Hi,
I got a good scare today.
I miss read a piece of equipment (Tow Notes Torpedo Live - a load box with a speaker through out jack) and didn't realize that connecting a wire to the through output jack disconnected the loadbox portion of the unit. In many circumstances, this is not a problem. In my case, the other end of the through out cable wasn't connected to a speaker Cab. Hence, to my understanding, the amp was without a proper load.
More specifically, I had connected my tube amp head (Mark V:35 in 35watt mode) to the input jack of the Torpedo Live unit. I had also connected the through out jack of the unit to my speaker CAB. During my recording session, I need to cut the sound from my speaker CAB so I disconnected the cable from behind the speaker Cab. I noticed a change in the sound but keep playing a bit. After about a minute or two, I tried disconnecting/connecting the cable from the Live unit though output jack and noticed tone/volume changes (better without the cable).
From my understanding, when the cable was connected to the through output jack (but not in my speaker CAB), my amp head was without a proper load.
What I don't understand is why :
1. My amp fuse didn't blow (or the power section) ?
2. Why signal was still being sent from the Torpedo Live to my audio interface and DAW ?
Now, wanting to check the state of my amp, I did some quick tests and discovered something and would like to know if it indicates possible damage :
With all the knob set to zero (gain, treble, mid, bass, presence and master), I basically hear no noise (besides the fan). Now, as I increase the presence (while keeping the other controls at zero), I hear an increasing louder hum. The two channels in all the modes do the same thing. Now to put things in perspective, if I play my guitar, the hum is buried by my playing. I get a similar behaviour with my Mesa Boogie Roadster but I don't get it with my Message Boogie Lonestar LS.
So to recap, here are my questions :
1. Why didn't my fuse or power section blow ?
2. Why did I still have a signal going to the DAW ?
3. Is it normal that with all knobs at zero my amp is quiet but if I only increase the presence I get a hum ?
4. If the hum is normal, why ? If it is not, is it related to my miss-up or is it a coincidence that I just realize that I had a problem (I don't spend my time listening for hums in my gear with different settings of my controls) ? The underlying concern that I have is that I'm getting a 60hz hum because of a failed tube or worse a 120hz hum caused by a failed filter cap.
Please reassure me!
Cheers,
James
I got a good scare today.
I miss read a piece of equipment (Tow Notes Torpedo Live - a load box with a speaker through out jack) and didn't realize that connecting a wire to the through output jack disconnected the loadbox portion of the unit. In many circumstances, this is not a problem. In my case, the other end of the through out cable wasn't connected to a speaker Cab. Hence, to my understanding, the amp was without a proper load.
More specifically, I had connected my tube amp head (Mark V:35 in 35watt mode) to the input jack of the Torpedo Live unit. I had also connected the through out jack of the unit to my speaker CAB. During my recording session, I need to cut the sound from my speaker CAB so I disconnected the cable from behind the speaker Cab. I noticed a change in the sound but keep playing a bit. After about a minute or two, I tried disconnecting/connecting the cable from the Live unit though output jack and noticed tone/volume changes (better without the cable).
From my understanding, when the cable was connected to the through output jack (but not in my speaker CAB), my amp head was without a proper load.
What I don't understand is why :
1. My amp fuse didn't blow (or the power section) ?
2. Why signal was still being sent from the Torpedo Live to my audio interface and DAW ?
Now, wanting to check the state of my amp, I did some quick tests and discovered something and would like to know if it indicates possible damage :
With all the knob set to zero (gain, treble, mid, bass, presence and master), I basically hear no noise (besides the fan). Now, as I increase the presence (while keeping the other controls at zero), I hear an increasing louder hum. The two channels in all the modes do the same thing. Now to put things in perspective, if I play my guitar, the hum is buried by my playing. I get a similar behaviour with my Mesa Boogie Roadster but I don't get it with my Message Boogie Lonestar LS.
So to recap, here are my questions :
1. Why didn't my fuse or power section blow ?
2. Why did I still have a signal going to the DAW ?
3. Is it normal that with all knobs at zero my amp is quiet but if I only increase the presence I get a hum ?
4. If the hum is normal, why ? If it is not, is it related to my miss-up or is it a coincidence that I just realize that I had a problem (I don't spend my time listening for hums in my gear with different settings of my controls) ? The underlying concern that I have is that I'm getting a 60hz hum because of a failed tube or worse a 120hz hum caused by a failed filter cap.
Please reassure me!
Cheers,
James
