Potential Purchase: Randall RM4. Need reliability opinions

Hello all,

I'm located in Australia and about to pull the trigger on an RM4 with 4 modules.

To my dismay, I've been coming across MANY horror stories regarding the reliability issues regarding the Randall RM4.

There's the dropout during channel switching, silence and having to restart issue, the amp just dying in a gig, amp dying after 2-4 weeks, etc. (really, the horror stories I read are amazing and bountiful..)

How much of this holds true?

Also, users out there, if the above horror stories are true, are the later models more reliable?

Is there a certain production date that's more reliable?

One with the new .15 ms chips and well basically more reliable and usable live.

I will be gigging with this as I can't afford to lug multiple amps around anymore.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Had my RM4 for over a year now, No issues EVER so far. I bought it used too. My channel switching works great, no delay problems. running into randalls power amp and had zero problems as well. I play almost everyday, and out once a week on average. There are some days that I don't fire it up, but usually I do for at least a good few minutes.


So I havn't noticed any issues with my setup that I can speak of.

Bought mine used 2 years ago, no issues. Remember too that anyone who has issues is going to scream to the sky for the most part, and people who don't are going to be quiet.

When was the last time you saw a "My RM4 is working great!" post? If something just works you tend to not notice/mention it

Pete

RatKent does 200 shows a year with his for at least the last 2 years. His VHT power amp got whacked by bad club power but his RM4 keeps on ticking.

it true..People are so often quick to diss gear BUT the venues you play at have a huge effect on tone .

I have played places that sound crystal clear ,no interfernce no buzz , dont even need a gate .

Others where you cant even move because of buzz .
One bar with dirty power blew the output section of my Rivera head ..
:x

Thanks for the help guys.

Will purchase one and take the plunge.

Any advice on how to care for the amp?

I'll be racking it up and powering it with my furman.

doralin said:

Thanks for the help guys.

Will purchase one and take the plunge.

Any advice on how to care for the amp?

I'll be racking it up and powering it with my furman.

Click to expand...

as with any gear, adequate ventilation, gets hot down there in Oz last I heard. I only have one moddded module so far, but I can assure you that modding makes a WORLD of difference in your tone. let me sum it up like this:
Stock module =
Pete Modded XL = :twisted:
I swear I could see lucifer peeking out of my 4x12 last night...lol

Enjoy

I have been using my Rm4 and Rt 2/50 for 3 years now..lots of gigs. No failures of any kind. I haven't had any of the problems you reported.
None. Zero...Zip.
I heard alot about Rm100 problems..but very little about our designs having problems. I dont know how many actually fail, but there are some posts.
My stuff is in the typical SKB rack cases. They are just high impact plastic.
My gear lived in hot Texas for 2 years and now NY winters for 1 year..as said..no problems. Granted, I dont drop my stuff. Its tubes..so I hand carry it where I go..and rarely let it bounce around on a hand truck.
I also dont leave it out in the hot or cold.
Having said that, no problems ever. I treat my amps like my guitars...I repect em...but I dont baby them.
I think you'll be very happy. Welcome to the randall MTS World..its a good place to be, imho.

PS: If you see Rick Springfield or keith Urban..tell em I said "hi,mates!!"

ned said:

RatKent does 200 shows a year with his for at least the last 2 years. His VHT power amp got whacked by bad club power but his RM4 keeps on ticking.

Click to expand...

In addition to all the playing hours, my gear gets beat up in our band's truck on a weekly basis. Our truck is a bit overloaded and it's not a smooth ride. We've had all kinds of nuts, bolts and screws work their way out of gear just from road vibration. The RM4 has held together well. Gear companies should use my band as product testers.

Shockmount rack, high quality custom length cables, EXCELLENT POWER CONDITIONER (often overlooked in rack setups)... Also would make sure my shockmount has rear rack rails so that you can buy some additional fans to put in the back of you're rack!!! definitely helps keep it cool!! if you're going to buy a Ferrari take care of it like it's a Ferrari not a Ford... the RM4 is up there with ANY Pre-Amp i've EVER played...

I've been using my RM4 for over 3 years (with a VHT 2/50/2 and other assorted rack gear).

I play over 100 shows a year.

Other pieces in my rig have had a few minor hiccups during that time...but so far the RM4 has performed flawlessly!!! (fingers crossed)

I would not feel confident playing out with a RM100, though, based on all the "My RM100 just died during the most important gig of my life" threads I see around here.