"Normal" hum on Mesa 5:25+ Combo

[harrassee]

Hi, folks. New member with a new 5:25+. Sounds good, but has an audible hum that interferes with recording at home. Is this a normal hum - i.e. should I try to exchange, or give up on this amp.

The hum is consistent on both channels at 5w, and increases in volume and in pitch when I switch to 15w, and has a similar sound and level at 25w. The hum is there w/ or w/o a cable or guitar plugged in. Turning dials does NOT affect the hum at all (cranking gain or volume increases a hiss noise on top of the hum, but does not affect the hum itself).

I have tried it in 4 locations, exact same hum every time; pretty sure it is not environmental.

What sort of hum do you experience with the 5:25+ Combo?

I am returning to tube amps (last one I had was in the 90s), so have no idea what is "normal" for the hum. The 5:25+ I played at a store did NOT have this hum.

So is this hum "normal or is there variability in the amount of hum? I really like the sound of the amp, but the hum may drive me crazy as I play mostly at home and for recording. I have the option to return or exchange, so not sure which makes more sense.

Is the RectoVerb 25 any better re hum?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Authorized Boogie]

Hi, folks. New member with a new 5:25+. Sounds good, but has an audible hum that interferes with recording at home. Is this a normal hum - i.e. should I try to exchange, or give up on this amp.

The hum is consistent on both channels at 5w, and increases in volume and in pitch when I switch to 15w, and has a similar sound and level at 25w. The hum is there w/ or w/o a cable or guitar plugged in. Turning dials does NOT affect the hum at all (cranking gain or volume increases a hiss noise on top of the hum, but does not affect the hum itself).

I have tried it in 4 locations, exact same hum every time; pretty sure it is not environmental.

What sort of hum do you experience with the 5:25+ Combo?

I am returning to tube amps (last one I had was in the 90s), so have no idea what is "normal" for the hum. The 5:25+ I played at a store did NOT have this hum.

So is this hum "normal or is there variability in the amount of hum? I really like the sound of the amp, but the hum may drive me crazy as I play mostly at home and for recording. I have the option to return or exchange, so not sure which makes more sense.

Is the RectoVerb 25 any better re hum?

Thanks for any input!

As we said here at the factory (and showed you with another 5:25+ right out of the box), the hum in your amp is completely normal - and is not even perceptible from 5 feet away. The level of hum your amp exhibits is minimal, and is something just about any tube amp will have. Thanks!

 

[harrassee]

As we said here at the factory (and showed you with another 5:25+ right out of the box), the hum in your amp is completely normal - and is not even perceptible from 5 feet away. The level of hum your amp exhibits is minimal, and is something just about any tube amp will have. Thanks!

Thank you for the reply, and I understand. It is just that 60% of my playing is in my home studio, 20% recording and only about 20% "out". I guess I just have to decide if it is something I can live with . . . or see if I can find that magic bullet amp somewhere in person.

And I do really appreciate the time and effort you provided. I recognize that I am very sensitive to noise (I often request hotel room changes and unplug mini fridges and wear ear plugs when traveling).

 

[Len Rabinowitz]

I had a hum problem on my 5:25 plus head. 5 watt mode only, both channels. It was a number of things, but you might want to try putting in new power tubes. Look at the color codes. You can Google it, but I believe red is the coolest and might have less hum.

 

[Authorized Boogie]

I had a hum problem on my 5:25 plus head. 5 watt mode only, both channels. It was a number of things, but you might want to try putting in new power tubes. Look at the color codes. You can Google it, but I believe red is the coolest and might have less hum.

We swapped out the tubes here before asking him if the hum we were hearing was the same he was hearing - which was normal hum for a tube amp, inaudible from a few feet away. Thanks!

 

[FlamencoD]

There's a slight hum on my 5:50+, barely perceptible, but its there (was never concerned about it). Definitely not noticeable when playing, even at very low volumes. However, I don't recall my Marshall JVM (the amp I sold to get my 5:50+) having any perceptible hum when switched out of standby. If it did have one it was very quiet, as I definitely took notice to the (slight) hum when I switched on my Express.

On a related note, I find it interesting that in burn mode, even with the Master all the way down, there is still an ever so slight signal being sent through the speakers and I can hear my guitar, distorted, through the amp. It's very quiet, but there.

