Vox VT30 hiss

[tjcurtin1]

This amp has a background hiss or white noise that comes into play and gets louder when you hit the strings, then fades out as the input from the guitar fades out or when you mute the strings. It is more prominent with some amp models than others and is kind of annoying. At first, I thought it might be a function of the tube, or even an emulation of what a true tube amp sounds like/functions, but two experienced player friends who have played it recently have looked at me funny and said. "What's that?" when playing through it. Any thoughts?

[Retro Hound]

Is this across all models? I've got some white noise with some models if the gain is up or the attenuator is set real high, but it's not been an issue I can't remedy with one of those two knobs.

[Robert]

Hiss? Make sure this doesn't happen to you.

http://www.thesniper.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/snake.jpg

[Duffy]

Did you do a "reset"? That usually clears up almost all problems with that amp. Also make sure it's not the guitar having a grounding problem or something; try a different guitar if you haven't already. Also valvetronix.net has some great resources for that amp and you can ask the experts there on the forum what they think. There is lots of experience there.

[tjcurtin1]

Robert,

Aww, you can tell from the guys face that that's just a love bite...

[tjcurtin1]

IF I do a reset, do I lose all my presets? I'm guessing that I would. Thanks for the suggestion, Duffy, I'll stop by the valvetronix site. Retro, I'll try to check across models and take closer notes - I think that it is probably related to the amount of gain, but still, would that be normal? Does that typically happen with a tube amp?

[markb]

Have you tried altering the noise reduction settings? I've found it can help. I'm not sure how you do it on the VT30, i've only had amps from the older and newer series.

[Duffy]

Have you tried altering the noise reduction settings? I've found it can help. I'm not sure how you do it on the VT30, i've only had amps from the older and newer series.

This is a good point. You could have accidentally disabled the noise reduction or changed its setting without knowing it. The VT30 has a very nice feature set.

If you don't have the manual I'm sure you can download it by doing a search on google or going to the Vox site. It tells how to do the manual reset, etc.

I strongly recommend that you go to the valvetronix.net site and register and post your problem there. Those guys definitely will be able to help you out. They have "been there, done that". Also there are resources there that are essential to keeping your "Chromie" working right. Such as the instructions on how to effectively clean "all" of the jacks on the amp, which seems to be needed to be done regualarly to these amps, due to the cheap jacks. These are great amps but they cut corners on using cheap jacks and this is well documented with solutions. There are even instructions and kits to replace all the jacks on the amp with high quality ones. A lot of people actually do that. I have not replaced the jacks on my VT30 and have not had a problem with it.

One note: you should use the "right" electrical contact cleaner to clean the jacks, not WD40 by any means. I use de-oxit and spray some in the jack with the amp off and then push a plug in and out several times. You need to do this to all the jacks. Even the headphone jack could be causing a problem.

Also, did you do the "manual reset"? You will lose your presets. They recommend writing down your presets so you can put them back in later. They have a bunch of presets on the valvetronix.net site that you can put into your amp and you can share your presets there. They say that it gets to the point with these valvetronix amps that you "have to do a manual reset", just like re-booting your computer. They are so computerized that things just get messed up and a reboot (manual reset) is necessary once in a while. The manual reset is reported to clear up almost all problems with the amp, not related to the "oxidized jacks" problem.

I'm fairly sure that if you post on the valvetronix.net forum that you will get the feedback you need to get your amp back up running right; at least there is a high probability that they will be able to help you completely solve the problem. Evidently, outside of a few correctable problems, the "Chromies" are very reliable amps, contrary to the uninformed opinions of some. The (+) series is still fairly new but they have a lot of information on the site regarding those too. Evidently the "plus" series has had some amps exhibit a new phenomenon called the "snare drum sizzle". I'm not sure if they found a solution to this problem or if Vox corrected the problem in the latest production runs of the amp.

I have "some" natural hiss coming from my VT30, but it is on a high gain setting. It isn't hissing any more than my other amps, so I don't see it as a problem. Most amps are going to hiss a little, especially at higher gain settings or volume settings. Still, there are a lot of things you can do and check.

