Audiovalve RKV Mk II User Manual - Page 8

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RKV – HAA ( OTL head amp )

6. Operating instructions – front panel terminals ...

The frontside of the RKV has a number of controls, whose functions need some

explanation.

At the left you find two 6.3 mm headphone jacks. Internally these jacks are connected in

parallel. Both can be used to connect headphones with an load impedance of 25 - 2000

Ohm. Please do not connect devices with a lower impedance, the output of the amplifier is

"shortened " and the life time of the tubes is reduced drastically. You may also connect an

impedanzer to one of the headphone jacks which allows you to use low impedance

headphones. Please do not connect an additional headphone in case the impedanzer is

used. It might be forgotten and be loaded with an uncontrolled high output level. This

could damage the heaphone. Above it is a 4-pin XLR socket for headphones, fully

symmetrical.

At the top right next to the Alp volume potentiometer there is a balance potentiometer,

with which you can easily correct the balance between the right and left channels up to a

maximum of + -3 dB.

And under the Balance pot. there is an important switch that is responsible for the gain of

the amplifier. Normally the gain of the amplifier is approx. 30 times and is suitable for the

impedance of headphones with higher impedances. If the headphone impedance is very

low, this gain weight user must preferably be pressed, with a red light appearing in the

switch that signals that the amplifier's output has now been reduced by -10 dB. In this

case, the volume can be adjusted very well with small impedances at the headphones. If

this GAIN switch was not in use, no comfortable volume setting would be possible with the

headphones mentioned above because the volume would simply be too high and you would

have to constantly work at the beginning of the potentiometer range. So please don't

forget to use the GAIN switch if it gets too loud overall, you can use it to reduce the gain of

the amplifier.

Please connect your headphone to the jacks at low sound levels only.

At the middle of the front you find the ALPS potentiometer to control volume. It has a 51

kOhm impedance which is at the same time the input impedance of the amplifier. The

potentiometer has a logarithmic scale.

The RKV is capable of extremely high sound levels. This has the danger of severe hearing

damage.

While listening to headphones we lack several feedback mechanisms on volume level that

are present when we listen to loudspeakers. Much less distortion, no feeling of the lower

frequencies by our body and no psychological restraints not to annoy our fellow-men easily

seduces us to listen at volume levels that are detrimental to our hearing. Hearing damage

from regular exposure to high sound levels progresses slowly but is irreversible and can

result in permanent hearing loss.

RKV HAA and Luminare are based on the same chassis, which means that the RKV HAA in

OTL mode does everything that the Luminare does - without any restrictions. The RKV is

therefore recommended for all those users, who listen without STAX and prefer OTL mode.

!! Please choose your volume setting with caution !!

At the right side of the front the power switch and the power indication LED are found. The

blue LED is lid with the power ON and mutes as soon as you switch the amplifier OFF.

_______________dynamic headphone amplifier____________