Hi-Fi: Linn Majik I Aktiv System – Review – 74

Tone has paid a lot of attention to Linn digital stream players over the course of this year. Along with other new-generation, high-quality digital sources like Logitech’s Transporter and Wadia’s iTransport, this kind of unit is clearly showing what hi-fi sources will look like in the near future, and they perhaps even indicate the last days of the CD player.

So we were anxious to get our heads (and ears) around the new Linn Majik DS player and the Majik I Activ system that’s been put together around it. Where else could we listen to a digital stream player, CD player and turntable from the same manufacturer that are all similarly priced? Dean Harnish and John Ellingham of Linn New Zealand were kind enough to set up a Majik CD player and Majik LP12 turntable in the system (the turntable is an optional additional component, $6400); the comparison is thought provoking.

Partnered with the Majik DS are the Majik I integrated amplifier, Chakra 6100 six-channel power amplifier and the Majik 140 floorstanding speakers with a set of Aktiv crossovers to tie everything together. As the name suggests, the system is fully active – drivers have their own dedicated amplifier channel, so there are four cables running into the back of each speaker, driven by the eight amp channels available across the integrated and power amps. The components share the same understated but elegant chassis and the speakers are classically styled and similarly pleasing to the eye. Build quality is exemplary; this is not a thrown together system by any stretch of the imagination.

A quick refresher may be in order for those who’ve missed Gary Pearce’s reviews of previous Linn DS digital stream players. The DS players are pure digital sources, with no built-in disc transport mechanisms at all. They’re connected to a computer network using Ethernet cable and all the music is streamed from a networked hard drive. Music files are either ripped to the hard drive using the CD-ROM drive in a computer or downloaded directly from websites like Linn’s own music pages. The Majik is entirely content to play back CD-quality files, but higher resolution music files are available online, and this opens up a new world of hi-fi without having to be locked into an obscure and potentially doomed disc format (DVD-Audio, for example). There are major technical advantages to getting rid of the CD transport mechanism with its real-time disc reading process, and having the files on the network also makes them easy to back up onto other network or portable drives, which is critical with big music collections (ask most iPod users about backing up iTunes and you’re likely to get a blank stare, but when that drive crashes or their computer is stolen, the tears do flow).

Driving the Majik DS couldn’t be simpler. In this installation it’s run using a little Asus Eee PC mini notebook computer, which is hooked up to the showroom’s wireless network, along with a Nokia touchscreen phone. A number of similar options from PDAs to tablet PCs are available as Linn has opted for an open control system, allowing users to pick their own controllers. Linn’s graphical user interface (GUI) is relatively basic compared to the feature-packed and colourful iTunes or Sooloos interfaces, but it’s totally functional and offers much of the iTunes experience, with quick access to all the music files via the standard categories such as artists, genre, albums and so on (the next version of the GUI promises cover flow and similar enhancements).

To answer the all-important sound quality question, we started off with ‘First We Take Manhattan’ from Jennifer Warnes’s Famous Blue Raincoat through the Majik CD player. The characteristic Linn musicality shone through immediately. There was energy and punch to spare and the music just grabbed you, feet started tapping and heads nodded, just as you’d expect from a $6000 CD player in a fully active system at this level.

Vocals were beautifully rendered and the bass tight and richly textured, but the same track played on the DS (ripped at CD quality) showed noticeable improvements. The initial spoken word radio intro was clearer and easier to follow as the instruments came up; there was an increase in the texture and echo of the drums; the vocals were even more open and enjoyable. Switching back and forth between the two digital sources called to mind the ancient, dusty audio cliché of a curtain being lifted from in front of the speakers; the music had more detail each time the DS was playing, almost as if more information was making it to the speakers.

We whipped back and forth across genres covering Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Dionne Warwick, The Eagles, The Doors, Ian Moss, Ian Shaw, Neil Young, Public Image and Natalie Merchant without stirring from the couch. It would be very easy to get used to this sort of system, even for a born again vinyl evangelist like me.

Slipping through the ages in the Linn time machine, we moved from the digital state of the art to the old timey analogue goodness of a tiny diamond being hauled through grooves on a vinyl disc. The Majik LP12 turntable was slightly rolled off at the top compared to digital, but the sound was just as involving and enjoyable, simply different, sounding richer and more sumptuous.

I’d have the turntable in the system without a doubt, especially with the excellent phono stage built into the amplifier. On the other hand, the Majik DS goes a long way to making the Majik CD redundant. Given the sonic improvements offered by the DS, I can’t really see why you’d buy the CD player. Throw the increased flexibility and high-resolution audio support into the equation and the future of Linn’s CD players is looking grim, along with the future of CD players in general. Another doomed disc format at our doorstep?

The Majik I Aktiv system, with its class-leading digital source, is a solid proposition if you’ve got a sizeable pile of spare coin floating about. But bear in mind that you could progressively build up to the fully active whole nine yards deal. Start with the Majik DS, Majik I amp and the speakers; then add the power amp and crossovers to go active; and pop the Majik LP12 in at your leisure. Could it be any easier?

BRETT GIDEON

TECH SPECS

Majik I Aktiv System

$27,080

Majik DS

FILE FORMATS: WAV, 
FLAC, MP3, AIFF
MAX SAMPLE RATE: 24-bit/192k
OUTPUTS: RCA
CONTROL: UPnP AV1.0
DIMENSIONS: 80 x 381 
x 360mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 4.2kg

Majik 140 Speakers

IMPEDANCE: 4 Ohm passive
FREQENCY RESPONSE: 
55Hz to 20kHz
SENSITIVITY: 88dB
FINISHES: Cherry, Maple, Black Ash, White
DIMENSIONS: 975 x 250 x 335mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 21.3kg

Majik I amp

POWER: 100W into 4 Ohm
DIMENSIONS: 80 x 381 x 355 mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 4.9kg

Chakra 6100
power amp

POWER: 100W into 4 Ohm
DIMENSIONS: 80 x 381
x 360mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 7kg

This review is from Tone issue #74.