Linn Wakonda vs Kairn/Kairn Pro

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Renz
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Linn Wakonda vs Kairn/Kairn Pro

Post by Renz »

Can anyone explain the difference between a Wakonda and Kairn and Kairn and Kairn Pro? Looking for a pre in combination with a Klout?
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pdcman
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Re: Linn Wakonda vs Kairn/Kairn Pro

Post by pdcman »

Hi. I used to have a Kairn which I used for a number of years. Loved it.
When my Kairn went in for a battery change, the dealer at the time loaned me a Wakonda.
To say it was a let down was an understatement! It was as if the life had been sucked out of the music. I was so glad to get my Kairn back the following week. Order was restored.
Hope that helps.
Btw, a Kairn was a perfect match for a Klout.
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Tendaberry
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Re: Linn Wakonda vs Kairn/Kairn Pro

Post by Tendaberry »

I agree with pdcman, go for a Kairn. The normal Kairn has a (good) MM/MC phono input, whereas the Kairn Pro doesn't (it has one extra line input).
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Re: Linn Wakonda vs Kairn/Kairn Pro

Post by Freddy »

Maybe it also worth saying that Kairn comes with different power supplies. The latest and best has Slimline Brilliant and second best has Brilliant. I think it is these two versions that you should look for.

Here is a link to version history
http://www.sievers.sh/content/linn.php
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ThomasOK
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Re: Linn Wakonda vs Kairn/Kairn Pro

Post by ThomasOK »

Yes, the Kairn is quite a bit more musical than the Wakonda and was the preamp that was usually used with a Klout. So if you are looking for something a bit vintage and relatively cheap the Kairn is a good choice. As stated the Pro was a line only version, the standard Kairn had both MC and MM inputs so you could hook up two turntables if you wanted to. They were both quite good phono stages although not up to the standards of a Linto for MC or a Gaio 2 for MM.

It may not be clear in the history but there were three power supplies used in the Kairn. The first was a torroidal transformer, the second was a Brilliant SMPS (Switch-Mode power Supply) which was a round can that replaced the transformer, the third was the Slimline SMPS which required a trip back to the factory for upgrade. This included modification of the main board and new casework. The Slimline is the best sounding and pretty reliable. The Brilliant sounded better than the transformer but is somewhat troublesome, many are now failing, although they can be fixed by a competent repair person.

As you can also see from the linked history there were firmware upgrades adding some user options. If I remember correctly early Kairns also had a volume setting that went from 0 to 60 whereas later units went 0 to 100. I don't remember when that change was made. Note also that the Kairn inverts phase so you should normally reverse the phase of the connectors from the Klout to the speaker to correct this.
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