New Linn Majik-i or Naim Nait 5i with Linn Ninkas

I am also interested to hear from anyone who has A/B tested these amps with similar speaker loads.

To my ear, Linn's in general have a more neutral "just the facts Mame" presentation with perhaps a little added PRAT. Naim on the other hand, at least the 5i, tickle my ear in a way no other small integrated can. Not necessarily neutral, but definitely more musical and engaging. So without hearing both side by side, I would recommend the Naim.

As for cost, in addition to having the pre-out you mention, note that the Majik-I has both a built-in phono preamp and a headphone amp/jack. Assuming the performance of these internal components are up to Linn standards, that is worth about $600 to $1000 in add-on boxes and the wires to connect it all were you to require these features/capability of the Naim. I would still seriously consider the Naim because of its musicality, but matching features is something else to think about...

nait rocks!

I would upgrade the Linn Ninka first. At the same price range, try a pair of Audio Physic Yara or Spark, a pair of Harbeth HL P3E, or a pair of Dali Ikon 6. All of them are way better Ninka.

I have owned a pair of Ninka for 3 years and during which time I had made every effort to make the Ninka sound better. I even tried the "aktiv" approach recommended by Linn. none worked well and I was never happy with the sound until I changed my speaker to a pair of Audio Physic and later Harbeth.

Don't waste time on making Ninka sound better 'casue it wouldn't. The 'aktiv' approach is also just a marketing thing for Linn. A good quality pair of pre/power can beat any similarly priced 'aktiv' configuration...

Thanks for the inputs. Knownothing...your observations on the Nait are consistant with what you hear everywhere, that it has a great musicality about it. And it's pretty reasonably priced and holds it's value on the used market.

As far as the Linn electronics go, I hadn't really thought about the phono and headphone feature and what they cost to include because I don't need them but it's a good point. I would rather spend less and not have those features.

TAS favorably reviewed the Linn Majik preamp saying that it is very detailed and accurate. I guess compared to a warmer sound like the Nait it may seem sterile to some. And Linn gear is pretty expensive, maybe out of line with it's performance. I was just wondering how the seperates and integrated compare.

I don't have a lot of experience with different gear. I have one 20 year old pair of Linn speakers and now the Ninkas. When I auditioned the first Linns it was an old Nait and it was the best thing I had ever heard! So I think I'll stick with the Ninkas because I'm pretty happy with them.

I have to say there is so much positive feedback on aktive set ups with Linn people that I don't think it's just hype. But with that said to go aktive with new electronics is expensive to the point that there is some serious competition. So I guess I'm leaning more to the Nait at this point as it seems like a really special piece at a reasonable price.

If you don't need the other features, I would buy the Naim. I have heard no other integrated amp at that price point that I like as well as the Nait.

One question. Can you bring your Linn speakers to a dealer and try them with the Naim just to make sure they are a good match? Or try the Naim with your speakers in your home with option to return if for some reason it is a bad match? If you did the former, you could compare your speakers paired with the Nait against other options available at the dealer. Then again, maybe that is a bad idea...($$$)