|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2019 22:36:09 GMT
Thanks saltee! One gets more cleaver every day thanks to this forum  BTW, salteedog good you are here; My Bugera V55 is starting to act very strange ... I play low volumes and it just sounded great into the clean channel especially when driven with my CKK Lunar Drive. Tonight the tone is totally fizzy almost as ugly as the amp's drive channel, chunky and fizzy  whats going on? Is the speaker cone failing (old speaker)? I did notice one power tube glowing with the velvety glow and the other not, but both have the normal red bottom and end as it should be. I did tap them and there was no strange noise. The pre tubes are as new as the power tubes. Bought them last year at dear Thomann. JJ's and TAD (power bought as matched pair). If its the speaker than this is a coincidence as I have ordered a new one which should arrive Monday. Man, where is my creamy overdriven tone gone Are those JJ tubes crap? They are the cheapest. Might put the old TAD in there and see how that sounds. Must do some testing tomorrow. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2019 22:37:29 GMT
BTW, the clean tone is fine and only the overdriven tone on clean channel gets fizzy and chunky and cold. This is new to me as my CKK Lunar Drive sure sounds very creamy.
|
|
3,968 posts
|
Post by salteedog on Mar 14, 2019 22:49:58 GMT
BTW, the clean tone is fine and only the overdriven tone on clean channel gets fizzy and chunky and cold. This is new to me as my CKK Lunar Drive sure sounds very creamy. Could be the power tubes alright. Unlikely to be the speaker anyway.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2019 23:33:12 GMT
This is an odd quote from on of those links saltee: This appears to have the same result as a tube amp as we discussed above. What are they getting at? Output power IS variable on a tube amp depending on impedance. They also state that a hybrid amp is an amp with a tube preamp and a solid state power section. I've always referred to my Champ and a number of Music Man amps as hybrids even though they have solid state preamps and tube power stages. Maybe I'm using the wrong nomenclature? Not sure which manual you looked up. I think there are several types of switches on these Vox MV50 models. I made the mistake of thinking they were all like the one that I found first which didn't actually have an impedance switch. In fact some only have a mids shift switch, some have attenuators and some do indeed have impedance switches. Manual |
|
3,968 posts
|
Post by salteedog on Mar 15, 2019 9:25:33 GMT
"An impedance switch to optimize the sound character"
i.e basically an EQ although it doesn't quite say it. Its opposed to an impedance switch "to avoid burning out your output transformer".
Solid state amps dont have output/power transformers and hence the impedance thing doesn't come into it in the same way. Tube amps are like two guys pulling ropes trying to ring one of those huge cathedral bells - one guy on one side is the power transformer and the other is the speaker. Have a mismatch in strength and one fella will start being pulled up into the air.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 9:54:01 GMT
BTW, the clean tone is fine and only the overdriven tone on clean channel gets fizzy and chunky and cold. This is new to me as my CKK Lunar Drive sure sounds very creamy. Could be the power tubes alright. Unlikely to be the speaker anyway.
Im troubleshooting the amp now. I cranked all the knobs and when I taap the tubes power and pre there is NO STRANGE SOUND coming from them at all. The over all sound is a bit thin and OD is fizzy and clanky just like on the Drive channel (which i never use). One of the power tubes have blue haze inside of it and I read this to be normal. Both Power tubes have those red heated spots on both ends which looks normal to me. These TAD tubes are new from last year and I dont play loud with them. Cant see them failing just like that. I aslo read the Pre tubes can cause fizzy drive and thin sound so will swap for the old TAD I had in and see if that fixes the problem. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 10:11:19 GMT
Hmm, sounds like some of these solid state amps may be modelling words as well as sounds then. It always used to baffle me that there was a 'standby' switch on the Katana when it was really just a mute switch. The words "An impedance switch to optimize the sound character" is a bit non-specific isn't it? I wonder what the 'attenuator' does, seems to be a volume output switch? I also wonder why they have so many different switches on these things.