 

[BeerBatteredPhish]

As we said here at the factory (and showed you with another 5:25+ right out of the box), the hum in your amp is completely normal - and is not even perceptible from 5 feet away. The level of hum your amp exhibits is minimal, and is something just about any tube amp will have. Thanks![/quote]

I'm the owner of a new Express 5:25 (manuf. 10/14) and I detect an ever so slight hum (whisper like level at that), but as you say, when I'm 3 or 4 feet from the amp, it's not heard. Now I returned a Fender '68 Custom Dlx Reverb last week (then bought the Express) as that Fender had a LOUD hum, very annoying. 90% of tube amps have this hum as idle, as I've found over 35 years of playing.

 

[Newysurfer]

As we said here at the factory (and showed you with another 5:25+ right out of the box), the hum in your amp is completely normal - and is not even perceptible from 5 feet away. The level of hum your amp exhibits is minimal, and is something just about any tube amp will have. Thanks!

Thank you for the reply, and I understand. It is just that 60% of my playing is in my home studio, 20% recording and only about 20% "out". I guess I just have to decide if it is something I can live with . . . or see if I can find that magic bullet amp somewhere in person.

And I do really appreciate the time and effort you provided. I recognize that I am very sensitive to noise (I often request hotel room changes and unplug mini fridges and wear ear plugs when traveling).

nice to see an Authorized Boogie guy here - first time I've seen that in 7 yrs on this forum.
Do a search and you'll find many previous threads on Express amp humm.

First - the 5:25 has always had more humm than the 5:50.
The Plus series has less humm than the originals.
The Boogie guy is correct in stating even the noisier 5:25 is about average for a tube amp.

If your amp is too noisy for your liking the FIX is easy - 2 options.

a) New non Mesa pre-amp & power tubes will reduce amp humm by 60-70% and improve amp tones significantly.
Many here have swapped in http://www.dougstubes.com Express tube mix.
Email Doug asking about his Tube Kit for the Express 5:25 Plus.

I will never go back to Mesa tubes.
Mesa use ordinary quality chinese tubes - not bad but not great imo.
There are much better quality, quieter & cheaper tubes available elsewhere.
You must replace both preamp & power tubes to get the full effect.

Mesa Corp give a story about their tubes needing no bias & all being checked by them blah blah.
Fact is - ALL tube suppliers pre-test their tubes & none need biasing in Mesa amps.
Doug from dougstubes will sell you 2 matched power tubes.
All his tubes are pretested, are much better quality & much cheaper than Mesa tubes.

b) Use a noise gate like an MXR Smart Gate or ISP Decimator in the loop of your amp for use on high gain.
This will eat 100% of both your amp & pedal board hummm & will not affect amp tones if tweaked correctly.

I've done both a) & b) & enjoy silent playing/recording whenever I want.
All tube amps have hummm & most benefit from retubing.
It's normal business for tube amp owners :mrgreen:

 

[Krek13]

nice to see an Authorized Boogie guy here - first time I've seen that in 7 yrs on this forum.
Do a search and you'll find many previous threads on Express amp humm.

First - the 5:25 has always had more humm than the 5:50.
The Plus series has less humm than the originals.
The Boogie guy is correct in stating even the noisier 5:25 is about average for a tube amp.

If your amp is too noisy for your liking the FIX is easy - 2 options.

a) New non Mesa pre-amp & power tubes will reduce amp humm by 60-70% and improve amp tones significantly.
Many here have swapped in http://www.dougstubes.com Express tube mix.
Email Doug asking about his Tube Kit for the Express 5:25 Plus.

I will never go back to Mesa tubes.
Mesa use ordinary quality chinese tubes - not bad but not great imo.
There are much better quality, quieter & cheaper tubes available elsewhere.
You must replace both preamp & power tubes to get the full effect.

Mesa Corp give a story about their tubes needing no bias & all being checked by them blah blah.
Fact is - ALL tube suppliers pre-test their tubes & none need biasing in Mesa amps.
Doug from dougstubes will sell you 2 matched power tubes.
All his tubes are pretested, are much better quality & much cheaper than Mesa tubes.

b) Use a noise gate like an MXR Smart Gate or ISP Decimator in the loop of your amp for use on high gain.
This will eat 100% of both your amp & pedal board hummm & will not affect amp tones if tweaked correctly.

I've done both a) & b) & enjoy silent playing/recording whenever I want.
All tube amps have hummm & most benefit from retubing.
It's normal business for tube amp owners :mrgreen:

this post is full of misinformation...

