Any ART Tube MP Studio V3 users here?

[KrispyDK]

Hello there,

I went and got myself an ART Tube MP Studio V3 preamp fairly cheap off the net and am wondering if I got a dud?

My problem is the noise it makes. I've read a lot of reviews and obviously noise came up a lot. I wasn't expecting anything like top or even mid range quality from a cheap unit like this but I was hoping it would be usable!

Here's my experience with it:

I am plugging the unit into a small 25w peavey guitar amp without anything plugged into the V3's input.

If I set both the input and output levels midway (12 o'clock) without its +20db button pressed in there is a small amount of hiss present with an occasional rustling noise creeping in.

If I then switch the +20db pad on, the hiss becomes extreme. In fact, with +20db turned on, you cannot raise the output level above the first indicator without the unit becoming unusable due to it's hiss.

Is this normal for the Studio V3? Have I got a dud? Is the valve dead (it doesn't seem to glow at all and I'm not sure whether I should expect it to?)?

If anyone here owns one and will admit to it(!) I'd love to hear whether this is normal behaviour or if i need to return it.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Saxmeister]

Hey KrispyDK, are you still having this issue with your ART preamp. I've got both the Studio V3 and a rack mounted TPS II so I know some of the things that happen with them.

The static/rustling noise you are hearing is more than likely from the pots on the input/output levels needing some de-oxit or they may have even been bent (which happens to these since the knobs stick out so far).

If you are getting that much hiss then you may have a bad tube/valve. They won't glow much since these preamps are a low voltage design, but you should at least see a little orange if you look closely in a darkened room.

These preamps do have some noise, but not enough to make them totally unusable.