[samujohn]

Day before yesterday I received my newly purchased RM5 Mk3 via UPS from New Orleans.
I fired it up and yes - it worked quietly and flawlessly as designed with the mismatched tubes supplied by the previous owner. Well, that was to be expected since the unit was hardly yet old enough to vote. However, while auditioning a new set of select tubes, I noted a serious design defect. From my perch, ten feet across the room, I could not make out the indicator mark on the volume control, much less the selection switch settings. Aha - I said, these smarty pants young designers who put small nearly unseeable gold marks on black dull finished equipment may get old one day and risk electrocuting themselves! With considerable satisfaction I sat back and contemplated my superior design insight. For those of you who are likewise truly discriminating in such matters, a company called Radio Shack carries knobs which are clearly marked with a large easily readable white line. (RS 274-407). These plastic insulated knobs will protect the user from shocking grounding voltage as well and render the notion of a remote control moot.

[parr3n1]

And how did this affect the music??
Just curious?

[samujohn]

All kidding aside, I really do receive a static electricity shock when I touch the unit, or the metal stand it is on for that matter.The "snap" is quite audible through my speakers. I need to work through this grounding problem, but in the mean time an insulated knob really does help.

[hoppy08520]

Regarding static electricity shock, that can happen with anything, not just MR components. The room with my stereo is very dry in winter and walking on the carpet charges me up. I get a shock from my non-MR preamp and from my turntable when I touch it. I have to touch a metal rod before I touch the audio equipment. I don't know how you can fault MR for static electricity. You might as well fault MR for a tree falling and taking out the power lines.

[samujohn]

Well, if President Reagan can blame trees for carbon dioxide......

[GMuffley]

Put a small dab of Whiteout on the volume control.

[rbwalt]

 i could not read the dials on RM5MK2 either so i got a big ass flash light and that worked fine. then when i got rid of my MK2 and got my Joule electra line stage i had the same problem but at least i kept the flash light.

just a bit of humor. enjoy the MK3!!

rob.

[richidoo]

I like the white out idea... Use a type that is water based so the solvent doesn't etch the knob. Maybe use some kids finger paint - bright orange!

I use blue masking tape, it is cheap, visible, and harmless, but it is not stylish.

[Ericus Rex]

What a novel idea!  Use your sight to determine if the volume level is satisfactory!  For years now, I've been using my sense of smell to determine if I need to wear sunglasses outside.

Seriously though, Sharpie makes a silver fine tipped marker.  Just run the baby down the knob indentations and you're good to go!  Far easier than white-out.

[samujohn]

Well here we go again. The RM5 mk3 replaced a solid state dedicated phono stage. I noticed that while at low levels it sounded competitive, with rock and roll (you know that new fangled teen music fad) it was muddled indeed. I put my hand on the top of the unit and it was shaking like the vibrator in the radio of my 1953 Buick straight 8! Well, I knew the cure because my turntable came with little bins of led shot. Ha, Roger never though of that! Three paper cups of the poison stuff placed on the top cover and the sound was again solid state.

[richidoo]

Seriously though, Sharpie makes a silver fine tipped marker.  Just run the baby down the knob indentations and you're good to go!  Far easier than white-out.

And it's permanent too, just ask my daughter or my dining room table. 

[rbwalt]

i just love it. lead shot to make a MK3 sound like solid state. try using some walker pucks and valid points.the point of tube gear is so that we do not get the sound of solid state. i bet roger is shaking his head over all the fuss that is being made about the MK3.By the way guys roger is in the top 3 of all designers/ egineers.

r.

ps. it sounds like you have over damped the MK3. check out my system rbwalt to see how i have mine set up with pucks and valid points.

[Ericus Rex]

I put mine in a box, then poured concrete in and covered it completely for dampening.  My pre is now in a very Solid State.

[rbwalt]

boy that is a concrete idea.the rm5's were a little bit dull sounding. they also lacked the dynamics and overall resoveling capabilities of some of the better pre's. they tended to sound a bit grainy. they were very good for the money and dependable as all get out. roger's trade mark.

rob.

[Roger A. Modjeski]

There was actually a reason for making the knob the way it is. I decided that having a lot of white pointers going in all directions was not a pretty thing. However, I did have that groove cut so you could fill it with paint, white crayon or whatever you want. I have a lot of radioshack knobs but I only put them on test equipment. BTW, RM-5 knobs were not easy to make, I rejected a lot of them. I'll be happy to trade anyone Radio Shack knobs for RM-5 knobs any day.