Hi, I have a Boss 110b 60 Watt amp, and unfortunately it makes a loud hissing sound. It’s quite annoying. I have tried many tihngs in my house to try to lessen the hissing including different plugs, different cables etc. It is possible this is judt a lud amp in operation? I am wondering if trading it in for a different one (such as the BlackStar Unity amp) may be the thing to do. Or is this known as a loud amp in operation too? Just wondering if there are any amps for practice that may be quieter in operation, since the Boss one is distracting…Thanks for any help! Jonathan
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Hissing sound.
Check your tone knob on the bass.
Boss katana is one of the quiet amp I know so if you can post the video it may helps.
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I’d like to know more about the hiss.
Like, at what volume level does it hiss loudly or does it do it even when idling at low volume or with nothing even plugged into the input? How are the tone controls set and is there a gain boost. Higher levels of preamp gain will create more noise that may sound like hiss. How high do you have the gain set?
One tip I can offer with many amps including BOSS is to set the master volume higher and the gain low raising it a bit for more volume. That’s one of the suggestions BOSS has made regarding the Katana guitar amps. It may be the same with a Katana Bass Amp however I’ve never owned or played one.
If none of this resolves the issue and the amp is brand new it may be a fault with the amp and you may want to exchange it for another. Keep us posted.
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Could also be a ground loop. I had something similar with my pedals. Fixed it with a decent power unit. So the PU could also be at fault.
You always get noise if you put a drive (gain) to the max. So make sure your gain is low and volume higher when testing.
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HI, thanks for the responses. The hiss happens as soon as you turn the amp on - even without a cable attached. It seems like it may become a bit louder with the guitar hooked up and then even louder with the gain high. But there is a baseline hiss (pretty loud) even when no cable attached and simply plugged in. An electrician has come to the house and he said there is a grounding issue with the house. I’m assuming that could be the cause? Or does this amp just have a bassline hiss. i hope not as it’s very distracting…
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No modern amp should have a baseline hiss. Can you test it at a different location?
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Hmm. Both my (modern, solid state) bass and guitar amps have some amount of audible hiss if I’m right in front of them. It’s not enough to be distracting unless I turn on the tweeter on my bass amp or the dirt channel on my guitar amp, but it’s definitely there. Maybe sticking a noise gate in the effects loop would get rid of it, but it doesn’t bother me so I haven’t tried.
I would assume so too, yes. It’s not a big deal if you don’t hear it when playing.
Especially on a guitar the hiss can be very noticable. If you are gonna use pedals in front of your amp it can even be worse. A noise gate won’t fix the problem (I think). Just never go cheap on the Power Unit for pedals IMHO.
If you plug your devices in a AC battery there is a very good chance you won’t hear any hiss at all. 
Some hiss may be present with certain SS amps all of the time but it should not be so loud that it’s distracting. Does the amp have a high frequency tweeter and is it possible that’s the source of the hiss? If so and the amp has an attenuator for that tweeter try turning it down or off. If it’s set high you’re likely to hear some hiss.
Grounding issues more typically present as hum but I can’t be 100% certain that may not be the source of the problem. What you can do as has been suggested is to play the amp elsewhere in a location where you know a properly grounded outlet is not the problem. Also keep in mind that we can’t hear what you’re hearing so doing any kind of troubleshooting online is difficult at best.
And last, did you buy the amp locally? If so can you take it back to the store to be evaluated? If not is there an amp tech in your town or nearby who can evaluate the issue? If it’s a new amp still under warranty and the hiss is unacceptable ask for it to be repaired or return it for another. If a replacement does the same it may simply be characteristic of that amp and you’ll need to choose a different one.
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Is it really a hiss or is it more of a hum?
I had a Spark Cab with an unbearable hum. The manufacturer told me that this is “normal” with Class D amps. I sent it back and got a digital Class D amp instead, which is dead silent. Love it!
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That is absolutely untrue.
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Hahaha! Yes, agreed! If you google “Spark Cab” and hum/noise, you will find quite a few comments about this issue.
Reply from Positive Grid support about the issue: “It’s important to note that the Spark CAB, like any electronic device, may have a certain level of noise floor inherent to its design. This noise is typically within industry standards and should not significantly impact your overall playing experience. However, we understand that individual preferences vary, and we want to ensure your complete satisfaction with our product.”
The amount of noise was unbearable … my girlfriend could hear the cab humming 5m across the room.
I also don’t believe that a “certain level of noise floor inherent to its design” is god given, as I had Class D HIFI equipment many years ago that was absolutely noise free. Of course, if the design is faulty, humming can happen 
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Hi, Well, I brought the amp back to thge store and they tested it. They thought it was within the normal amount of hissing (despite it being heard across the room). I ended up returning it for store credit. Now, I am wondering what to do. Are there any bass amps that are known to be silent(or at least ones that are better?) Or maybe the Boss one I had was actually not representative. Strange thought - but would the Boss 210b possibly be any better? I am am quite limited in the choice I have gien my location…
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My options are limited as I mentioned - Fender, Hartke or Boss. That’as it really…
I have one and there’s zero hum from it so what they seem to be telling us is they find it acceptable to sell and ship a certain percentage who do hum and they call it “normal” to avoid having to refund or replace them.
IMHO that’s a crappy way to do business but because it’s so portable and I can use it for tracks to play over I bought one used for less than $200. If they believe all electronic devices “have a certain level of noise inherent” I’ll send them my Genzler head.
The only noise it produces other than bass notes with extreme clarity is fan sound and even that is quite low. Some may find even that bothersome but I’d rather have my amp running cool than to have to replace it because some component got fried. That’s why Jeff’s amps will last forever.
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I have that same experience with my JBL EON 710, except that it has no fan (and never runs hot, maybe due to the digital amp?) … and it produces all notes with extreme clarity - which is great as I can play the background track and my bass through it and it sounds absolutely great!
So I agree 100% that the Positive Grid statement is b@ll@cks and is only meant to “to avoid having to refund or replace them”…
It’s kinda like Burger King telling you that every third burger they serve is either over cooked or under cooked and that’s just the way it is when you know that it isn’t. I don’'t see Positive Grid as being a serious manufacture of musical gear as much as I do a tech company with a musical gimmick to sell. It’s useful in a number of ways but still a gimmick amp for in home use.
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