Brilliant power supply needed

ericpike · Post by **ericpike** » 2009-05-19 03:58

I’m afraid the power supply in my trusty old Kairn is going bad. I’m told that I need a Brilliant power supply to fix it (either round or slim-line). Does anyone have any suggestions for locating a Brilliant? I’m in the U.S. and without a local dealer.

Thanks,
Eric

Music Lover · Post by **Music Lover** » 2009-05-19 06:09

fredrik, do you know if Karik has same PSU as Kairn?
There are some non functional Kariks around to a low price.

Moomintroll · Post by **Moomintroll** » 2009-05-19 07:16

From what I can remember, all of the Brilliant SMPS were the same part number - only the upgrade kits differed depending on what it was going into as some kit needed parts changing. FWIW, I once had a faulty Numerik and used the SMPS from an old Kairn with no problems.

'troll

Post by **lejonklou** » 2009-05-19 13:07

You might be right regarding the original round Brilliant, troll. But there are several versions of the Slimline Brilliant, with different output voltages and connectors.

Eric, exactly what do you have in your Kairn right now? It's possible that I have a suitable power supply for it, I can have a look in my boxes when I know what you need.

ericpike · Post by **ericpike** » 2009-05-19 14:19

Thanks guy. My Kairn has phono and the round Brilliant. The serial number is in the low 6000s, I believe. I have a friend with quite a bit of experience working on Linn gear who will be helping me with the repair.

Eric

Post by **lejonklou** » 2009-05-19 16:55

Ok. I have some round Brilliants saved and I believe at least one of them should be fully functioning. One problem is that they seem to break down with age (I don't have any hard data to confirm this, just an impression), while the Slimline's appear to be a more stable product.

I will send you a pm if I find one that performs ok.

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2009-05-19 17:57

I believe that the only simple replacement that will keep the performance you are used to is the original Brilliant power supply in the round case. While the original Brilliant power supply was designed as a drop-in replacement for the transformer, the SMPS or Slimline version was not. In order to use the SPMS a couple of other modifications have to happen to the main board - I believe a rectifier and another component are removed and their positions on the board bypassed as their functions are handled by the SMPS. The SMPS also mounts to the side of the case rather than the bottom so some case modifications are necessary.

The other option you might want to consider is just having a dealer send the Kairn back to Linn for service. When Linn service an older Kairn with a bad power supply they upgrade it to an SMPS which gives a definite improvement in performance. The out-of-warranty charge to repair a Kairn would be about $570 including the shipping from us to Linn repair and back from them. Since Linn was charging about $720 for a power supply update to the SMPS a few years ago, having your unit repaired is a good way to get a performance and reliability upgrade at a discount. And when Linn changes the power supply they change the bottom part of the casework as well.

If you don't have a dealer near you we can handle this for you. My store, Overture Audio in Ann Arbor, MI has been selling and supporting Linn products for 20 years with some of us having over 30 years experience with the products. Linn does require the service to be handled through a dealer as they aren't set up to deal directly with individuals but we would only charge the price shown above (other dealers may charge differently depending on any in-house fees they add) plus the shipping charge to get the unit back to you which should be $20 or less. If this is something you are interested in you can PM me and I'll be glad to answer any other questions and give you contact details.

Lego · Post by **Lego** » 2009-05-19 20:53

Are you guys sure Linn still support Kairns I dont think the do

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2009-05-19 22:28

The Kairn is still on the latest Flat Rate Service Charge price list we have received which was from February 2008. The listing shows Kairn/SPS so they may not take a unit with a transformer in it. I was just issued an SRA for a Kairn with a Brilliant for service and sent it in a few days ago. My assumption is that it will come back with a SMPS and new metalwork as several units I have sent back in the past have. If it dosen't I'll report back here.

Linncredible · Post by **Linncredible** » 2009-05-19 22:34

Lego wrote:Are you guys sure Linn still support Kairns I dont think the do

I had my Kairn repaired by Linn in february this year so that´s probably not a problem.

ericpike · Post by **ericpike** » 2009-05-20 01:13

Fredrik, that would be fantastic if you found a working round Brilliant for me. Please let me know what you find.

Thomas, thanks for your offer to help. Financially, the Kairn didn't pick a good time to fail, but I guess those are the "breaks." I'd rather not spend so much money to repair an old preamp at this point in time, but the price does seem quite reasonable, all things considered. I will certainly keep you in mind if I can't source a replacement brilliant.

Eric

Lego · Post by **Lego** » 2009-05-20 13:53

Yes you are all correct just spoke to Richard they still service Kairns slimeline upgrade is £420ish..Im sure you could knock them down on that :)

Music Lover · Post by **Music Lover** » 2009-05-20 16:46

Lego wrote:Yes you are all correct just spoke to Richard they still service Kairns slimeline upgrade is £420ish..Im sure you could knock them down on that :)

If so, I think the money is better spent on a 5103. I bet you can find one around that price. A late 5103 is also better than Karin.

ericpike · Post by **ericpike** » 2009-05-20 22:54

Good thought Music Lover. But I need unity gain, which I don't think the 5103 has.

Lego · Post by **Lego** » 2009-05-20 23:54

Unity Gain....!?Is she not a soul Diva

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2009-05-21 17:49

The plot thickens...

I just received the latest dealer newsletter from Linn late yesterday. On the last page it mentions that Linn are phasing out support/repair of the Kairn. According to the Service Update May 31, 2009 is the last day Linn will accept Kairns of any vintage for repair.

As with their previous repair discontinuation notices Linn states that they do have some of the parts for the Kairn still in stock so dealers should check with them first before refusing repair. I can confirm that I recently was given an SRA for an older Classik Movie that was on the unsupported list so it depends on what is wrong and which parts are needed.

No other products were announced as End Of Service items at this time.

Post by **lejonklou** » 2009-05-24 01:01

Eric, I've checked my box of old power supplies. I have one round Brilliant that appears to work, but I'm unsure of whether it's at good health. The reason is that it gives +18 Vdc (seems fine) and +-48 Vdc, which seems like way too much for a Karik that has its regulators set to around +-15 V, if I remember correctly.

Does anyone know what voltages the original round Brilliant should give? I don't have a Karik (or any other unit) of the right age to test it in...

ericpike · Post by **ericpike** » 2009-05-31 03:30

Thanks Thomas and Fredrik. Sorry for my delayed response. I somehow overlooked your posts until just now. I hope my oversight doesn't ruin my opportunity to send it to Linn, if necessary.

I just emailed my friend to see if he wanted to try installing Fredrik's brilliant or a slimline brilliant that I've located. If he vetoes both, then I very well may see if Thomas is able to have it repaired for me.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Eric