De-noising my Hartke, Markbass?

[robobass]

What do I need to do to get zero ambient noise? I just tried a Markbass 10" combo amp tonight. I liked it, but the internal speaker was not for me, and you couldn't turn it off. The real turnoff, however, was the loud cooling fan. Do they all have this? I just can't use it. I guess many players aren't affected by this, but I play in settings that get totally acoustic, and a cooling fan can be quite disturbing in the soft parts. It doesn't seem like such an expense to make the fan thermally activated.

For now, I'm using a 15 year-old 200w Hartke head with a Schertler PU and Pre II-A. I'm getting a lot of white noise from the new preamp that I didn't get with the original preamp, but the new one sounds so much better that I'm living with it. I'm just using a Radio Schmuck balanced microphone adapter to plug into the unbalanced input on the Hartke. I suspect that the problem is at least partly an impedence mismatch. The hiss didn't happen with the Markbass (balanced input). Also I must mention that the Hartke also has an "always on" fan, but I added a switch so I can turn it off. The thing rarely gets more than lukewarm anyway. This is no option for a new amp.

Can anyone help with the input question? Also, I know the GK heads have no fan, but I just don't like the sound, and I really don't want to shell out for a WW.

Robobass

[fdeck]

My Micro300 head has no fan.

On the "heavyweight" side, my GK Backline 600 head has a 2-speed cooling fan, and at its lower speed, is inaudible. Playing at volumes loud enough to obliterate the universe (slight exaggeration), the fan has never gone up to high speed during an actual gig.

Also I should note that both of these amps are fairly quiet.

[bolo]

I wasn't sure if you are looking to replace your amp or just trying to debug the noise problem, but ... Acoustic Image heads have combination inputs (1/4" and XLR), no fan, and some other pretty cool features. Might be worth auditioning.

Not that it matters re: the white noise, but do you have the Schertler DYN-B or the STAT-B?

[Peter Murray]

Originally Posted by robobass

What do I need to do to get zero ambient noise? I just tried a Markbass 10" combo amp tonight. I liked it, but the internal speaker was not for me, and you couldn't turn it off. The real turnoff, however, was the loud cooling fan. Do they all have this? I just can't use it. I guess many players aren't affected by this, but I play in settings that get totally acoustic, and a cooling fan can be quite disturbing in the soft parts. It doesn't seem like such an expense to make the fan thermally activated.

For now, I'm using a 15 year-old 200w Hartke head with a Schertler PU and Pre II-A. I'm getting a lot of white noise from the new preamp that I didn't get with the original preamp, but the new one sounds so much better that I'm living with it. I'm just using a Radio Schmuck balanced microphone adapter to plug into the unbalanced input on the Hartke. I suspect that the problem is at least partly an impedence mismatch. The hiss didn't happen with the Markbass (balanced input). Also I must mention that the Hartke also has an "always on" fan, but I added a switch so I can turn it off. The thing rarely gets more than lukewarm anyway. This is no option for a new amp.

Can anyone help with the input question? Also, I know the GK heads have no fan, but I just don't like the sound, and I really don't want to shell out for a WW.

Robobass

Hi there,
Do you mean the Markbass 2x10" combo (CMD 102P)? Or the 1x12 (Mini CMD 121P)?
Were you trying to disconnect the speaker/s, or the tweeter?
You can easily disconnect the speakers on the back panel of the head inside the combo.
The tweeter cannot be disconnected, but if you find the sound too trebly, try turning up the VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) knob. By the way, many people find the treble a bit hot until they use the amp with a band!
I have only heard one or two other complaints about the fan, most people rave about how QUIET it is! Perhaps it's defective in the combo you tried? That's very unusual.
The fan in the Markbass is always on, but it's thermostat-controlled, which means it normally runs very slow, but it speeds up when the amp gets warmer.
If you have any further questions about the Markbass combo, please let me know.

Best,
Peter

[bassist14]

Originally Posted by Peter Murray

If you have any further questions about the Markbass combo, please let me know.

Best,
Peter

hi peter
if the same applys to my questions, i would be very happy if you could answer my pm from 10-01-2007

[robobass]

Originally Posted by Peter Murray

Hi there,
Do you mean the Markbass 2x10" combo (CMD 102P)? Or the 1x12 (Mini CMD 121P)?
Were you trying to disconnect the speaker/s, or the tweeter?
You can easily disconnect the speakers on the back panel of the head inside the combo.
The tweeter cannot be disconnected, but if you find the sound too trebly, try turning up the VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) knob. By the way, many people find the treble a bit hot until they use the amp with a band!
I have only heard one or two other complaints about the fan, most people rave about how QUIET it is! Perhaps it's defective in the combo you tried? That's very unusual.
The fan in the Markbass is always on, but it's thermostat-controlled, which means it normally runs very slow, but it speeds up when the amp gets warmer.
If you have any further questions about the Markbass combo, please let me know.

Best,
Peter

I'm a bit embarassed that I didn't note more details, but I guess it must have been a 1x12 combo unit. I don't know which. It looked brand new. As soon as I turned it on, the fan came to life and was quite audible. Even the drummer remarked on it (not to make a negative generalization about drummers!). But it sounded normal, not like a defective fan or anything, but was disturbing when the trombone took a long unaccompanied solo. I did play through it for awhile and found it quite stimulating, but the speaker was just too bold and punchy for my acoustic proclivities. I plugged in my ancient Bose 901 Hi-Fi box and got more of what I wanted, but if there was a way to switch off the internal speaker it was well hidden. I don't in any way want to diss Markbass amps. I have heard only positive things about them, and am looking at a LM-II or 250 head. But, the fan thing is an issue!
Robobass

[robobass]

Originally Posted by bolo

I wasn't sure if you are looking to replace your amp or just trying to debug the noise problem, but ... Acoustic Image heads have combination inputs (1/4" and XLR), no fan, and some other pretty cool features. Might be worth auditioning.

Not that it matters re: the white noise, but do you have the Schertler DYN-B or the STAT-B?

I have the original Schertler PU. The one with two cork-topped sensors that fit into the bridge wing holes. I don't think the PU is the problem, just the impedence issue. I would love to upgrade my head, but it just seems more sensible to try to adapt the input on my Hartke.

Incidentally, I must say that the original setup with this PU was quite questionable. There was an XLR jack that mounted between strings above the tailpiece, and a totally unshielded cable to go from there to the preamp. I got the thing used. When I first got it, I called the seller and asked: "Were you able to listen to WBAI through your bass amp? I can!" He said no. I quickly changed the connections to normal coax and had no more problems, but why would designers of this caliber make such blunders?
Robobass