I have a Peavey 6505+ combo high gain amp. Heavy metal type amp. It has six preamp tubes, plus two power tube and is sixty loud watts. It has a "lot" of gain. When you crank the gain and volume up on this amp is shakes the house. However, when you have the gain and volume turned up like this, it hisses probably a "lot" louder than you would expect. It is really fun to play thru and even fun to crank up to "chest pounding" volume sometimes.

In the end, it might be a good idea to look at the manufacturer's warranty period before buying an amp. Vox has one year. Fender has 5 years on the Super Champ X2, and you can upload different amp models and effects from that site that the Mustangs use. Plus the Super Champ X2 is a great amp. But the thing I'm mentioning here is that Fender has the 5 year warranty. That suggests that they have "confidence" that the amp will last 5 years without them having to do a lot of repairs/exchanges, etc. I don't think Vox has that same confidence.

I like my VT30 a lot. Always wanted a "Chromie". If it gets squirrely after a while I don't know what route I'll go. I got a super great deal on a NOS one, so I'll probably just get a new one or one of the plus ones, I'm not sure. I like the protective chrome grill. I don't know if I'd sell my SCXD, but the new SCX2's definitely seem like they would be great, especially in that you can upload some presumably awesome amp models and effects, and it has a real power tube section.

I hope you get to the bottom of this and get it working right. It is definitely a neat amp.

[Radioboy950]

Experiment with the noise gate, as others have suggested. I have the AD50VT version, and I ended up dialing down the gate because it cut off the guitar's sustain and added obnoxious noise. Once I figured that out, I started to like the amph much more.

[tjcurtin1]

There was a long thread at the Vox site from a guy with the problem I describe - it is indeed that 'snare rattle' hiss. It's a great description, as I remember the snare drum in my high school band making just that sound when we were playing loud. The thread is pages long, and as far as I've gotten so far, it's at the point where Vox acknowledged that there is an issue, but I haven't arrived at the final conclusion, if there is one - midway through the thread, folks are guessing that it has to do with the modelling/computer part of the amp, perhaps a faulty component. I'll try to get to the bottom of the story tonite! Thanks for the help, guys!

[The Grand Vizier]

I have a Vox VT20+ and I have found that you have to fiddle with the noise gate a bit as the other guys have said.. A few guys on the Vox forum do complain about the hiss but I don't find it to be a problem, it is a pretty good modeling amp for the price but I do not use any of the presets I find them a bit odd. I just put it into manual & use my own settings. I use the US Blues amp model, US High Gain & sometimes Boutique Metal mainly. Only use the amp sometimes for a change from my Egnater.
Here's another Vox forum link for problems, hope it helps.
http://www.voxamps.com/forum/
OOPS!!!!!!! sorry just read your last post it sounds like you have that link.:mybad

[Duffy]

It sounds like the hiss isn't the real problem with the Plus series. The "snare drum sizzle" sounds like it is the main concern. Evidently the snare drum sound can be most clearly heard as a "rising then falling" sizzle that rides on the decay of a single struck note. I guess most noticeable on the clean models. Most amps have some hiss to them, especially at high gain/volume. The "snare drum sizzle" is something that appears to be a relatively new thing, and specific to the Vox Valvetronix amps. The Mustang "fizz" is something different.

[Retro Hound]

Be sure to check out your cable also. I once had that be my problem, not the amp.

[tjcurtin1]

This hiss issue aside (hey, how's that for alliteration!), I really like the amp - sounds great and quite versatile. If there werw a fix for it, great, but i'm fine if there isn't.

[tjcurtin1]

Always meant to get back to update this - my problem was indeed related to the noise gate, and completely cured by turning it down/off. Seems to me that what was happening was that with the gate on you got silence until you played a note, at which point you got the note plus the normal amp hiss (that had been suppressed by the noise gate), then the a period of decay of the hiss and note until the noise gate kicked back in and back to silence, creating a breathy rise-and-fall hiss that sounded like a vibrating snare. However, it seems that some of these amps continue to have the 'snare hiss' even when the NR is turned off - fortunately not the case with mine. I still really like the amp, even tho I only use a couple of the amp models and a couple of the effects.