FAQ - Pre-amplifiers

Which Linn pre-amplifiers incorporate a phono stage?
Both the the Akurate Kontrol and the Majik Kontrol pre-amplifiers incorporate phono stages, which can be configured for moving magnet or moving coil cartridges by your retailer. Linn also manufacture a separate moving coil phono stage called the Linto.

Which Linn pre-amplifiers have tone controls?
The Classik Music incorporates subtle tone controls to compensate for room acoustics. In general, tone controls do more harm than good in an audio system, introducing distortion into the signal. Only our Aktiv systems allow for minor changes at the high and low frequencies. When compensating for perceived inaccuracies in tone, one should first consider environmental factors (such as speaker position, room furnishings, seating position etc.) as these can have a more dramatic and immediate effect on music.

How is the phono stage configured on the Majik Kontrol?
The product comes supplied from the factory with Input 6 configured as a phono input that supports moving magnet (MM) cartridges. It can be re-configured to become a moving coil (MC) or line level input. This can be done by an authorised Linn retailer. The configuration is changed simply by altering the orientation of the phono stage board and moving the connector and screw. There is a clear performance benefit from configuring it this way, when compared to adding a switch.

The Majik Kontrol only has one pair of variable outputs. Didn’t your old pre-amps have two or three?
Yes, we have provided multiple pairs of outputs in the past, providing separate outputs to two amps for bi-amping or going active. However, we have since enabled our power amps to be daisy-chained, which allows the connection of as many amplifiers as necessary for the application. The Majik 2100 can be connected in this way.

Is there a ‘Unity Gain’ option on the Majik Kontrol?
We used to include this option for connecting the front L/R channels from an exterior surround processor so that they would benefit from going through our pre-amplifier. A unity gain input was required as the volume would be controlled by the processor. This was in the days before we made high quality surround sound capable products ourselves. Now a customer can opt for the Kinos or Kisto to get the benefit of high quality sound on all channels.