General Asylum: REVIEW: Linn Majik CD Player/Recorder by nyctc7@yahoo.com

Model:	Majik
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$3,500
Description:	Red Book CD Player w/HDCD
Manufacturer URL:	Linn
Model Picture:	View

Review by nyctc7@yahoo.com on August 18, 2007 at 07:54:04
IP Address: 162.84.224.78 Add Your Review
for the Majik

Cosmetics: The Linn Majik has a sleek, clean, modern design that doesn't really draw attention to itself. It seems to be designed to blend seamlessly with modern decor. The looks don't have much "wow" factor like the Moon CD players.

Controls: I like the fact that the buttons on the unit are kept to a minimum (6), which enhances the clean look. But I'm not crazy about the buttons themselves. They're too small, and combined with the fact they are soft-touch, makes them seem rather effete. As to the remote, it is probably nice if you have several Linn components, but if you just own the CD, then there's lots of stuff crowded in there that you will never use.

Display: Art Dudley said, "I don't like it." Well, neither do I. It's a shame that this poorly-thought out display mars an otherwise nice-operating unit. One can toggle through 6 different display choices: Disc Type, Track # currently playing/Total # of tracks, Track time elapsed, Track time remaining, Disc time elapsed, and Disc time remaining. Dudley didn't like the fact that you can't view the track number and time remaining simultaneously. The whole scheme is unnecessarily complicated. (Thankfully, though, if you are pushing the "next track" button, the display will automatically show the Track/Total display, then revert to the previously selected display. Same when the end of a track is reached.) But what Dudley didn't mention was how difficult it is to read the display from the listening position. Maybe his eyes are better than mine, but to me, it's just too darn dim, even set at 100%. In a darkened room, from 8 feet away, it is just barely legible, and in a lighted room it is worthless. To compare, my mbl 7008 integrated amp display has four brightness settings. The dimmest one is brighter than the Majik set to 100%! This is very frustrating.

Sound: I can only compare the sound to my previous player, a Rotel RCD-1072. (It wouldn't be fair to compare it to other CD players which I have heard through different speakers than my own.) I like what Art Dudley said, that the sound is "open and pure." There is a purity, a higher resolution, to the timbre. I understand what people mean when they say a "veil has been lifted." My speakers "seem" to have improved. But it's the CD player showing what my speakers are capable of.

Link to Art Dudley's review:
http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/307linn/index.html

Product Weakness:	Display
Product Strengths:	Sound

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: mbl 7008
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): none
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Linn Majik CD
Speakers: Krell Resolution 3
Cables/Interconnects: Monster M1000i, M2.4s
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classic Rock
Room Size (LxWxH): 19 x 12 x 8
Time Period/Length of Audition: less than 1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Richard Gray 400 Pro
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	mbl 7008
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Linn Majik CD
Speakers:	Krell Resolution 3
Cables/Interconnects:	Monster M1000i, M2.4s
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classic Rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	19 x 12 x 8
Time Period/Length of Audition:	less than 1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Richard Gray 400 Pro
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner