New Linn Majik-i or Naim Nait 5i with Linn Ninkas

I am also interested to hear from anyone who has A/B tested these amps with similar speaker loads.

To my ear, Linn's in general have a more neutral "just the facts Mame" presentation with perhaps a little added PRAT. Naim on the other hand, at least the 5i, tickle my ear in a way no other small integrated can. Not necessarily neutral, but definitely more musical and engaging. So without hearing both side by side, I would recommend the Naim.

As for cost, in addition to having the pre-out you mention, note that the Majik-I has both a built-in phono preamp and a headphone amp/jack. Assuming the performance of these internal components are up to Linn standards, that is worth about $600 to $1000 in add-on boxes and the wires to connect it all were you to require these features/capability of the Naim. I would still seriously consider the Naim because of its musicality, but matching features is something else to think about...

nait rocks!

I would upgrade the Linn Ninka first. At the same price range, try a pair of Audio Physic Yara or Spark, a pair of Harbeth HL P3E, or a pair of Dali Ikon 6. All of them are way better Ninka.

I have owned a pair of Ninka for 3 years and during which time I had made every effort to make the Ninka sound better. I even tried the "aktiv" approach recommended by Linn. none worked well and I was never happy with the sound until I changed my speaker to a pair of Audio Physic and later Harbeth.

Don't waste time on making Ninka sound better 'casue it wouldn't. The 'aktiv' approach is also just a marketing thing for Linn. A good quality pair of pre/power can beat any similarly priced 'aktiv' configuration...

Thanks for the inputs. Knownothing...your observations on the Nait are consistant with what you hear everywhere, that it has a great musicality about it. And it's pretty reasonably priced and holds it's value on the used market.

As far as the Linn electronics go, I hadn't really thought about the phono and headphone feature and what they cost to include because I don't need them but it's a good point. I would rather spend less and not have those features.

TAS favorably reviewed the Linn Majik preamp saying that it is very detailed and accurate. I guess compared to a warmer sound like the Nait it may seem sterile to some. And Linn gear is pretty expensive, maybe out of line with it's performance. I was just wondering how the seperates and integrated compare.

I don't have a lot of experience with different gear. I have one 20 year old pair of Linn speakers and now the Ninkas. When I auditioned the first Linns it was an old Nait and it was the best thing I had ever heard! So I think I'll stick with the Ninkas because I'm pretty happy with them.

I have to say there is so much positive feedback on aktive set ups with Linn people that I don't think it's just hype. But with that said to go aktive with new electronics is expensive to the point that there is some serious competition. So I guess I'm leaning more to the Nait at this point as it seems like a really special piece at a reasonable price.

If you don't need the other features, I would buy the Naim. I have heard no other integrated amp at that price point that I like as well as the Nait.

One question. Can you bring your Linn speakers to a dealer and try them with the Naim just to make sure they are a good match? Or try the Naim with your speakers in your home with option to return if for some reason it is a bad match? If you did the former, you could compare your speakers paired with the Nait against other options available at the dealer. Then again, maybe that is a bad idea...($$$)

Well, I'm definitely leaning toward the Naim.

The local Linn and Naim dealers are different. I have a good relationship with the Linn dealer since I've purchased several things from him. I'm sure I could work out a good demo with him. The Naim dealer offered an in-home demo of the Nait and I've never spoken to him before so I guess he's fairly confident I would like it. I don't think they would be mismatched but either way a good demo is possible.

I just can't quite get past the Linn prices, even if their stuff works really well together. For the price of the Majik-i, I could buy the Naim plus a seriously good CDP. For the price of Linn seperates, I could buy the Naim, a CDP, a new 46 inch flatscreen and some Dali speakers!

I know you get what you pay for, but the Naim is a great integrated for the price. So thanks for the advice.

The Majik is not right to drive the Ninkas. The proper setup would for those speakers would be to go with a preamp and two amps with aktiv cards. The Magik is best suited for small to medium bookshelf speakers.

Im my opinion the Naim Nait5i is an outstanding bargain.
The cohesiveness from top to bottom is truly outstanding in this price range in SS integrated's. I did own Linn gear before but I have been converted to the Naim.
I am personally using the Nait5i with Totem The One, along with a Transporter as my source in my Living Room setup.
Good luck,

Dpitone is right IMO. The Ninkas are listed as 4 ohm in passive mode which usually means 2 8 ohm mid woofers wired in parallel. In active you drive them with different amps so you see an easier load. The woofers are listed as 8 ohms in active to be clear in case you don't have the owners manual. Trying to drive a 4 ohm load with impedance drops to what 2.5 ohms (who knows as Linn doesn't say) requires an amp that at least comes close to doubling power output at 4 ohms IMHO. I doubt the worthy Magik does that. I tried a Pass Labs amp with Ninkas and they really drove them better than Linn gear did. Again this is my opinion after looking at what info is supplied by Linn and a bit of experimentation. They can sound pretty good once you power them right.

I am surprised at the responses your getting, I recently purchased a pair of used Ninkas and I am driving them with a Thule IA100, only a $1,500 amp...works fine. Keep in mind the Ninka @90 db's is not sensitive( i.e. easy to drive) I don't see why the Majik-I would not work. I am also considering this now that I am in the Linn line. Unless you really don't like the speakers, I would match within the Linn line and forget the Naim. I have heard an ALL Linn system before and they are designed to work together. Also, Naim does the same thing!!! Naim gear mixed with other non-Naim gear and you lose a lot. Naim is also not cheap. Let me know what you do I am curious as to your experience. I like the Linn sound personally, Pitch accurate and very clean.