1. Stop advertising Dougs tubes, there have been users on this forum who claimed that they didn't get any improvement with dougs tubes...
2. Mesa uses Chinese tubes only in the P.I. slot, all other preamp and power tubes are russian Svetlana...
3. ALL tube suppliers don't test their tubes and you can't just pick a pair of power tubes and tuck them in...tubes need to be tested/measured to fit to bias of a certain mesa amp model...
4. Burn channel has no need for a noise gate, it is actually very quiet comparing to some other hi gain amps...

Lastly, sometimes I wonder if you guys play any music or just talk and contemplate about your gear.I have an old 5:25 head that has no unordinary humm on any channel and never had any. I use JJs inside because I can't get any mesa tubes in eastern europe for a normal price.

Humm is the element of sound and is not heard while playing. there is no tube amp that is completely silent...

 

[Newysurfer]

nice to see an Authorized Boogie guy here - first time I've seen that in 7 yrs on this forum.
Do a search and you'll find many previous threads on Express amp humm.

First - the 5:25 has always had more humm than the 5:50.
The Plus series has less humm than the originals.
The Boogie guy is correct in stating even the noisier 5:25 is about average for a tube amp.

If your amp is too noisy for your liking the FIX is easy - 2 options.

a) New non Mesa pre-amp & power tubes will reduce amp humm by 60-70% and improve amp tones significantly.
Many here have swapped in http://www.dougstubes.com Express tube mix.
Email Doug asking about his Tube Kit for the Express 5:25 Plus.

I will never go back to Mesa tubes.
Mesa use ordinary quality chinese tubes - not bad but not great imo.
There are much better quality, quieter & cheaper tubes available elsewhere.
You must replace both preamp & power tubes to get the full effect.

Mesa Corp give a story about their tubes needing no bias & all being checked by them blah blah.
Fact is - ALL tube suppliers pre-test their tubes & none need biasing in Mesa amps.
Doug from dougstubes will sell you 2 matched power tubes.
All his tubes are pretested, are much better quality & much cheaper than Mesa tubes.

b) Use a noise gate like an MXR Smart Gate or ISP Decimator in the loop of your amp for use on high gain.
This will eat 100% of both your amp & pedal board hummm & will not affect amp tones if tweaked correctly.

I've done both a) & b) & enjoy silent playing/recording whenever I want.
All tube amps have hummm & most benefit from retubing.
It's normal business for tube amp owners :mrgreen:

this post is full of misinformation...

1. Stop advertising Dougs tubes, there have been users on this forum who claimed that they didn't get any improvement with dougs tubes...
2. Mesa uses Chinese tubes only in the P.I. slot, all other preamp and power tubes are russian Svetlana...
3. ALL tube suppliers don't test their tubes and you can't just pick a pair of power tubes and tuck them in...tubes need to be tested/measured to fit to bias of a certain mesa amp model...
4. Burn channel has no need for a noise gate, it is actually very quiet comparing to some other hi gain amps...

Lastly, sometimes I wonder if you guys play any music or just talk and contemplate about your gear.I have an old 5:25 head that has no unordinary humm on any channel and never had any. I use JJs inside because I can't get any mesa tubes in eastern europe for a normal price.

Humm is the element of sound and is not heard while playing. there is no tube amp that is completely silent...

Hehehe your post is full of misinformation imo.
I wonder if you use your amp too.

1) If there are any people on this forum who have not got any improvement from Dougs tubes I've not heard of it.
Please post here if you have had no improvement.
Krek13 - have you even tried Dougs tube kit or are just talking crap?

2) Mesa have consistently factory fitted Chinese tubes (with mesa stamps) in all tube locations in the Express for many years.
That does not mean they have fitted them in every single express or every mesa amp.

3) Ok I should have said reputable tube suppliers...... soooo all reputable tube suppliers (like Dougtubes) fully test & match power tubes to your amp prior to sale.
Obviously you have to tell them what amp you own though. Happy now

4) I never said anything on the Express NEEDED a noise gate. I said "if your amp is too noisy for your liking".

I have no affiliation with Dougs Tubes and I did not advertise them.
I simply advised people about a good service they offer - take it or leave it, I do not care.

Krek13 - you're entitled to your opinion but there's no need to be abusive or rude to people you do not agree with.
You should also read and understand posts well before you post yourself.
You should also take extra care when English is not your first language :mrgreen:

 

[FlamencoD]

Hehehe your post is full of misinformation imo.
I wonder if you use your amp too.

