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Linn Kairn PSU upgrade... still available

G

Greyandy

pfm Member
Can you still get hold of Linn Brilliant Slimline PSU's? Looking to upgrade my Kairn but can't find anywhere that can do it.

Thanks in advance

Andy
 
The slimline psu is available as a spare part , fitting it to a Kairn is doable as a diy project.

The official upgrade included replacement casework and mains connectors and must be long defunct.
 
Linn sell them.

I’d agree the later slimline brilliant is much more reliable. It could simply be the hole in the case to let the heat out that makes the difference.
 
Just check my S/N (007073) and it looks like it already has the Slimline Brilliant SMPS fitted... so happy days!
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
I think part of the issue is that the round “brilliant” is older and has done more work. They don’t make me nervous, I’ve successfully repaired a few.
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You could be right overall, but my experience wasn’t good. I had three items fitted with the Brilliant psu - Kairn, Karik & Kremlin (fairly sure it was those three - I had a Numerik too so that might’ve been one). I’d bought the items new in the early ‘nineties, and they came with the original transformer based psu. Two of the new supplies died within three years. I had the slimline ones fitted as replacements and they lasted years (and could even be going strong now, although I lost track of them all years ago).

Mick
 
Wolfmancatsup said:
You could be right overall, but my experience wasn’t good. I had three items fitted with the Brilliant psu - Kairn, Karik & Kremlin (fairly sure it was those three - I had a Numerik too so that might’ve been one). I’d bought the items new in the early ‘nineties, and they came with the original transformer based psu. Two of the new supplies died within three years. I had the slimline ones fitted as replacements and they lasted years (and could even be going strong now, although I lost track of them all years ago).

Mick
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Yeah, that’s not good. I have a couple of bits here, manufactured in about 1995 still going strong on round “brilliant” power supplies, albeit re-capped and with the hot running components replaced and spaced away from the PCB to aid air flow around them. Heat was always the killer, with them being sealed in a metal can. They were more reliable in lower powered components such as a the Wakonda (without a sneaky module installed), the Numerik and the Kremlin… Kairn and Karik less so, but a service with preventative maintenance can see them last a very long time. It’s a fundamentally solid design electrically, they just don’t have adequate cooling.
 
david ellwood said:
Linn sell them.

.
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Do they ?

Decades ago they refused to help me in supporting a full Linn setup included Karik/Numerik/Kairn/Klout/Kaber.
That setup sounded wonderfull and was complimented with a LP12/Lingo and Ikemi.

From my first inquiry they showed zero interest in helping, but took a lot of effort in telling me to buy new.
I finally declined and went elsewhere.
The only Linn items I have left now, is a tuner and some interconnects, I wouldn't dream of buying anything from a Company with such a poor customer support.
 
At least , decades later , you’re still able to get your own back by advertising the fact.

Linn offer a six year guarantee, and substantially superior after sales service than most.
 
yairf said:
Just FYI - we are offering a conversion kit for the Kairn, that would allow using an external PS (included in the package).
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I looked into doing the same thing for various Linn products but the cost and complexity of getting designs certified for safety across different markets just put me off. The actual supply requirements for most of the LK range is pretty straightforward, two split rail supplies… that’s it.
 
david ellwood said:
At least , decades later , you’re still able to get your own back by advertising the fact.

Linn offer a six year guarantee, and substantially superior after sales service than most.
Click to expand...

Great if they have learned their lesson and changed.
Won't get me into their treadmill though
 
I’m interested in this hole in the case that David mentioned above. The round PSU in my Kairn died many years ago and was repaired by Linn with the slimline version. I don’t recall seeing any new holes in the casework. Though what did amuse both me and my dealer, was that the repair was a “fixed price” job (£140 IIRC) whereas to get the same thing as an upgrade was about three times the price!

PS to David, the replacement slimline in the Numerik is chugging along just fine :D
 
The hole I was referring to was the one where the cables enter the slimline, not the main case.

The only device upgrade that involved case ventilation was the isobarik aktiv, which runs very hot indeed.
 
david ellwood said:
The hole I was referring to was the one where the cables enter the slimline, not the main case.

The only device upgrade that involved case ventilation was the isobarik aktiv, which runs very hot indeed.
Click to expand...

OK, I understands…….

Know what you mean about the Aktiv Isobarik XO. We have two of ‘em (one Dirak’ed and Bingo’ed), and use them to warm up the conservatory!

Somebody has taken a Black and Decker to one of the cases and made a right botch job - just a few holes unevenly spaced.
 
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