jonny deep
Disappointing Member
So, my little Vox Night Train 15W head (the NT15H) has a problem - at medium gain settings it produces a kind of fizzy rattly noise at the start of each note played, that settles after about a second or so. I took it into the shop and we determined it was indeed the amp and not my guitars (I could play other amps without the issue).
The man in the shop told me that this is common in low power amps when you start to push the tubes. I've researched online and found others with the same issue - some say it can be fixed with new preamp tubes; others say that it's to be expected in mass produced, low cost amps like this (i.e. they're very hit and miss) and can't be solved.
So, I've decided to try a tube swap before I give up on the amp. My online research suggests that a JJ ECC83s 12AX7 tube in slot 1 and an EH 12AX7 tube in slot 2 is the best combination.
Any thoughts/comments? Am I wasting my time? Any better tube combos I should consider?
Many thanks in advance!
Edit - Do I need to consider matching or biasing? I believe the Night Train doesn't require re-biasing, but not sure if I need to consider the bias of the tubes in conjunction (note - I am a total noob at tube amps).
The man in the shop told me that this is common in low power amps when you start to push the tubes. I've researched online and found others with the same issue - some say it can be fixed with new preamp tubes; others say that it's to be expected in mass produced, low cost amps like this (i.e. they're very hit and miss) and can't be solved.
So, I've decided to try a tube swap before I give up on the amp. My online research suggests that a JJ ECC83s 12AX7 tube in slot 1 and an EH 12AX7 tube in slot 2 is the best combination.
Any thoughts/comments? Am I wasting my time? Any better tube combos I should consider?
Many thanks in advance!
Edit - Do I need to consider matching or biasing? I believe the Night Train doesn't require re-biasing, but not sure if I need to consider the bias of the tubes in conjunction (note - I am a total noob at tube amps).