My second problem with Mark V head

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tofisi

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My first problem was a bad rectifier tube (fuse blows)-10 days to solve this problem

My second problem is
Now I feel that the amplifier does not work like it should.

I note the following changes:
-fluctuate in volume and definition of sound
-sometimiems has less gain
-sometimes in the same settings work 2ch more loudly than 3ch and vice versa
-sometimes the sound is distorted and muddy, especially on the 2ch
-last two days a strange noise coming from the speakers. I had the master volume to zero
Here is a clip of the noise if anyone interested http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1011128&content=songinfo&songID=8364719

I tried it with another speaker, cables, different places, power conditioner - but nothing is better. Now I´m very pissed off. What is wrong with my amp?
 
Let me guess, as far as that noise is concerned, it is there only sometimes, is quiet and sometimes goes away if you go in and come out of standby?

I have owned three Mesa's now and at one time or another all three have made that exact sound for a little bit. My guess, which may be totally incorrect, is that it has something to do with house power circuit. It seems to me that when it would happen to one of my amps, it would also happen to the other. Not always. But if I turned the RK on for instance, if it was doind it I could turn the Mark IV on and it would be doing it as well. Again, not alway. And if I would put one in and out of standby, it would stop. My Electra Dyne has also done it a few times.

With the rest of the stuff you discussed, no idea
 
primal said:
Let me guess, as far as that noise is concerned, it is there only sometimes, is quiet and sometimes goes away if you go in and come out of standby?
Yes I know this, But last two days has been this noise 10x louder. Today is this noise like usually

And I forgot to writte this. When I run master output to 12:00,it begins coming a strange smell from the head- for the moment. And the some tones on guitar have strange sound.

Is it possible that this is all due to bad house power circuit? Can I this solve with a voltage regulator?
 
salvatruco said:
try tapping lightly the power tubes.. they should be dead quite. good luck

But amp is two mounths old. Its practical NEW. It is not played more than 25 hours.
 
tofisi said:
salvatruco said:
try tapping lightly the power tubes.. they should be dead quite. good luck

But amp is two mounths old. Its practical NEW.
tubes can go at any time(always carry spare tubes)....... i had have tubes that died on me just after one week of use!!!!!!!
 
The fact that it took you 10 days to diagnose a faulty Rectifier tube leads me to believe you may not be qualified to check the amp out anyway. Maybe you should take it to a service technician. It's not even fair to call that a "problem" with your amplifier.

If a rectifier tube died, the amp may have undergone some stress during shipment, and it's likely that some of your other tubes are damaged as well. Modern tubes are not built like old tubes and they can go out during shipment.
 
salvatruco said:
tubes can go at any time(always carry spare tubes)....... i had have tubes that died on me just after one week of use!!!!!!!

+1

You can pull a new tube fresh out of the box and have it fail. It's more common than you think.
 
phyrexia said:
The fact that it took you 10 days to diagnose a faulty Rectifier tube leads me to believe you may not be qualified to check the amp out anyway. Maybe you should take it to a service technician. It's not even fair to call that a "problem" with your amplifier.

If a rectifier tube died, the amp may have undergone some stress during shipment, and it's likely that some of your other tubes are damaged as well. Modern tubes are not built like old tubes and they can go out during shipment.

It`s recomended to check all preamp and power tubes?
 
Yeah when I bought my MK V from my Dealer he recommended that I sit down with him and play the amp for an hour...so that I could become familiar with it and to see if the tubes were messed up during shipping...I opted out because I had to get to work really soon...but when I got home and plugged it in...one of the tubes was broken...so I really wish I had stayed
 
tofisi said:
My first problem was a bad rectifier tube (fuse blows)-10 days to solve this problem

My second problem is
Now I feel that the amplifier does not work like it should.

I note the following changes:
-fluctuate in volume and definition of sound
-sometimiems has less gain
-sometimes in the same settings work 2ch more loudly than 3ch and vice versa
-sometimes the sound is distorted and muddy, especially on the 2ch
-last two days a strange noise coming from the speakers. I had the master volume to zero
Here is a clip of the noise if anyone interested http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1011128&content=songinfo&songID=8364719

I tried it with another speaker, cables, different places, power conditioner - but nothing is better. Now I´m very pissed off. What is wrong with my amp?

Today I took my mk V to my friend in the studio. I could not believe that this thing works so well. The best amplifier I ever played.So I think that at my fault is a bad electric,because in my house does not work right. What to do? Should I buy a Furman voltage regulator or good active UPS?
 
Whatever you decide to buy just make sure that it has a voltage regulator that guards against brown outs (voltage drops). I see your already looking at the Furman I just thought I would bring it up because you also mentioned UPS. Not all UPS's have voltage regulators in them. Personally I think a Furman would be ideal.
 
Are you new to tube amps? Bad tubes are a problem with any of them. Same goes for massive increases in volume.. it's the nature of the beasts. Take your time when setting up your tones and be careful not to go overboard with any of the settings. . . just because it goes to 10 doesnt mean its going to sound good there. Also, a power conditioner is essential. Protect your investment!
 
MrMarkIII said:
"Power conditioner" is a lot cheaper than "Voltage regulator".
Hundreds. Sorry.

I read that they do not perform the same job or Im wrong.
 
tofisi said:
MrMarkIII said:
"Power conditioner" is a lot cheaper than "Voltage regulator".
Hundreds. Sorry.

I read that they do not perform the same job or Im wrong.

A power conditioner protects against spikes, a surge protector if you will.
A voltage regulator makes sure your gear has a stable and steady 120 or 240 volts, depending on where you live.

A good UPS will do both. You do not necessarily need to stick with Furman. They do make great stuff but you can probably find a suitable alternative for cheaper if you are on a budget. If you decide to go with a UPS instead just make sure it says AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator) somewhere on the box.


Cheers

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that a typical UPS is mostly used for computers, being that it is an Uninterruptable Power Supply it is meant to give you a brief window of time to be able to save your work and gracefully shut your computer down. I mention this because the lower end models may not have enough amperage to support the Mark V. I have no idea how much power the Mark V sucks down but most UPS's are only meant for a Monitor and 1 computer and I bet a tube amps draws a lot more than that. So keep that in mind when shopping.
 
Try Googling "furman voltage regulator":
http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?id=AR-1215
 
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