Audiovalve RKV Mark 3 with DAC Headphone HiFi Amplifier Standard Edition (RKV3)

AudioValve puts most of our budget towards the sound quality of our design and components rather than all of the audio jewelry and marketable designs featured by some of the comparable sounding amplifiers on the market. We would say on sound alone it outclasses its price point, for design and fit and finish it fulfills our expectations of an established company in this price range. Sound wise this amplifier ticks all the boxes, great tonality, world class 3D sound stage, a noise floor on par with all but the very best valve based amplifiers, and macro and micro dynamics in spades. The sound quality of the RKV MARK 3 is of absolute top reference level for an OTL based headphone tube amplifier. The pros to this are rock very low noise floor, low distortions, high frequence range, high damping, very natural and musical tonality, wide impedance matching, perfect open soundstage and so on. This amp isn't for the weak of heart - this is an audioholic's . Highly recommended is an understatement, we can't tell you how impressed we have been with the development of this headphone tube amplifer.
 

On the left side of the front aperture , the two jacks for headphones and three rotary switches. The headphone jacks are connected in parallel when using the 6.3 mm connectors. For the use of XLR connectors , take the lower bushing for the right ear and the top of the left ear .
Below the two headphone jacks is the Mode switch. Use it to select the mode with which you want to hear. Use the OTL mode if you have a high-impedance headphones (> 100 Ohms) , or benefit you if your headset has the IMP mode less than 100 ohms impedance , or if you intend to use speakers. Which musical impedance best suit with your headphones , you have to find out for yourself. Just turn on the IMPEDANCE switch.
With the last of the three rotary switches on the left, select the source you want to listen to. Then a total of 45 ( 4 +1) RCA inputs for disposal . Input 1 + 2 are also equipped with XLR inputs.
Input 5 is occupied by the built-in phono module. Of these RCA phono jacks ( 5 ) you can pass the phono signal to other devices .

In the middle of the front panel you find the alps volume pot, right the balance control and left the power switch. When the unit is in operation, a green LED lights in the switch.

In this picture you can see the left section of the board, the phono section and the right headphone protector. The phono module is classic old school style and built with hand selected components, and fantastic musically.

The headphone protector reliably protects the headphones from pulses that can occur when switching ON or switching OFF the amplifier. The outputs of the amplifier are shorted for this time both on power as in both cases.

When the red sine wave at the output of the OPA reaches the upper or lower limit of supply voltage (out of range), one of the two red LED ( green / blue wave ) lights as an indication of an overload of the amplifier. Then either the volume is too high, impedance is mismatched, or a tube of this channel is faulty.

FEARTURES:

• consequence double mono design
• 2 * 0,15mm copper for top and bottom layer 
• multi VIA layer grounding basis,  pcb design is based on the theoretical principles of the "kelvin - wiring"
• heavy 3 mm laser cuted steel case - couted
• clipping indicator ( show you faulty tube or overload )
• 8 power tubes  ( 4 per channel ) - PCL805
• full automatic DC / AC servo biasing
• multi match transfomers ( PIKATRON ) included
• power output mode selector - OTL / match - transfomers
• ALPS volume control
• BALANCE pot. +/- 3dB
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• 2 * NEUTRIK output combi headphone jackets - 6,3mm & XLR
• 5 * inputs; 2 * RCA & XLR; 2 * RCA only; 1*...