I recently bought 2 new amps and I’m frustrated with the sound quality. Both seem to make too much noise even at low volumes. At higher volumes, the noise was just too distracting.
I first bought an Eden Orbiter 10 online from gear4music, but that fizzed and buzzed, so I sent it back for a replacement. But they said the amp was fine and sent it back to me, so I sent it back again and got a refund. I don’t believe they tested it beyond switching it on.
I then bought a Laney Digbeth DBF50 from a store. In store, the noise seemed acceptable, but it was a busy store with lots of other noises. After about a week of trying to ignore the noise, I decided I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I’m in contact with Laney to resolve the issue.
I know these are cheaper amps, but I’m struggling to accept that they make so much noise.
I’m a bass newbie, so I’m not sure how much of this noise is normal, so I’m interested in your opinions on the matter. Do I really have to spend even more money?
I just want an amp that gives me a clean, noiseless sound so I can work on my technique without distractions. Are there amps you’d recommend?
Have you tried it/them in different rooms or even a different building? It could be that you have a very noisy environment or noisy mains electricity. There are others here who can help with maybe fixing that better than I can. I am currently staying in a small place in Chamonix where I stay for three months every year and, as always my bass picks up loads of noise here.
Thanks for your response. I tried the amps in a couple of rooms, including my garage well away from other electrical sources. I live in a detached house in a low density area, so few external noise sources.
Are you using the same amp at home and in Chamonix? What noise sources do you think affects the amp in Chamonix? Thanks.
I’ve been chasing down a very similar issue recently myself, so I can sympathise with the distraction caused by buzzing
Do you have an opportunity to test the amp out with a different bass? This would help narrow down the issue to bass or amp related.
If you’ve tried two different amps, and had the same problem, then it would seem that the common denominator is the power supply. As has already been suggested, it’s worth trying the amp in a different location to see if that changes things (it may not do of course, since the power supply may still be noisy).
Thanks for your response Phil. I only have one bass, but the hissing noise is the same whether or not the bass is plugged in. I’m considering getting some lessons at local music schools, so I’ll pick one where I can try their amps and try mine at the school.
We have an electrician coming to my house in a couple of weeks to do some work, so I’m going to ask him what he thinks about the quality of its power supply.
I’ve been thinking about buying a power conditioner, but I’m reticent. It would be another £150 on top of what I’ve already spent, & I won’t know if they work until I’ve bought one or even if I chose the right one for my situation.
I’m interested to know your & others opinions on the effectiveness of power conditioners.
Thanks for your response Alex. The hissing noises from both amps I bought were the same whether or not the bass was plugged, so my gut feeling is the issues were with the amps.
I’ve been thinking the same myself, but was also conscious of the extra expense. I’ve also invested in a Harley Benton isolated power supply for my pedals to try and avoid noise there, but that would still leave the amp drawing from a potentially noisy power source.
It’ll be interesting to hear what your electrician says about the quality of the power supply in your home, and whether that’s the cause of the buzz.
Yes, all same kit. I’ve never bothered to try and track it down as it’s out of my control anyway. It’s a fairly small little mini chalet known as a mazot. Could be the mains but also maybe the internet router. Everything is, of necessity, very close to everything else!
Are you certain your ground (earth) connection in your home actually is grounded? This is not a rhetorical question, ask @Barney or anyone else who has worked construction.
Because what you are describing sounds like it could be a floating ground. If you have an electrician coming, ask them to check to make sure your grounding is good.
A certain amount of hissing is normal and this gets worse the more you turn up volume/gain/drive and treble (maybe the tilt dial on the Laney as well).
I know the issue persists without the bass plugged in, but you can also try to turn down the treble/tone pot on your bass.
People on the forum often recommend the Fender Rumble 40 (or bigger), so after you had the electrician check your house, you could try that.
Thanks Antonio. The Fender Rumble 40 is a great suggestion. I hate saying this, but Amazon is selling them for about £20 more than the Laney DBF50 (I’d prefer to support a guitar shop), so I’m keeping it as a backup plan.
I’m now communicating with Laney on this. TBH I’m not finding them very helpful, the responses bordering on gaslighting (eg they said that it might not suit my playing style?!).
The tilt on the Laney isn’t great. I have to keep the treble low to cut out the hiss, but that just makes the amp sound like it’s underwater. FET, Treble, Tilt and Volume are unusable beyond a third turn from the zero position to keep the hiss low enough to make the amp usable.
I’m waiting on another response from Laney. When I have completed the process with them, I think I’ll add a summary in the thread, so people can benefit from it maybe.
I had a bit of a “doh!” moment when I read your suggestion!