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Fixing a Linn Classik

Jason P

Jason P

pfm Member
Hi all...

I’ve a broken Linn Classik (tuner version) that won’t power up - you can just hear a ‘click’ of a relay if you try moving out of standby. I’d like to fix it, I understand it’s a common problem, I don’t want to send it to Linn as I think it’s a £200 odd fix.

Anyone out there recommend someone who can work on it?

TIA...
 
Jason P said:
Hi all...

I’ve a broken Linn Classik (tuner version) that won’t power up - you can just hear a ‘click’ of a relay if you try moving out of standby. I’d like to fix it, I understand it’s a common problem, I don’t want to send it to Linn as I think it’s a £200 odd fix.

Anyone out there recommend someone who can work on it?

TIA...
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Linnformaniac (right spelling?) on here could?

I once sent a Linn Classik to Linn that was broken, £250 to open the frickin box. Will never again buy one of their products.
 
Tigerjones said:
Linnformaniac (right spelling?) on here could?

I once sent a Linn Classik to Linn that was broken, £250 to open the frickin box. Will never again buy one of their products.
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Almost right.

There are some surface mount electrolytic capacitors that get baked (they really should have put cooling vents on these otherwise lovely units). Replacing those usually fixes this problem... you may find that if leave it for a while after trying to get it out of standby, it’ll spring into life, units with baked electrolytics sometimes do... however, even if it does power up, it’ll randomly stop playing a disc and can display some other odd behaviour.

Drop me a PM if you need more help.
 
ian r said:
I just bought Nics for my missus, cd only, its all fine,

but tell me more about these cooling vent suggestions.
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Actually, the first generation that you have seem to be the most reliable of the lot... however for some reason (probably to keep dust out and away from the CD mech), none of the LK series Classiks had cooling vents. The top sleeve from an LK100 would have been perfect given that the output stage in a Classik is in the same are as the output stage in an LK100... don’t see many LK100s parted out though, they’re ultra reliable.
 
ian r said:
Lk 100 is that a matching format external power amp?
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Yes, but I wouldn’t scrap one to improve the cooling on a Classik... also, you’d still have to drill holes in the correct location on the bottom for the screws... I just think that Linn should have used a sleeve with venue above the output stage.
 
ian r said:
So you arent recomending trepanning then-)
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No, that’d be more detrimental than the lack of ventilation.:D

I really wouldn’t fret, I’ve never seen a faulty first gen model, fantastic bit of kit, as you’re probably discovering.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
No, that’d be more detrimental than the lack of ventilation.:D

I really wouldn’t fret, I’ve never seen a faulty first gen model, fantastic bit of kit, as you’re probably discovering.
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i pick it up saturday and install few days later if it passes danish mrs WAF requirements, she prefers a integrated denon cd tuner amp.....as it has the tuner....we'll see ... that and my beloved JBL omnis, what a let down if she wont take the classik

hope the OP gets sorted
 
ian r said:
i pick it up saturday and install few days later if it passes danish mrs WAF requirements, she prefers a integrated denon cd tuner amp.....as it has the tuner....we'll see ... that and my beloved JBL omnis, what a let down if she wont take the classik

hope the OP gets sorted
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I’m pretty certain that it’ll outperform the Denon, good as the Denon is, the Linn is on a different level. I heard one driving a pair of Shahinaian Comapss a few years ago and I was stunned at how capable it was.
 
Thanks all.

I’ll PM you Linnfomaniac, but I’m no DIYer... I’d need someone with skills to do it
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
I’m pretty certain that it’ll outperform the Denon, good as the Denon is, the Linn is on a different level. I heard one driving a pair of Shahinaian Comapss a few years ago and I was stunned at how capable it was.
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The denon all in ones have their uses but its hard to imagine it would be in the same league as the Linn. She knows that but looks will be decisive I expect. Im just examining the iplayer radio app to see if a tuner can be circumvented,
 
ian r said:
The denon all in ones have their uses but its hard to imagine it would be in the same league as the Linn. She knows that but looks will be decisive I expect. Im just examining the iplayer radio app to see if a tuner can be circumvented,
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An airport express or chromecast audio used with a radio app... or even a phone/tablet plugged into the Classik running the app will work very nicely. See what she makes of the sonic improvement, it will be a noticeable step up. I do like the Denon micro systems but the Linn was 4/5 times the price, and it punches above its weight too.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Actually, the first generation that you have seem to be the most reliable of the lot... however for some reason (probably to keep dust out and away from the CD mech), none of the LK series Classiks had cooling vents. The top sleeve from an LK100 would have been perfect given that the output stage in a Classik is in the same are as the output stage in an LK100... don’t see many LK100s parted out though, they’re ultra reliable.
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The output stage of a Classik is nothing like the output stage of an LK-100.. Are you thinking of an LK-140 ?
 
Darran.H said:
The output stage of a Classik is nothing like the output stage of an LK-100.. Are you thinking of an LK-140 ?
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No, I’m not on about the topology, just the physical location in the casework (rear left corner). I know that the LK85/140 and Classik use TDA 7293 ICs.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
No, I’m not on about the topology, just the physical location in the casework (rear left corner). I know that the LK85/140 and Classik use TDA 7293 ICs.
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Ah, I see what you mean now.... Usual failures for the Classik are blown output stages, more than likely down to speakers cables being short circuited and failed electrolytics. The original Classik-T however has some very strange known faults and can be a right PITA to fix..
 
Darran.H said:
Ah, I see what you mean now.... Usual failures for the Classik are blown output stages, more than likely down to speakers cables being short circuited and failed electrolytics. The original Classik-T however has some very strange known faults and can be a right PITA to fix..
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I’ve revived a couple, both were by replacing all of the surface mount electrolytic capacitors and a couple of through hole electrolytics in the switching power supply (I always thought it a little odd that they use an SMPS and a linear PSU, I’d have kept it all linear. The ones I’ve fixed were (very) slow to come out standby and the power light came up very slowly... also behaving rather randomly when they did come out of stand. I’ve only ever opened one up with blown a output device although that one did power up fine... just delivered a large dose of DC from the left speaker terminals... there was a lot of trace damage so I just removed the left IC so the owner (a friend of mine) could use it with a separate power amp. He’d shorted it when he tried to staple the speaker cables to the skirting boards.:rolleyes:
 
I guess I have fixed around 60 of them !! Linn changed the brand and value of some of the caps in later versions which certainly helps with reliability.
 
Darran.H said:
I guess I have fixed around 60 of them !! Linn changed the brand and value of some of the caps in later versions which certainly helps with reliability.
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A few more than me then, you do it for a living, I’ve just do them to help people out. All Classk K variants. The last one I did was for my uncle, he’d wanted a Linn system for ages (both his brothers and myself all have Linn kit and he likes it too), I gave him some Keilidhs and he bought the Classik from gumtree, it was temperamental from the outset, with CD playback randomly stopping, and then it refused to come out of standby... the seller Dido want to know. I replace all the caps when decent quality Panasonic 105c through hole types (utilising the plastic bases of the surface mount ones to help surface mount them)... he’s since gotten a Genki, Majik and an LK100 and gone active but the Classik is still working perfectly as a bedroom system with some Mission speakers 6 or so years later... been a while since I last fixed one.

I am most familiar with the LK separates, a few of the items I use myself are ones I’ve bought broken from my local dealer... picked up a Numerik for £25 a few years ago because it was “scrap”... took about 30 minutes and a couple of quids worth of parts and it was back in business and is currently serving as my main system DAC. Also got a Genki for £100 because it was skipping... I won’t go into parts costs because you know them. £100 was definitely a bargain.
 
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