[acidtripwow]

Where can I get support on a second hand AudioValve RKV II amp?

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Forget it man! I spent almost 3 years trying to get a volume knob for that thing with no luck. I e-mailed everyone possible several times. Audio Valve has left their U.S. customers behind, and could care less about them. That is the #1 reason I sold mine. Fantastic product with absolutely no service whatsoever.

 

[Hirsch]

The US importer listed on the AudioValve site is

http://www.rayofsound.com/

Importers may or may not be helpful with products not bought through them. You can reach AudioValve in Germany through their site:

http://audiovalve.info/

You can use the contact information there to contact Helmut Becker directly. I've found him to be very helpful in the past.

For minor repairs, you might want to try a DIY type in your area. If you've got a resistor or capacitor that needs replacement, sending the amp to Germany would be a waste of money.

 

[acidtripwow]

I hear humming now. I thought it was a ground loop problem so I purchased a ground loop isolator from Radio Shack and that didn't help so I'm thinking it's something more serious.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidtripwow /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hear humming now. I thought it was a ground loop problem so I purchased a ground loop isolator from Radio Shack and that didn't help so I'm thinking it's something more serious.

Can you be a bit more specific? More detail might help pin down the problem. Some thoughts:

Are you hearing hum through headphones, or is it coming from the transformer? Physical transformer hum is likely to be normal. Hum through headphones is not normal most of the time. However, the RKV cannot drive low impedance headphones well without the Impedanzer. If you've got a low impedance headphone plugged straight into the amp, you're likely to get both noise and hum as the amp struggles with it. Under these conditions, the only cure would be the Impedanzer or a switch to a headphone with impedance > 100 ohms or so.

 

[acidtripwow]

Found the service center which is below. I'm getting hum with both a Senn HD-212 and an AKG271. I called the guy and he told me to unplug the interconnects and try it again. If it still hums then it means there is something wrong with the amp itself. I'll try it when I get home tonight.

True Sound
136 Kennedy Ave Campbell CA 95008
Gowan@tsound.com
408 370 7578
Is the service center
Please contact
Nick Gowan

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRESCENDOPOWER /img/forum/go_quote.gif Forget it man! I spent almost 3 years trying to get a volume knob for that thing with no luck. I e-mailed everyone possible several times. Audio Valve has left their U.S. customers behind, and could care less about them. That is the #1 reason I sold mine. Fantastic product with absolutely no service whatsoever.

Heh. There's a parts shop on the AudioValve site where you can simply buy a knob for the amp. 22 Euros.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidtripwow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Found the service center which is below. I'm getting hum with both a Senn HD-212 and an AKG271. I called the guy and he told me to unplug the interconnects and try it again. If it still hums then it means there is something wrong with the amp itself. I'll try it when I get home tonight.

The HD-212 is 32 ohms and the AKG-271 is 55 ohms. There is nothing surprising about the RKV being noisy with these headphones. It's only a problem if you are using the Impedanzer and still hear the noise. If you have access to something like an HD-580 or anything else with a high impedance and still hear noise using that, then there's an issue. You should let the service tech know that you are using low impedance headphones. If he's at all familiar with the amp, he'll tell you the same thing I just did. If he tells you anything different, odds are that I know the amp better than he does.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Heh. There's a parts shop on the AudioValve site where you can simply buy a knob for the amp. 22 Euros.

Hirsh,
If it were that easy I would of had one years ago. I contacted Helmut, and his wife through e-mail several times on how they wanted payment with no response. I contacted Helmut through private message 5 times on Head-Fi, and got one response, and still could not get his e-mail address to pay for the knob by paypal. I contacted two other USA dealers that were listed on the Audio Valve website over and over again, and one said they could not help me, and the other just kept putting me off. I contacted Jan Meier who told me to contact Audio Valve. I even made a response on the Audio Valve RKV forum with no luck. I did my part.
And, the option for paying by paypal at the parts shop did not exist when I owned the RKV.

 

[bongomon]

You might contact Jan Meier. He used to carry AudioValve. His Eartube was half AudioValve, half Meier, from what I understood. He may have some hints and is always very gracious.