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Hartke Kilo - Bridged Mono Issue

Rob_F

Rob_F

Guest
Aug 5, 2011
24
0
Northeastern Illinois
#1
At a gig last weekend was doing our sound check & and lost all sound coming out the cabinets - still had all power on the amp & sound at the PA / FOH, just nothing out of the cabs -at the time I was running in bridged mono. I switched it over to run in stereo and it all worked fine there, to get me through - most likely something with the bridged mono output - anyone else ever experienced something similar? Since it all worked fine in stereo, that pretty much eliminated a cab or cable issue.

I pushed an e-mail to Larry as well - figured I see if it was something else simple before having to take ( or send ) it in.
 
#2
I'm having the same issues with my hartke kilo. I ended up returning it and exchanging it for another one...Had the same issue with the new one too. I took it to a shop for repair, they said four transistors were bad and needed to be replaced.
 
#3
Just got mine back from service on Monday and they replaced transistors as well - two I think. Unfortunately my cabs are at our practice location and I haven't had time to run over there to pick one up and test it out........should probably do that since we're playing on Labor Day!! I hope this doesn't turn out to be an ongoing issue - granted it was covered under warranty BUT I had to pay $30.00 to do it as a "rush" otherwise they said it would take 6 weeks!!
 
#4
My kilo has been getting hot and cutting out. It's does that in mono bridge when I push the amp pretty hard. Do you have that problem too? I thought about getting a small fan to put in the back of my rack, maybe that will help.
 
#5
I played a gig a week after I got mine back from service - it was outdoors, extremely hot and without a lot of breeze or protection from the sun - I did have some issues with it cutting out during the sound check so put a fan on it - all was good the rest of the day. Our guitar player and our PA also had some issues that day, we're thinking due to the extreme heat. Since then, I have not had any issues at all - I do not have mine in a rack so it gets maximum ventilation. If it's encased in a rack I could see it definitely get hotter. I'd try the fan - curious to know if that solves it - Also wonder if Hartke has had any other reports of this being a reoccurring issue.
 
#7
In my case, that was my first troubleshoot prior to taking mine in for service - I originally tried 2 different cables & nothing (when in bridged mono - where the problem was ) Then used my original cables and ran it in stereo & it worked fine there. I'm running a speakon out of my head to one HX410 ( 8 ohms ) & a 1/4" ( 14 gauge ) from that cabinet to my second HX410 (8 ohms ). Running 4 ohms bridged.
 
#8
Hi. Anyone find a solution to this problem?
I just got a Kilo this week, and it's been cutting out in bridge mode. I assume because it's getting too hot.
It's in a 3u rack flight case so doesn't have much space around it.
Maybe it would be better out of the case? Have not had time to try this out yet.
 
#10
Here's a brief follow up to my situation with my Kilo. After service replaced a couple transistors around a year ago, all was well for a few months. During gigs in January & February of this year I again began to have some intermittent issues - cutting out....no sound...then working fine ( I almost had to call the LH1000 up from the bullpen!!). With the year one warranty nearing expiration in March, I eventually reached out to Larry- I filled him in on the past & current issues & let him know my concerns. As usual, Larry (& Frank his service manager ) were terrific in rectifying the situation - they sent out call tags & RMA# - I returned the unit back to Hartke and they replaced it. This was back in April and I have not had one hint of an issue with the new head. I also don't feel this unit gets nearly as hot as my original unit did.
 
#12
Hi Rob, thanks for the update.
I took my kilo out of the rack to give it better ventilation.
It still cut out quite quickly (maybe 2 minutes) in bridge mode.
I positioned a small fan pointing at it and it lasted a little longer, but then still cut out.

I thought the problem was only in bridge mode, but it seems to do it if pushed in stereo as well. Was fine running an 8 ohm cab from each channel, but when running each channel at 4 ohms the left channel cut out.

It seems to be hottest underneath at the back, particularly on the left.

Granted I was pushing it quite hard, but you don't buy a 1000w amp so you can play quietly do you!

Can you suggest the best way to get hold of Larry? I PMed him on here but have not heard back yet. I'm in the uk so not sure what the customer support is like over here.

I bought the amp second hand, but the previous owner had only bought it about 8 months ago I think.
 
#13
Hi Corvine - Unfortunately I don't have his e-mail info any longer as it was saved on a laptop ( work ) I no longer have. The phone # I have on file for Larry is 201-680-8153....I believe it's his cell. Leave him a message and I'm sure he'll get back to you. His service manager is Frank Cardello and the number for their service dept. is 800-328-2882. I'd reach out to Larry first, give him all the details and see what direction he suggests.

Let us know how things progress!!

Rob
 
#17
My Kilo (bassphreaks old Kilo) cut out on my last night about 2 minutes into practice. Im running it bridged into a 810E. I know bassphreak had it repair previously so no bad feelings on that end. Love the amp, hope the problem can be solved.

This was the second time I ran it bridged, I was previously running it off of 1 stereo amp with no issues.
 
#18
hi
just a question about the kilo...
i ran it this way 1 channel: 4ohm 600w cabinet + half part of ampeg 810e 400w on 8 ohm.
2 channel the same as first.
so it`s 2.7 ohm per channel.
in manual as we know it`s 500w@ 2 ohm.
after an 1 hour of playing on gig there was no sound from speakers for few minutes but the line out to PA worked.
what should i do? is it cause the impedance?
and i did`nt run bridged mode.

i have 1 ampeg fridge 8x10 and 2 4x10 4ohm cabs.
fridge can do 8x10 @ 4ohm
or 2x 4x10 @8ohm

thankssssssss
 
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#19
It's not because of the impedance but why are you making it so complicated? Run the entire 8x10 at 4Ω on one channel and the two 4x10s in parallel for 2Ω on the other. That way you can use the level controls to balance the cabinets.

The cutting out is typical of an overheating amp. Make sure there's plenty of air space around the amp and make sure the amps cooling path is unobstructed.

If you are using 1/4" phone plugs for your speaker lines, stop using them and switch to Speakons.

Edit: Don't ever run in Bridge mode into those loads. The amp will fail. The lowest you can go would be 4Ω in bridge where each output "sees" 2Ω.
 
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#20
well,
i thought that 2,7 Ω on each side will evenly and continous heat the amp. thats why i go 4+8Ω.
and 2,7 is till more than 2. if i`m wrong descirbe me why 2Ω /2x4Ω parallel/ is better.
each side of amp output has 1 speakon and 2x 1/4 jacks so i can only 1 speaker connect via speakon.
i`m using 4mm cables now and connections: speakon to 4Ω 4x10 and jack to half ampeg 8Ω.
when i would run it your way i can use 1x speakon for 4Ω 8x10ampeg and 1x speakon 1x jack to 4x10 to get the 2Ω.
about the bridge mode @ 2Ω i will never use it that way:)
thx.
 

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