Help with BAT VK75SE


Just got a 75SE. It sounds absoulutely wonderful--just stunning. The problem is the on/off swithch. It is in the back of the amp on the lower left hand side. The rack that the amp is on is near a side and back wall, so the swithch is hard to reach---very hard. I called BAT and there is no trigger swich available, but Victor said some sort of technician could butld a relay box. Does anyone know of a technician that could do that, preferably in New York?
kendavid
As an owner of that amp i am in agreement about the location of the switch.If i may say so,i just can't picture that amp on a "rack" due to the amount of heat it generates.It,and you,will be happier if it has it's own stand so it can breathe a bit and that will prolong the life of your tubes as well.With a dedicated amp stand that switch will not be an issue.When that amp breaks in you can start looking at some NOS 6V6 tubes-you may want to try 2 or 3 different pairs,before you find the right sound.That will truly enhance the performance,and your enjoyment of that amp!
Jazzcourier:
Thanks for the response. There is ample room for it to dissapate the heat as the shelves are very high. I have no room for a dedicated amp stand because all my equipment takes up the entire wall of the room. I bought the amp used on audiogon so it is broken in. I am very, very happy with the sound---its just that damn switch.
Of course if you have a switched AC wall outlet or a switch on your power conditioner, you can just leave the BAT chassis on and switch externally.
I dont have a power conditioner yet, and I was told that if I get a power strip I can keep the amp in the on position and control the power with the strip. I have pretty nice power connections and the strip would compromise the sound, wont it? Also, one person told me that if I control the power externally that I would get some sort of boom signal to the speakers.
You should be fine with external switching without generating any boom. I've been inside that unit and the switch is nothing fancy-- just an AC line switch with a soft-start thermistor which will continue to function in conjunction with external switching. The amp also has a warm-up relay that blocks output to speakers until the tubes bias up.

Most simple computer power strips will compromise performance. If you're handy or have access to an electrician, a better approach would be to cut a decent quality power cord and insert an electrical box in-line in the cord with a 20A AC switch. The box should be grounded as per electrical code.