Linn Majik in any other system sounds really lousy. It cannot compete with other amplifiers in its range. Best to go for Audiolab, Arcam or Cyrus in the same price range. BUT used in an all Linn System is a different matter. For those who wants a turntable sounding machine (linn LP12 sondek) look no further. An excellent entry level Linn combo would be the Linn Mimik, Linn Majik-I and the Linn Keilidh. It comes close to a higher end setup. Again it must be in ALL linn setup including the interconnects and speaker cables. Biwire for maximum effect. I cannot explain but used in an all linn setup the linn majik seems to have some magical touch to the sound and music.
Otherwise other amps looks more attractive. It is a matter of taste.

Try Goertz alpha core M2 speaker cables with this amp. This is an amazingly good cable. I tried tara labs, and audio truth forest. these cables were slightly better than the old tara labs space and time phase II cables that i was using before but didn't transform the majic like the goertz. This is a great cable and does wonders for this amp. If you have an extra 200 or 300 bucks lying around you can't do better than this cable. This cable made a bigger better difference in my system than the msb link dac, which is no slouch either.

Linn Majik, LK100 and Mimik, Audio Quest interconnect, BOSE AM5 MK2 and Cable Talk Speaker Cable, very broad sound, very laid back, crisp and clean, very nice amp, lots of bass, clear treble, you can't go wrong......

Linn Majik certainly lives up to its name within its price bracket.
It works at the heart of my system which is all Linn (LP12, Karik, Kudos)and Panasonic VCR and gets the sound clearly and strongly out of each source.

For best results bi-wire and bi-amp it (I've used LK100's which have just been discontinued).

Some people don't greatly rate it outside a Linn system but I can't comment on that so my star rating below reflects it in a Linn system.

But best of all continues to be how it works with LP12. Those of you with vinyl collections go and hear the Majik (or Kairn if you can afford it) with the LP12 without further delay!

highly musical,involving but not in your face, by any means,accurate...everything you want in your amp

None

Highly recomended for music lover, not the electronic listener But sometimes you need those people too!

Similar Products Used:

cj-cav 45, Krell-300

Clean, smooth treble and mids along with strong, well controlled bass.Great sounding optional Kudos tuner module

a little pricey.

A beautifully designed, compact little powerhouse with great sound. Don't be fooled by the 33/66 watt rating. It's a high current amp that drives the crap out of my Snells.

The Linn Majik is a superb integrated amplifier.

Beautiful box.
If you appreciate reductionist design; simple lines and careful attention to detail, you can't help but be curious about the Standard Black Box that Linn puts its electronics in. Austere in looks and extremely rigorous in their approach to visual and acoustic design, the Linn engineers use the same size unit as a template -- each component matches the next in your audio system. The metal on the housing is slightly textured which adds a nice detail.

Majik sound.
My Majik has 66 w/ch. and sounds devine. For your reference, my system is all Linn and includes Aktiv crossover Keilidh speakers, supported by two lk85 amplifiers. When you audition the Majik, the first thing that you will notice is the warmth and overall balance to its sound. In addition the amplifier has a clarity that is lacking in many other more expensive preamps on the market. The Majik is agile and responds well to a variety of music types. I find my system very listenable. This is important because oftentimes a mediocre system leaves you tired -- you actually find the listening experience tedious and switch to other activities. Not so with the Majik, its resilient and forgiving on the ears!

Phono stage.
The unit I have has 5 line level inputs and a phono stage. A phono stage? What does that mean you say? For those of us who still purchase vinyl
Linn has continued to support through excellent phono-stage electronics. Many manufacturers have abandoned this feature as the percentage of sales in vinyl drops. However, if you have a lp player and a considerable investment in vinyl you will love the way the Majik supports even a modest turntable.

Linn audition.
I highly recommend auditioning many components when analyzing your hi-fi choices. I auditioned over two dozen systems over a year and a half before deciding on the Linn Majik. Take your time and you'll pick Linn!

Punchy, fast, musical and flexible for further improvements.

That I didn’t buy it earlier

With my Acoustic Energy 109SE speakers the Majik can play loud, fast and dynamic. Compared with the Thule IA150B it's sound is definitely faster: while the Thule IA150B amp was on the slow side despite it’s 150-Watts. The Majik is different in particular the decays are so quick that this amplifier goes to the heart of the rhythm, which the more “technical” Thule amplifier never managed to achieve, although it’s almost five times as powerful. Linn equipment is famous for it's lack of harsh, hard or transistory sound but there is no overt warmth and certainly no plumpness that some tube equipment can exhibit. The Linn Majik is an engaging piece of equipment. I know this doesn’t convey much about the nature of the sound it produces, but I hope it does let you know how complexly involving it is. .

Similar Products Used:

Thule IA150B.

Regulated power supply for power amp section

none at the price

I thought I would follow up on my previous review with an evaluation of the power amp section on this amp. In Linn's literature, the Majik is referred to as a pre-amplifier with built-in power amps. The power amps on this amp though are fully regulated, so they double their power into a four ohm load relative to the eight ohm power rating and are stable into speakers rated at four ohms nominal impedence. An unregulated power amp section would have to generate over sixety watts into eight ohms to drive a four ohm load as well as this amp does. I am listening to a CD called MIRWAIS PRODUCTION (EK_85142)which has intersting new sounds and voices while also having impactful electronic bass and percussion. The power amp does a fine job of handling the mid-bass transients in my small room through Vandersteen 1C's. These speakers are rated at 90 decibals at one-watt-one-meter and 6.8 ohms nominal impedence. Its seems that the combination of relatively simple two-way cross-over, reasonably high efficiency, and smallish drivers allow the power amp section in this amp to do quite an admirable job of reproducing bass-with-impact up to fairly loud volume in a small room. Imaging remains stable even at relatively high volume. This is a well designed amp and, in my opinion, can't be touched at the price.

The headphone amp does drive the headphones well, but somehow the sound seems tailored to not compete with output into the relatively inexpensive loadspeakers people would use with this amp. The bass seems artificially rolled off through the otherwise excellent headphone output.

I have not been able to resolve the issue of the jumpers between the pre-amp and power amp. It seems that Audioquest's silver cables are the only thing that would offer any advantage over the jumpers and that option is expensive. The pre-amp puts out 6 volts RMS, so the jumpers might not be that much of a compromise. I am tempted to get some decent wire and take a soldering iron to this thing even though the warranty would become void and resale value would be diminished.

Another reason to consider this amp is space and outlet availability in a room. I run a 15 amp extension cord across the room to power my setup as well as a computer with UPS, and a smallish amp like this really fits the bill. I can still upgrade the front end when desired and get great sound with the investment I made in this integrated amp. If I ever want a tuner, one can be installed in the amp.

Similar Products Used:

Nait 2

I just replaced the gold plated U plugs that connect the pre-out to the amp with audioquest's $39 jumper cables. This has transformed the sound of the Majic into what I was hoping it would be. The sound stage is now easily twice as deep, with much better layering and air between instruments. The top end is cleaner with more definition and much less grain. And there really is a bottom end to this amp. It sounds much better than my musical fidelity A100, and has the musicality that my name nait seemed to have but with much more control and detail.