|
|
3,968 posts
|
Post by salteedog on Mar 15, 2019 10:29:54 GMT
Hmm, sounds like some of these solid state amps may be modelling words as well as sounds then. It always used to baffle me that there was a 'standby' switch on the Katana when it was really just a mute switch. The words "An impedance switch to optimize the sound character" is a bit non-specific isn't it? I wonder what the 'attenuator' does, seems to be a volume output switch? I also wonder why they have so many different switches on these things. I agree. These are all fairly cheap to implement little things that the owners can relate to tube/valve type features. it's the MAYA design principle in action. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 10:30:08 GMT
Just swapped the power tubes for the old ones but had to switch off the amp immediatelly as one of the old power tubes is making crackling sounds even when I tap it with a pencil. I know there was a reason for me bying new tubes. Hm, ... strange. I did test the Bugera channel switch for defjef to see if its working and I think after that this started happening. Could it be that this switch jack shorted something inside and now its getting the Drive channel involved when I add the OD? My new Eminence speaker is arriving Monday and this issue is not helping to test it!  |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 10:50:11 GMT
Oh good lord, what can be going on there? It actually sounds like the behaviour I got from my V22 head. I presume there are no flashing lights telling you things are being Infiniumed?
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 11:01:32 GMT
Hmm, sounds like some of these solid state amps may be modelling words as well as sounds then. It always used to baffle me that there was a 'standby' switch on the Katana when it was really just a mute switch. The words "An impedance switch to optimize the sound character" is a bit non-specific isn't it? I wonder what the 'attenuator' does, seems to be a volume output switch? I also wonder why they have so many different switches on these things. I agree. These are all fairly cheap to implement little things that the owners can relate to tube/valve type features. it's the MAYA design principle in action. A principle that seems to have bypassed looper pedal designers and some mfx pedals. My Boss keeps revealing features to me...sometimes when I'm not expecting them. It's best to wear winkle pickers when operating the footswitches or you'll step on a pair of them mid song which will enter you into any number of modes! I guess it does make sense to name buttons to match a user's experience of their usage. It does add to confusion at the same time though. Perhaps every electrical device should come with a free salteedog to guide us through? |
|
3,968 posts
|
Post by salteedog on Mar 15, 2019 11:40:41 GMT
Most of the technology we use is like the proverbial swan on the water - on the surface its all calm and tidy but look under the surface and it's barely organised chaos. Scratch that surface and you'll find the result of under-pressure designers, engineers and marketers who had to get something together quick enough to constitute a product that people might actually want to buy and who are hoping the flaws are such that they'll be overlooked or otherwise will only result in rare failures.
Today we live atop a monumental technological and social house of cards - not quite on the shoulders of giants...
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 12:25:02 GMT
This seems very true saltee. Some stuff seems to just get copied along into the next device without question.
I was reading some articles about the wisdom of the standby switch and what it actually does to preserve your tubes. Whether there is a critical method to start up and shut down your amp and the wisdom of more technical expert sites seems to be that it does nothing very useful apart from mute the amp, keeping it ready for action, and this could be done far more simply. They also all seemed to agree that it didn't extend the life of anything and you could simply switch both power and standby on or off at the same time without any stress or damaged caused. They all felt that modern developments certainly made the thing redundant.
But, of course, Leo stuck them on his Bassman, Marshall copied the Bassman so had one too, and when Vox reissued their 'vintage' models they also added one, possibly to make it seem more vintage, even though it wasn't on an original Vox. They could just have easily and more simply have muted the speaker's output for the same effect.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 12:25:55 GMT
Oh good lord, what can be going on there? It actually sounds like the behaviour I got from my V22 head. I presume there are no flashing lights telling you things are being Infiniumed? I think I should buy myself a Katana or Fender Mustang as they are more reliable!  (nope no Infinium lights on this old model). I will give this a rest and test it later tonight and even try tthe new speaker and see what that does. Might send Thomann an email with the photo of that power tube with blue haze and ask if that ok or is it time to claim the warranty! |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 17:07:22 GMT
This amp has lost its sweet harmonic content it feels as if Im playing some bad solid state amp with a blown speaker w t f happened? Bought these tubes , both power and pre amp , on the 07.07.2018 ! Only used at home! W t f ! And Im getting my new speaker Monday!!! How do I test the speaker now!!! Im so p...ed off, let me tell you! |
|
