2 Channel H extremely noisey

PSJ1026

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Jan 12, 2013
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I have finally found a speaker cab that is working for me but the amp is unusable because of the hum. It changes in severity from place to place but is always there with or without single coils pups. The tone is great but no other amp I own acts this way. My Marshall class 5 is very quiet at out practice space but this thing was ridiculous. Almost louder than the guitar. Has anyone else had this issue. I thought it was the reverb tube becuase at home bringing up the reverb introduces hum but made no difference at our practice space (that I admit has old crappy power)
Any suggestions are appreciated but I think it will have to go back to PRS for some tweaks.

Thanks

Pete
 
A couple thing to try: if you aren't using a power conditioner, get one! Since you stated the power at your practice space might suck, this is a must have. You should also check all the preamp tubes (and power tubes). If you have some known good tubes, rotate a good one through each position on the H and see if you can narrow down the source. I always carry a spare set of power tubes that are close matches to what is in the amp.
 
Yes on rhe conditioner. I am going to remove the reverb and then go thru the tubes after. I think I would like them to go through the amp anyhow just to make sure everything is up to today specs
 
Not a bad idea, if it's an option. I keep hearing so many amazing things about mods Doug can do. Dream up something amazing and see if he can do it.
 
My PRS amps have been dead quiet. In fact, they're by far the quietest amps I've ever owned. So something's amiss. Is it possible that you have an effects board that has a ground loop? If you have pedals, disconnect them and plug straight into the amp to eliminate that as a source of the problem. Also, turn the guitar volume down to zero to eliminate the pickups as a possible source of noise. Try a different cable, that often causes noise.

A power conditioner in an area that isn't inundated with bad AC power does nothing for noise unless it incorporates an isolation transformer and sometimes balanced power, and even then, that only matters if you're on, say, a circuit that has a noisy appliance like a refrigerator., or you're in an ultra-quiet setting like a studio where noise generated by proximity to AC power cords might cause induced hums at a very low level (and by that I mean, low enough that to hear it you have to put headphones on and crank the volume very high). And isolation transformer equipped, balanced power conditioners weigh at least 75 pounds and cost around $1000. Not the kind of thing most people want to take to gigs (and yes, I have one in my studio because I'm after the very lowest noise floor for recording, but I don't plug my guitar amp into it, I don't need to).

Conditioners might filter out some stray EMI/RFI, but are relatively useless with amps because they have large transformers that do their own filtering.

Don't waste your money on so-called "conditioners" unless you have a known problem with the AC putting out substantially less or more than 120V. In fact, some conditioners actually cause noise of their own, as my studio tech demonstrated with an oscilloscope a few years ago, and yes I had costly ones.

If you have a serious noise problem that isn't addressed by eliminating ground loops, orienting the guitar, or a cable, the first thing to check is the tubes. If the noise persists, the amp might need service.
 
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I had an issue with my 50 watt 2 channel custom. The reverb went south, any reverb on the knob, EVEN IF THE REVERB WAS NOT ON, and the amp would go nuts. Contacted PRS support, shipped it back, and all is well.
 
If his other amps are quiet and only the PRS is noisey how can it be external to the amp?

Perhaps he changed his pedals in some way. Perhaps his cable went bad. How the heck should I know how his rig is set up? These are things to check whenever you're troubleshooting a problem as a matter of course.

In addition, it's possible his other amps are grounded differently. They could be plugged into different wall sockets on different circuits. There are a zillion variables that should be looked into, including a problem with the amp.

But a noisy PRS amp is NOT normal.
 
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When did you purchase it? Did you purchase it new? The guys in the amp shop have worked out many noise reduction mods for the "H."
 
Thanks for the posts everyone. The amp has noise with nothing plugged into it. It went through all the tubes but the power and effects loop because I don't have spares. Interesting thing is that if I plug one of my Dr Z amps in tandem (not using an ABY) it sounds like it is going to blow up! No other amp I own does this. Common theme it seems. There must be a ground issue if a $399 Marshall sounds better. I have had one problem after the next with this amp, not all PRS's fault but still I expected better. I have been waiting over a week to hear back from them after several emails to troublehoot it. I am sure they will fix it but I am sick if screwing with it. I have had many high end amps and this is the only one I have ever had this much fuss with. I hope to post a happy resolution soon.
 
