valbee

[Ripper]

Tube fellas. I am needing your help.

Just got a ValBee from the sale, and this is my first foray into tubeamp..encounter some probs here and seeking you guyz for advice.

Here's the situation:

I connect power supply, 3-pin therefore no grounding issues. Plug in cable with instrument, no effects, no effects looping, no nothing. Turned on power, warmed up, switched on standby. HISSING occurred. Why?

I removed cable, HISSING occurred again as i switched on standby.

is this the nature of tubeamp? if thats the case, how to get a quiet amp for clean sound? change tubes? or my valbee is problematic.

please help, fellas. please hep, fellas with valbee.

 

[mikemann]

Is the hissing a short moment or permanent? How loud is the hissing??

 

[Ripper]

yo mike,

hissing is permanent.

 

[Ripper]

loudness is.. normal hissing. similar to noise level when u are using a unregulated power supply or when amp is not properly grounded.

 

[shreddedsweeper]

not too sure but all my amp have slight hissing

 

[Ripper]

my solidstate amp is quiet. i don know if i can experience quietness with a tubeamp (okay - valbee is a damn mini one..)

 

[theblueark]

Tube amps are typically more noisy than solid state ones. But if it's very loud and obvious then it might be a fixable problem.

 

[Ripper]

i intend to return to Sims Dr to test out other units. since i am not allowed to test it during the sales.

 

[ShredCow]

Good idea.

Hope everything works out fine for you...

 

[tany]

i bought one too but i have no issues on this. i think it could be ur unit only

 

[subversion]

+1 no issues with mine either.

 

[mikemann]

It could be possible that since you got it from a sales, the amp could have been used quite a bit. This is logical as it was a display set. Imagine, one week on average 5-10 people plug it in to "test drive".

I know plenty of "test drivers" tend to blast, so maybe worn tubes inside.

Output tubes tend to sound strong initially then become muddy and weak with time on same setting, indicate it's worn. Preamp, got quite a bit more possible symptoms. Include microphonic, harsh sound, rain like sound...etc.

Hissing is present in some amps, this I notice even amongst same model. As long as it's low, it's still ok. One person loud is another's soft.

That's why must always consider this when buying a sale display item. I don't understand why you can't test it during sale day, have a bit patience, will pay off.

 

[Ripper]

hey mike.

the amp is not a display set. it was boxed-up brand new. there was a display set though...

btw i wanted to test. hey but you know - how to test during a 50% clearance sales?

hey sub - so yours is quiet when u switch on the stanby switch?

"There was a constant buzzing noise, even with nothing plugged in at all, even with Gain and Volume at zero." a review from HC. my situation as well.

 

[subversion]

yes- quiet until gain is pumped up...

you can try using someone else's 3-pin plug to see if it's actually the fault. sometimes, it's amatter of quality...

 

[mikemann]

If there is a will there is a way. Anyway, it seems to me that now from what you describe, maybe you are overly sensitive about the noise. It could just be that it's the norm after all.

 

[Ripper]

thanks sub/mike.

could have been a bit sensitive over the noise, which may be normal actually. will test with other 3 pin plug as well. worse come to worse, back to sims dr for some remedy.

but i have to admit the valbee is a small wonder, at THAT type of price. I think a Laney VC15 is on my target soon. got a penchant for small tubeamp.

 

[theblueark]

Laney VC15 is excellent. Also try out the Carvin Vintage 16 at Ranking. A little pricey at $800 but nice tones.

 

[shreddedsweeper]

How much did you guys paid for the valbee during the sales? Dont know if I should get one but im using a me-50. Not too sure if its worth it

 

[subversion]

but i have to admit the valbee is a small wonder, at THAT type of price. I think a Laney VC15 is on my target soon. got a penchant for small tubeamp.

if you prefer a more appealing drive, the LC15R is recommended.

 

[subversion]

Dont know if I should get one but im using a me-50. Not too sure if its worth it

what's your current amp now? if you're gonna invest in another small amp- not a worthy cause...