1) If there are any people on this forum who have not got any improvement from Dougs tubes I've not heard of it.
Please post here if you have had no improvement.
Krek13 - have you even tried Dougs tube kit or are just talking crap?

2) Mesa have consistently factory fitted Chinese tubes (with mesa stamps) in all tube locations in the Express for many years.
That does not mean they have fitted them in every single express or every mesa amp.

3) Ok I should have said reputable tube suppliers...... soooo all reputable tube suppliers (like Dougtubes) fully test & match power tubes to your amp prior to sale.
Obviously you have to tell them what amp you own though. Happy now

4) I never said anything on the Express NEEDED a noise gate. I said "if your amp is too noisy for your liking".

I have no affiliation with Dougs Tubes and I did not advertise them.
I simply advised people about a good service they offer - take it or leave it, I do not care.

Krek13 - you're entitled to your opinion but there's no need to be abusive or rude to people you do not agree with.
You should also read and understand posts well before you post yourself.
You should also take extra care when English is not your first language :mrgreen:

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but if you have to go back and correct, clarify, or update much of what you said, then yes, your post was full of misinformation. You implied that Mesa uses Chinese tubes all the time, which you clarified they don't necessarily use them all the time. Then you clarified that you meant "reputable tube suppliers will bias the tubes for your specific amp", which you didn't even elude to those details in your other post. And third, how do you know that just because he lives in Eastern Europe that English isn't his first language? And lastly, the folks who have used Doug's tubes and may not have noticed an improvement may not see this post; so for you to say for those folks to post their negative reviews here, within a post that has nothing to do with Doug's tubes, way down in this thread is an invalid way to poll that topic.

 

[Krek13]

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but if you have to go back and correct, clarify, or update much of what you said, then yes, your post was full of misinformation. You implied that Mesa uses Chinese tubes all the time, which you clarified they don't necessarily use them all the time. Then you clarified that you meant "reputable tube suppliers will bias the tubes for your specific amp", which you didn't even elude to those details in your other post. And third, how do you know that just because he lives in Eastern Europe that English isn't his first language? And lastly, the folks who have used Doug's tubes and may not have noticed an improvement may not see this post; so for you to say for those folks to post their negative reviews here, within a post that has nothing to do with Doug's tubes, way down in this thread is an invalid way to poll that topic.

every other topic concerned with express humm or tubes ends up with a post advising to get doug's tube cocktail yadda yadda yadda...

 

[Newysurfer]

Flamenco -
If you don't have a "dog in this fight" why make an incorrect post - another example of someone not reading or understanding.
You are wrong.
As stated before - I have clarified 1 word from my 1st post to my 2nd.
I only added the word "reputable".
The rest of my 2nd post is commenting on Kreg13 rude & abusive 1st post.

What you think I "inferred" is your own incorrect interpretation.
And I do not know for sure that English is not Kreg13's first language and never said I did know for sure.
I made an assumption it was in a generous attempt to excuse his unnecessarily rude post.

Lastly, I did not attempt to "POLL" members views on Doug's Tube Kit.
I simply said that I have not so far heard any negative opinions & people can post their views here if they wish.
Enough of the pettiness plz.

Neither Kreg13 or Flamenco have offered any assistance to the OP so far cos you've been too busy attacking me.
I have tried to help him.
Hopefully the OP has got some useful info to consider & my only motive was to help him not argue with anyone.

 

[FlamencoD]

Flamenco -
If you don't have a "dog in this fight" why make an incorrect post - another example of someone not reading or understanding.
You are wrong.
As stated before - I have clarified 1 word from my 1st post to my 2nd.
I only added the word "reputable".
The rest of my 2nd post is commenting on Kreg13 rude & abusive 1st post.

What you think I "inferred" is your own incorrect interpretation.
And I do not know for sure that English is not Kreg13's first language and never said I did know for sure.
I made an assumption it was in a generous attempt to excuse his unnecessarily rude & abrupt post.

Lastly, I did not attempt to "POLL" members views on Doug's Tube Kit.
I simply said that I have not so far heard any negative opinions & people can post their views here if they wish.
Enough of the pettiness plz.

Hopefully the OP has got some useful info to consider & my only motive was to help him not argue with anyone.

Agree to disagree. You changed a lot more than one word, and stated several things as fact that you then backtracked on or had to clarify.

That said, I'm intrigued by Doug's tubes, and may look into them when I need to re-tube.

