjcmt!
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt
710 posts
 
I concur with Eldragon that this amp driving Linn speakers is the way to go. Incidentally Linn speakers are 4 ohm so the Majik develops 66 watts. This integrated is very stable into 4 ohms unlike other small Brit integrated amps.
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt
710 posts
 
If you open the integrated the slimline ps looks just like the name says. It is a chrome slim rectangular shielded case inside. The older brilliant ps was shielded, but round like a toroidal transformer.

The Majik preamp section is a Wakonda.

This integrated is awesome. I added LK100s to bi-amp and they are not as good as the Majik amp section.

Now the LK 85 is supposed to be a great match if you want to bi-amp, if your speakers allow you to.

This is one great integrated and it really does get better w/ Linn speaker cable and interconnects.
dilly
113 posts
 
I recently got a Majik & was pleasntly suprised at the quality. The amp section drove my 87db speakers to quite decent volume levels. I have seen the speakers drawing close to 300Watts on peaks with my ealrlier Mac MC352. The Majik played almost as loud though a bit fussy at these levels.

How can one tell if it's the version with the Slime line power? My integrated is a bit heavy. This means the Klout variant?

I too like to ask the same question as Nsmith7. How good is the pre section of the majik? Can some Linn experts pls. chime in.
eldragon
707 posts
 
Try pairing Majik with Tukan mini monitors, you'll love it!
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt
710 posts
 
I owned a Majik with the slimline brilliant power supply.
They did upgrade the power supply on the later model Majiks.

Very good, peppy sounding integrated amp.

The beauty of this integrated is the robust power supply and a "mini" Klout amplifier inside, enabling the power output to doubles (66w/ch) into 4 ohms.

Now 66 w/ch. isn't to shabby for a little package.
lavoy
9 posts
 
I used to own a Wakonda in a mid-level Linn active system. As part of a new system, I purchased a Placette passive volume control and put it in the Linn system for comparison. It was surpisingly more transparent; it made me appreciate how much the Wakonda, while a good piece of gear, was veiling things. This is perhaps more of a compliment to the Placette, than a criticism of the Wakonda, but the difference was appreciable.
nsmith7 OP
10 posts
 
Using the Pre-outs is a 'sneaky' way to power a another amp if you want to drive larger speakers and you can still use the amp in the Majik to drive smaller speakers while connected to an external amp, This is just an option if you want to use the Majik as more than a 'stand alone'.

Overall I would agree that the Majik sounds smoother than the Classik. Listening to CD's played on the Classik (with Classik connected to the Majik) through good (STAX) headphones revealed that at least the headphone jack on the Majik sounded much better than the Classik's headphone jack. Perhaps this just means that the Majik has a better headphone circuit as compared to the Classik?

My Majik has a built in Knekt as does the Classik, but I have not found a need to use those features yet. Both the Majik or Classik are very good at what they do, but being that I often like to use headphones, I would choose the Majik over the Classik, even though Classik has CD playback.
I consider the headphone connection on the Classik to be useless to me...but the CD playback on the Classic makes it more useful for a small office system or 'clock radio'.

As good as the sound is after it passes through the Majik, I was wondering if the Wakonda, with Kudos Tuner and 'Slimline Brilliant' installed would be much better sounding pre-amp than the Majik, especially the headphone circuit? Or if the Wakonda is that much better as a preamp than both the Majik and the Classik?
looneybird
3 posts
 
I demoed the Classik and Majik and I bought the Majik. They were very close, but the Majik was a tad smoother at high volume. When the Classik was played LOUD I wanted to turn it down, not so with the Majik. Still at normal listening levels I would have been happy with either.

I saw an internal pic of a Wakonda and it looked like a Majik board without the power amp section. It had the slimline power supply (doesn't look like a toroidal in there).

Why do you want the pre-outs for the majik? is it to feed another room? If so, why not look for a sneaky line driver? I found one cheap on eBay and feed a Direktor in the Kitchen.
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