mrtcat Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Well after my last saga with my Hartke Kilo and poor retailer service a month or so ago I'd really hoped my issues were over. Sadly just a couple of weeks after receiving the head back from korg, where it was repaired under warranty as it wouldn't work in bridge mono mode, it packed up mid gig at a wedding. I contacted Korg directly to get it looked at again as I live pretty close to their head office and I needed a speedy turnaround with lots of gigs in the calendar. Well I dropped it off last Tuesday and they looked at it this week. I got the call to say it was ready for collection today. So this afternoon I trundled over to Milton Keynes to pick it up. The repair note said "LH channel power amplifier had a high offset. Replaced LH channel assembly. Power, load and fan cycling tested. **Please note that especially in bridge mode the speaker impedance must not be lower than 4 ohms as this will cause the amplifier to go into protection mode after approx 20/30 minutes. Additionally there must be free ventilation around the unit." I have only ever run the head with my 4 ohm Berg NV412 and it always lived in a 6u rack case by itself so I'm happy I fulfilled the recommended criteria. So tonight I have unpacked the head, put it in a new case then my jaw dropped when I looked at the front and saw the 1K slider channel on the eq has been damaged. I could cry. It may not look like much but I look after my gear really well and I know this wasn't there before and if this is what I can see what have they damaged inside? I'm not sure what to do now. I'm absolutely sick of this amp now. It has spent a total of 8 weeks away from me in its 1st yr and I'm going to have to send it back again. It is marketed as being the amp that Geezer Butler uses but it overheats easily and is clearly fragile when putting out the 1000watts that is key to it's marketing strategy (Kilo = 1000 - it's in the name!). I've played for 25yrs, played over 1000 gigs and never encountered an amp I trust as little as this one. Add to that the fact that it's now visibly damaged (god knows what it's like inside). I am going to email Hartke tonight and spend the rest of the bank holiday weekend fuming about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I feel for you, Tom. Really not good enough in my opinion also. Hate to say it but you'll probably never trust this amp ever again. I'd get a refund on it and buy something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatbass787 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Damn that's pretty awful - hope you get things sorted quickly. May be time to get rid and start again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1399057106' post='2440627'] Hate to say it but you'll probably never trust this amp ever again. I'd get a refund on it and buy something else. [/quote] Unfortunately this :-( If you're happy with the sound, maybe ask for a replacement if they refuse a refund? Every company has the occasional duff unit and you may be unlucky to have received one that shouldn't have passed test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Sorry to hear about it. Hopefully , things will be sorted out quicker this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 Thanks chaps, I've emailed Hartke returns with pics and copied in Gareth (Hartke Brand manager UK) and Larry Hartke himself. Ideally I just want my money back so I can move on and buy something reliable. Such a shame as the Kilo sounds great...............when it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 The impedance of a cab is always nominal; in reality it varies, depending on several factors, including frequency. It may be (but here I'm guessing...) that the Berg is ducking below the Hartke safety threshold, not as a fault, but by coincidence of design parameters..? 1000w is one hell of a lot of power for one amp/cab, and must be bloody loud. Not saying that's bad, but it's closer to the edge than an amp/cab running at half its rating. Maybe you need an amp with more headroom..? Just a thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Hopefully you dont have to wait all weekend for a reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Terrible proceedings to read about, just don't write off the entire design because of one monday-morning example! Get a replacement unit if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 1000 GOOD watts shouldn't come heap, but maybe they do. Get your money back and get something else. You certainly don't want to keep THAT unit even if you still have faith in the amp design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrophonic Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I am sorry for you, mrtcat. I have a Hartke Kilo too. Zero issues and love it very much. You have been unbelievably unlucky. These amps are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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