 

[Krek13]

Kreg13 rude & abusive 1st post.

:lol: :lol:

 

[alphasports]

A bit late to the party here...

FWIW I put a complete Doug's tube cocktail in my Express 5:25 a few months back. Soon after, the amp started buzzing like mad esp on higher gain settings (not just hum but gut-wrenching buzz). I did a complete one-by-one tube swap to try to isolate the problem, no joy. I assumed it was a chassis problem so brought it in to Mesa for service. $150 and 10 days later it turned out to be not one but 2 bad preamp tubes, brand new from Doug's. I put new Mesa preamp tubes back in.

Problem solved.

 

[amrose57]

A bit late to the party here...

FWIW I put a complete Doug's tube cocktail in my Express 5:25 a few months back. Soon after, the amp started buzzing like mad esp on higher gain settings (not just hum but gut-wrenching buzz). I did a complete one-by-one tube swap to try to isolate the problem, no joy. I assumed it was a chassis problem so brought it in to Mesa for service. $150 and 10 days later it turned out to be not one but 2 bad preamp tubes, brand new from Doug's. I put new Mesa preamp tubes back in.

Problem solved.

Ley me add my 2 cents here as well. I've got a 5:25+ that hisses a bit too much for me. Well above my other tube amp's hiss. Put a set of Doug's tubes in, and the hiss went down by about 40% or so. OK, good deal. Second gig out both channels start cutting in and out. Not good. Found a mode that worked OK so just used that and rode my volume knob the rest of the night. Made it through. The next day I found 2 of the 5 tubes bad.

So now I use Mesa SPAX7 tubes in V1 and V2, and a 12AT7 in the PI, and the amp is much, much quieter. Quieter than the Doug's Tubes set. It does sound better with NOS tubes in V1 and V2, but for recording and studio work the SPAX7 tubes go in.

Al

 

[alphasports]

Ley me add my 2 cents here as well. I've got a 5:25+ that hisses a bit too much for me. Well above my other tube amp's hiss. Put a set of Doug's tubes in, and the hiss went down by about 40% or so. OK, good deal. Second gig out both channels start cutting in and out. Not good. Found a mode that worked OK so just used that and rode my volume knob the rest of the night. Made it through. The next day I found 2 of the 5 tubes bad.

So now I use Mesa SPAX7 tubes in V1 and V2, and a 12AT7 in the PI, and the amp is much, much quieter. Quieter than the Doug's Tubes set. It does sound better with NOS tubes in V1 and V2, but for recording and studio work the SPAX7 tubes go in.

Al

Interesting. Let me follow up on my previous post before yours (2 threads up): After I got my amp back from service with the ostensibly bad 2x Doug's preamp tubes and all seemed well, the amp started humming like mad again after a very short while, mostly on Ch2 with gain around 2-3pm and master around 1pm.

So in frustration this weekend I bought a COMPLETE Mesa retube (full set, instead of the swap-one/change-one routine), like you I bought 3x SPAX7 for V1-V2-V3 and 2x regular 12AX7 for V4-V5. Also a new set of matched EL34 power tubes (all Mesa). Started it up and for a few minutes thought everything was fine, the only sound being the quite loud hiss esp on Ch2. Hiss I can live with. Sort of. But sure enough within a random few minutes the hum/buzz comes back with a vengeance. This morning I turned the Ch2 Gain & Masters to around 2-3pm and the hum is incredibly loud. Not steady hum either, but roller coaster buzz, up, down, and in the middle. And now it seems to smell a bit too, so that's great.

I have taken it offline and have written a factory service request to Mesa. Either it's fried caps or something else but I'm up to close to $500 in new tubes & local Mesa service to absolutely no avail. I'd dump the amp and move on to something else except I can't sell it as is. I will probably send it to the factory and take that hit for a few hundred more rather than throw it in the dumpster and lose everything.

Pisses me off a bit

 

[alphasports]

Mesa kindly called and issued me an RMA for my amp, hopefully it'll fix the buzz once and for all!

 

[Newysurfer]

Mesa kindly called and issued me an RMA for my amp, hopefully it'll fix the buzz once and for all!

ok I been watching your troubles - not good.
This noise issue appears to be isolated to the 5:25 - the originals were more noisy than the Plus.
5:50s are quiet.

What's an RMA ?

As an aside I bought a Mark V 25 a few months ago and.............
this amp is very quiet even with loads more gain on tap than the Express :mrgreen: