PRS Archon constant background hum - normal?

[iR4lf]

Hi guys,

I already had two PRS Archons in my hands, both got send back to the dealer because there was a background hum going on in the clean and dirty channel.
Well I expected the lead channel not to be quite, but that there is a hum noise going on on the clean channel (Pretty loud compared to other amps) did make me worry.

Now I was told by a technician that this is normal behavior for the Archon to have a constant background hum all the time.

To all of you PRS Archon owners out there, when you flick your amp from standby to full power: Is there any noticeable hum going on?

I didn't expected that from a PRS Amp and want to be sure that this really is normal so I rely on your experiences since my amp still is at PRS Europe and waiting to be send back. But when the hum is normal, I really have to be reconsidering using the amp.

Thanks guys.

 

[WEDGE]

I would take it to another house and plug in t make sure your electrical feed is not causing the noise.

 

[yankeebulldog]

Are you using the loop? I find that no matter what, the effects in the loop need to be line level or there will be some noise at least with my sh*tty wiring in my house. Right now I'm running a TC G Major II and an ISP G System rackmount in the loop and it's manageable.

 

[aristotle]

If I recall from your previous post, you were getting "hum" even with nothing plugged in (to the input or loop.) And at any master volume setting.

That's certainly not my experience.

 

[iR4lf]

Wiring etc. is definitely not the cause of the hum. Took both amps everywhere, nothing changed. So I was told by a PRS tech that all the European Archons have that hum and that he will check if it's the case with all the Archons or a thing only happening with the European ones. That's why I am interested in knowing your experiences.

It is not a loud hum, not very disturbing on stage levels, but with lower volumes especially with the clean channel it is pretty annoying.

 

[Michael B]

My ARCHON has no hum....sorry to hear your issue. Seriously I can be hammering at heavy rhythms and do some double stops and such and its quiet as a kitten. Could it have something to do with Europe power being higher watts?

 

[Boogie]

50Hz cycle rate of European power can present unique noise situations from those in a 60Hz environment. Not sure where you're located, but it can be unique to your local grid. Try a clip-on ferrite core. You can also try using a computer-grade UPS that has quality regulation.

 

[László]

"So, why did you move to the United States? Was it greater opportunity, the freedom thing, what?"

"Actually, I did it to improve my amp tone."

 

[iR4lf]

"So, why did you move to the United States? Was it greater opportunity, the freedom thing, what?"

"Actually, I did it to improve my amp tone."

MOST AWESOME POST......EVER!!!

Dude, seriously I nearly fell of my chair reading your post...

 

[ChrisCst22]

Right now I'm running a TC G Major II and an ISP G System rackmount in the loop and it's manageable.

Hey man,

I'm just curious, the ISP your using, is it the noise reduction unit? Does it work any better than what's in the G Major? I use the Major II as well, and I couldn't imagine the noise gate in that to work any better!! It simply does the job!

Not to derail this thread, but without a noise gate, my Boogie DC5 would be unusable on the lead channel. That bad mother hums like crazy for some reason. Been meaning to get it checked out but with the TC gate working so well I really don't need to.

I'm VERY surprised to hear hum on a clean channel though, that doesn't sound right at all.

 

[yankeebulldog]

Hey man,

I'm just curious, the ISP your using, is it the noise reduction unit? Does it work any better than what's in the G Major? I use the Major II as well, and I couldn't imagine the noise gate in that to work any better!! It simply does the job!

The ISP i'm using has the 2 channels so you run a gate in front linked to the threshold of the gate in the loop. That way if you turn down the volume or switch to clean, the gate will adjust accordingly. I like that setup better than just running the TC gate in the loop. This way it also cuts any pickup noise, etc. as well as anything coming from the amp.

 

[iR4lf]

Alright guys...The guys at the PRS factory told my tech that the slight hum coming from the amp is normal and that this occurs with every Archon out there. Now I am totally confused. So you tell me your Archon does not hum but according to PRS they do? Could you listen to your Archons...Plug nothing into the amp and listen to the speakers. Flick the amp from standby to full power...Is there ANY hum? Please tell me...

 

[aristotle]

Just did it to make sure I just wasn't listening for it before. Really, no hum. At all. Nada.

Any chance you can record the hum and post it?

 

[Michael B]

Yeah man...no hum...just the regular tube amp hiss and its a quieter hiss than my Peavey JSX! Might be because the JSX is 120 watts?

 

[iR4lf]

Finally have my Archon back...Now I am just enjoying the sounds of this beast without caring about the hum. It is a pretty slight hum and normal according to PRS.

Well, to close this thread...I have received a statement by a PRS engineer:

"It is true that all Archons, as well as the 2-Channel series have a slight bit of hum/noise even with the master controls turned off (and nothing else plugged into the amp), as the master controls are located before the effects loop tube, phase inverter, as well as the power tubes. These tubes produce a slight amount of noise in their normal operation (mostly from the ac filaments)."

 

[László]

Cool that you're enjoying it!

I'm still waiting to play through one.

 

[alantig]

Cool that you're enjoying it!

I'm still waiting to play through one.

C'mon over. I'm only about five hours away!