Tube amp is making low frequency refrigerator sound

[batrah]

I just bought a brand new diezel vh4 and mesa boogie cab. The sound is amazing, but i have never experienced this kind of refrigerator sound when using an amp. It's not noticeable when playing, but i hear it when not playing. Both when standby is on or off

 

[Dave L]

From the amp itself or thru the speakers? In either case it probably is the power transformer vibrating, and the output transformer can sometimes pick that up and send it on to the speakers.

 

[311boogieman]

I just bought a brand new diezel vh4 and mesa boogie cab. The sound is amazing, but i have never experienced this kind of refrigerator sound when using an amp. It's not noticeable when playing, but i hear it when not playing. Both when standby is on or off

Welcome to Rig-Talk

If this is what I think it is it is normal for a high gain amp. That said, is this your first tube amp and have you don't any troubleshooting? (ie. tube tapping, signal path check, interference, etc.)

 

[midnightlaundry]

Motorboating??

 

[angelspade]

In my experience, the VH4 is a very quiet amp...even at high gain settings...have it looked at.

 

[batrah]

In my experience, the VH4 is a very quiet amp...even at high gain settings...have it looked at.

I contacted Diezel, and the man himself said "a certain mechanical hum on the VH4 is normal since 1993. The M102 core is causing this."

Here is an audio example: https://jumpshare.com/s/KtHwbGLrfzdJAPs3h80n

Did you experience this? It kinda sounds like the noise you get when guitar is not plugged in, but lower frequency

 

[Dave L]

Yes, that is the power transformer humming. But am I right in that you only hear it from the transformer itself and not the speakers? If so, it´s not an issue, especially if Peter says that this transformer does hum by design.

 

[batrah]

Yes, that is the power transformer humming. But am I right in that you only hear it from the transformer itself and not the speakers? If so, it´s not an issue, especially if Peter says that this transformer does hum by design.

Its from the amp itself yeah. Maybe i'm overreacting, but i can clearly hear the hum from 5 meters away. I've seen so many youtube clips of people with VH4 up close, room recorded and i'm not hearing any hum like that.

I honestly think it's louder than it should be. Even if i used a microphone to record the speaker, it would def pick up the noise if i don't play constantly. Maybe i should just get a long speaker cable and place the amp somewhere else

 

[angelspade]

I contacted Diezel, and the man himself said "a certain mechanical hum on the VH4 is normal since 1993. The M102 core is causing this."

Here is an audio example: https://jumpshare.com/s/KtHwbGLrfzdJAPs3h80n

Did you experience this? It kinda sounds like the noise you get when guitar is not plugged in, but lower frequency

I've owned 3 VH4...All have been nearly dead silent...exceptionally quiet for a high gain amp.

 

[batrah]

I've owned 3 VH4...All have been nearly dead silent...exceptionally quiet for a high gain amp.

Then i'm super confused

 

[Dave L]

Well, if you´re convinced there´s something wrong with it, and it´s a brand new amp, your only options are returning it or starting a warranty claim.

However, clips with recordings set up to catch the room sound of the much louder amp without distorting might not be picking up all the hum that was there IRL. You don´t have to adjust your ears to keep them from clipping in the same way

I get the feeling you´re talking about the noise in the actual sound it produces, angelspade? This is mechanical noise coming off of the power transformer. Or do you mean it was exceptionally quiet just sitting there in standby or without a cab? But if you had three you should be the man to know if you can hear the transformer in the room or not.

 

[Nigel]

You might try the Diezel forum or tech forum for answers as well.

 

[Deleted member 77333]

tURN DOWN THE THERMOSTAT.

 

[angelspade]

I get the feeling you´re talking about the noise in the actual sound it produces, angelspade? This is mechanical noise coming off of the power transformer. Or do you mean it was exceptionally quiet just sitting there in standby or without a cab? But if you had three you should be the man to know if you can hear the transformer in the room or not.

If I am understanding you correctly...I am talking about the idle sound (hum or white static) when the amp is fully powered up (often refereed to as a "noise floor") but is not being played. The VH4 has a very low noise floor by comparison to my Marshalls 5150s, etc. I believe that other VH4 owners will report a similar experience. The amp typically does not have a noticeable or constant "hum or wash".

 

[Dave L]

Yeah, that´s what I thought and the noise floor is not the issue here

 

[batrah]

Ok so after turning off standby the speaker does actually amplify it more. So recording with a microphone is not going to work. fking bummer. i think i'll go back to vh2

 

[batrah]

https://ibb.co/3YpTZ5Lv
https://ibb.co/Ld2JyBTf

Are the power transformers supposed to have gaps like that at the top? Or does it not matter in this case

 

[Jakem]

This is bothering You and You are not happy. It is a new amp so return it and get it checked. If the noise is as expected, take the refund.

 

[creep66]

Thats Diezel out doing billy blade's cupholder. Throw a few beers on the back of it.

 

[Deleted member 77333]

sooo ..... i got kinda the same thing goin on. My amps are dead quiet but today i wired up a new[to me] metal pedalboard and noticed the
background hum.
Ive tried everything to eliminate the noise sounds like a Blackhawk chopper in the distance.
Even went back to my old wooden pedalboard.
Tried swapping tubes both pre & power.
Super hot here today high demand on the power grid its some kind of 60 cycle dirty power.
Kinda sucks. Never know what the powewr company is up to.