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.
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.
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.
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- 14 posts total
- 14 posts total