2. amps-preamps
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Which Linn pre-amp

How are you doing. This is my first post to this forum and I'm going to be upgrading my system here shortly, and I was looking for some opinions. I'm contemplating between the Linn Wakonda and the LK1. I have Linn Kaber II's, and will be adding three Linn LK85 amps to go active. I haven't been able to find much on the LK1 preamp in the way of the sound quality. I am only concerned about 2 channel audio so all the bells and whistles of some of the other pre's dont matter to me. And dont bother responding with other brand preamp suggestions because I'm making my system totally Linn.

thank you, Greg
linnite
plugged
28 posts
 
Buy a Kairn with the Brilliant power supply. It is still their best sounding stand alone preamp. Kairns can be had in the $1K range. Linn Kicks Butt! Best system I ever heard was a fully active Kairn/Quad Klout/Keltik system...it was breathtaking. I get in about 1 Kairn a month and they never last long!

Kevin
The Sound Broker
Oxnard CA
rikarde
2 posts
 
My opinion is that the latest incarnation of the Kolektor is ahead of the Wakonda. If you strictly use the tune-dem method for comparison, you will come to the same conclusion.

But I can recommend Wakonda if you are using a record player, since it has a better phono-stage than the Kolektor.

Kevin, have you heard the Komri yet? I heard it this weekend. Ikemi/av5103/2xKlimax/Komri
and THAT was the best system I have ever heard. I was completely blown away. Btw, you are right about the Kairn is a good pre-amp. It is a lot better than the Wakonda/Kolektor but it is also in a different price range.

This was my 5 cent worth.
Cheers,
Rikard
shawnharvey
30 posts
 
I wouldn't put an LK1 into a decent Linn system. I had one for a few years and wasn't terribly impressed with it compared to many other preamps I reviewed later on. The LK85s are much better amps than the LK1 is a preamp.

I ended up getting a used Kairn and was quite pleased with it, although I eventually went to a BAT VK-5i which was an incredible step up! The LK's are great little amps but they really need a good preamp before they shine.
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