CLASSIK MUSIC (PRE- MAY 2008), CLASSIK MUSIC SYSTEM
The Scotsman, UK
Oct 2001
"My wife firmly blames my father for my addictive multiple technology dependency disorder. Hi-fi, by which I mean a 'proper' separates system, not those items peddled by high street electrical stores, has always been close to the top of the list of these dependencies. My first real encounter with Linn was as a teenager when a friend's father was reported to have this legendary turntable. This was the Linn Sondek, and took on a mystical reverence when we were discovering music for the first time. Where many people don't have the luxury of space for a true hi-fi, the manufacturers have offered us 'lifestyle', all-in-one systems. With the Classik, Linn gives us the convenience of a lifestyle system with none of the compromises. The Classik provides a CD, tuner and amp in a single unit complete with a remote control, AM and FM antennae and pre-terminated speaker cable all in the box. This meant the Classik was ready to go in ten minutes. The review unit was supplied with a pair of Linn Kan (bookshelf) sized speakers. These can be mounted in a variety of ways, including a custom wall mount available form Linn. The CD player provides all the usual functions of random and shuffle play; the tuner provides 80 memories of AM and FM bands, and the amplifier backs it all up by supplying a healthy 75 watts per channel. But the real test of a system like this is in the listening. It's at times like this that you'll go through your entire CD collection pulling out a wide range of musical styles and recordings. First up was a bit of jazz. What struck me first was the transparency of the drums. The Classik brought out the subtlety of the playing and the variations in each hit of the snare. Sitting back, I could feel as if the full band was playing in the living room. The separation and clarity of each instrument took up its place in the stereo image. There was no coloration in the sound, with a very natural balance across all the frequencies to give a real acoustic sound. A quick spin of the tuner to Classic FM also confirmed the Classik's credentials in the tuner and classical music department. The Linn Classik is a tremendous system, providing real listening pleasure in a convenient to use system. The detail and almost holographic quality of the sound really increase your listening pleasure, and will send you back to scour and listen to your whole CD collection again."
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