So, yes, it sounds like there is a problem with your amp. It may very we'll be the ground, or it may be bad power tubes.

Did you buy it new?

Did you buy it from a dealer?

With NAMM a week ago, you have to expect a delay in response time from PRS.
 
I have the utmost respect for Mike Zaite, but comparing a 2-Channel to a Dr Z amp is like comparing a modern Corvette to a Model T. Mike's amps are the epitome of simplicity. Most Dr. Z amps have relatively short signal paths, which why they have that "connected" feel when turned up. It's easy to build a noise-free simple circuit (the single channel PRS amps are very quiet tube amps). There's a ton of hand-wired circuitry in a 2-Channel. It's one of the few tube-type amps on the market that has two complete signal paths. Most other channel switching amps on the market are really single channel amps with switchable gain stages and equalization networks. I am amazed that Doug and the guys in the amp shop can build a price-competitive production amp this complex using their standard construction techniques. I would have moved the preamplifier, reverb, effects loop, and inverter circuitry to a printed circuit board a long time ago. It's much easier, much less labor intensive, and much cheaper to get consistent high-gain performance using printed circuit board technology.

With that said, many of the early rev 2-Channels had lead dress and design-related noise problems (e.g., Mesa went through four major revisions and several minor revisions of the Mark II circuit before they got things right). Doug and his team have developed mods for most of the problems with the early 2-Channel amps. My 2-Channel had a microphony-related problem in the phase splitter circuitry that was mostly rectified by a tube swap and a modification of the lead dress. Brandon and Doug also performed several performance enhancement mods while my amp was in the shop, including the depth mod.

With that said, if you purchased your amp second hand, there's a good probability that you have an early rev 2-Channel. Hopefully, someone from the amp shop will get back to you.
 
So, yes, it sounds like there is a problem with your amp. It may very we'll be the ground, or it may be bad power tubes.

Did you buy it new?

Did you buy it from a dealer?

With NAMM a week ago, you have to expect a delay in response time from PRS.



STILL NO REPLY FROM THEM AFTER WEEKS OF MULTIPLE EMALS AND PHONE CALLS.

COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. I AM NOW REACHING OUT TO SWEETWATER WHO I BOUGHT IT FROM. LESSON LEARNED HERE. $1700 DOLLARS, MONTHS OF WAITING, MUTIPLE RETURNS AND STILL NOT RIGHT AND NOW I AM GETTING IGNORED.


NOT HAPPY!!
 



STILL NO REPLY FROM THEM AFTER WEEKS OF MULTIPLE EMALS AND PHONE CALLS.

COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. I AM NOW REACHING OUT TO SWEETWATER WHO I BOUGHT IT FROM. LESSON LEARNED HERE. $1700 DOLLARS, MONTHS OF WAITING, MUTIPLE RETURNS AND STILL NOT RIGHT AND NOW I AM GETTING IGNORED.


NOT HAPPY!!



Same thing happened to me. No answered calls or emails even after my dealer got involved. So I returned my amp to the dealer. To bad to because I really liked that amp. Good luck.
 
Well I sent it to Sweetwater and they repositioned the reverb tank and that helped. Now while playing the volume drops and drops until all that is left is a hum. I noticed the volume drop before but thought it was in my head. It has happened 3-4 times where it goes down to no output. Guitar and cable are fine. I tap the amp on top and it comes back. More tapping does not reproduce the problem. So frustrating! Shipping back to PRS again. Tried to sell but can't even get $700 for it ($100 loss). Nobody wants these in my area. I have resigned myself to keepi g it but unless I can trust it it remai s a. ERY expensive practice amp.
 
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY
 
PRS fixed a bad solder. Jewel light blew on day 3-4 of having it back. replacing it has been a huge pain in the ass.
 
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