New PRS fan and have question on Archon 25 combo

[axcaliber]

Hey All - New and hoping for guidance. I bought a brand new in the sealed box Archon 25 combo amp about 7 months ago and I am noticing a static sound that comes and goes weather the guitar is plugged in or not. I have checked my cable and it is perfect but even unplugged the noise comes and goes. I have the amp set on half power in the back and also set at 16 ohms. I am playing through the clean channel in an apartment at low volumes. What am I missing. I does it with my new Les Paul and also my new Suhr. What the?
Thanks for any and all help.

 

[toothace]

Ground loop/interference from the outlet, fluorescent lights, a computer or tv... I also have a 25 watt combo, and there is always little noise with it.

 

[ReptilianNosewood]

Could also be a preamp tube, my Mesa Boogie makes a static like noise when a preamp tube is bad.

 

[stratlanta]

Ground loop/interference from the outlet, fluorescent lights, a computer or tv... I also have a 25 watt combo, and there is always little noise with it.

This was my first thought. I've got a practice spot in my basement that is tube-amp-hell. Fluorescent lights, dimmers, routers, tv, suspect outlet wiring.... I've had a bunch of amps down there and at least half of them have had weird noises in that spot. Ironically the noisiest ones were the most expensive or "boutique". It would be my first area of investigation before digging into amp guts.

 

[Boogie]

Every tube amp makes some noise under a variety of conditions. I take it you mean yours makes noise while on but on standby? Off standby? Is reverb on?

 

[axcaliber]

Thank you all for the helpful replies. The sound is a ruffling static-y sound that comes and goes. Sometimes in will be on for a solid few minutes and then off for even longer. When I switch to standby it goes off. happens on both channels. I don't remember it doing that when I first got it. I am hoping for a solution because the amp is ridiculously good and especially at low volumes. That was the selling point for me was how good it is at low volumes.

 

[axcaliber]

BREAK THROUGH: I tried plugging the amp into another wall and for a half an hour session I only heard the noise come through once and it was for only a few seconds. Is this the possible answer? The outlet and variables of other things in use? Is there something I can buy to plug into the outlet to filter out the garbage and then plug the amp into that, kind of like a surge suppressor or any suggestions?

 

[stratlanta]

One other slightly goofy question but where is your cell phone during all of this? I had one combo that would just go nuts if my cell phone was within a foot or two of it. Just a thought from someone who's chased down some weird "issues" only to be slightly embarrassed to find out what they really were. Haha.

 

[axcaliber]

Ahh, another possibility. It is about 7 feet away on a table. So all these things affect the amp huh? Didn't know that but sure do now.
It would be one thing if I am on the dirty channel blastin but I am playing low volume on clean and I want to really hear the crispness of that killer little amp.

 

[Boogie]

Thank you all for the helpful replies. The sound is a ruffling static-y sound that comes and goes. Sometimes in will be on for a solid few minutes and then off for even longer. When I switch to standby it goes off.

You have a tube going bad. Generally, when I have a power tube giving up the ghost, it will sound like wind blowing across a mic without a wind screen. It can surge in volume when you take it off standby. It seems a little soon for a fried tube, so I'd give PRS' customer support line a call. They'll treat you right.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[dmatthews]

Anything in the effects loop? I wonder if a high quality, short cable might help.

 

[axcaliber]

BOOGIE, "Wind blowing across a mic". THAT is exactly what it sounds like. A tube already? I know PRS will treat me right but you'd think that gets heavily inspected at a facility like PRS. Thank ALL of you guys for your help. I'm calling PRS in the A.M.

 

[Boogie]

BOOGIE, "Wind blowing across a mic". THAT is exactly what it sounds like. A tube already? I know PRS will treat me right but you'd think that gets heavily inspected at a facility like PRS. Thank ALL of you guys for your help. I'm calling PRS in the A.M.

Not making excuses, but tubes can crap-out at anytime and are susceptible to vibration damage in transit. There's nothing PRS can do about tube quality except try to buy the best. JJ's are pretty good but they have their problems, too.

 

[shinksma]

Yeah, tubes can go bad because the amp gets "put down at higher G-forces than intended" (i.e. even lightly dropped), which is obviously something that can happen anywhere between the factory and your doorstep.

Remember, tubes are like lightbulbs - wire filaments inside a glass housing. Sometimes they are just gonna get damaged in weird ways. Fortunately I have never had a tube go bad - knock on wood!

 

[axcaliber]

Well, spoke with Matt at PRS who was very helpful and said the same thing you all did and recommended that I replace the first PRE amp tube. He heard what I described and also that there is a pop sound after I switch from standby to power and (I forgot to mention that to you all) that combined with the static sound was in his opinion very obvious that it was the first pre amp tube. He is sending me out a replacement one at no charge and no questions. I THANK ALL of you VERY much. Can't wait to play the Rain Song or Since I've been loving you without the static.

 

[László]

Today's tubes can test fine at the factory, but go bad pretty quickly, and this happens to all amp makers these days. Fortunately, it's easy to change a tube; it's like changing a light bulb.

This is one reason that I mainly by new-old-stock tubes made 30-50 years ago. But even these tubes can go bad unexpectedly.

It's not PRS' fault. It's part of the joy of owning a tube amp.

 

[watelessness]

Where is your cell phone when you play?
Do you use a power conditioner?