Micro 300: still noisy

T-Bal · #1 08-23-2007, 11:38 AM

I got my replacement Micro 300 last week (finally) and it still buzzes. It's been so long I can't tell if it's improved from before or not. Also it does a weird thing when you turn it on, it clicks twice and the lights flash on and off before kicking in for good. I'm going to call EA about this, but I just wondered if anyone else has had these experiences with the "corrected" run.

Am I being too picky? Granted you don't hear the noise when you're playing in a group or if there are people talking, but I'm used to my AI Focus which is dead silent. Even if there are no real performance issues due to this buzz, it gives me the sense that something is not quite right with the unit.

**Adrian Cho** · #2 08-23-2007, 02:35 PM

I got my new one too. This is one of the completely new units with about 14 new fixes. I didn't notice an obvious buzzing through the speaker but the unit itself definitely buzzes. I also noticed the same clicking and flashing when it is powered on. The first time it happened I thought the unit was failing. Like you I'm used to the Focus being dead silent.

flatback · #3 08-23-2007, 02:39 PM

Soooo. What I dont get is why ain't you cats just sticking with the Focus? It is such a good amp that to save a pound and an inch and give up well the list of things you give up is long? I don't get why you want to spend the time and money?

T-Bal · #4 08-23-2007, 02:41 PM

Interesting. What's your serial no.? Mine is 71. Are you gigging with yours now, or still using the Focus?

T-Bal · #5 08-23-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatback

Soooo. What I dont get is why ain't you cats just sticking with the Focus? It is such a good amp that to save a pound and an inch and give up well the list of things you give up is long? I don't get why you want to spend the time and money?

Well for me I like to have options. For most of what I do the Focus is great, but I thought maybe I could get a more hyped sound for certain things, plus it's good to have a backup in case one fails. Also it's the allure of something new, and the thought that a head and cab from the same company might be the ideal pairing.

Obviously the jury's still out.

**Adrian Cho** · #6 08-23-2007, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatback

Soooo. What I dont get is why ain't you cats just sticking with the Focus? It is such a good amp that to save a pound and an inch and give up well the list of things you give up is long? I don't get why you want to spend the time and money?

Size matters. Smaller and lighter is good especially when you can fit the amp into the bass bag pocket. Of course that's assuming that you get the sound you need...

**Adrian Cho** · #7 08-23-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-Bal

Interesting. What's your serial no.? Mine is 71. Are you gigging with yours now, or still using the Focus?

Last two digits of my serial no. are 63. It's the only amp I own right now so yes I am gigging with it.

T-Bal · #8 08-23-2007, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

Last two digits of my serial no. are 63. It's the only amp I own right now so yes I am gigging with it.

Do you miss the features on the Focus? Also, your impressions of how the two compare sonically. I have not had a chance to A/B them. Lastly, have you used the line out, and is that noisy as well?

Thanks and all that!

**Adrian Cho** · #9 08-23-2007, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-Bal

Do you miss the features on the Focus? Also, your impressions of how the two compare sonically. I have not had a chance to A/B them. Lastly, have you used the line out, and is that noisy as well?

Thanks and all that!

To be honest I have not really had much of a chance to use it as the first unit had the problems and I only got the new unit recently, was then out of town for two weeks and have only played two gigs that required amplification since then. However during the time I was waiting for the replacement unit I did borrow a friend's Clarus so that gave me a little chance to A/B them even though I had the faulty Micro at the time. I don't miss any of the Focus features. I find that with the Wizzy 10 that I have much less need for the HPF although I have ordered one of fdeck's magic boxes anyway. I have not had a chance to try the line out. I recall thinking that the AI had a darker sound and that the Micro sound was more forward. However as I said, this was with the faulty Micro so I wouldn't really rely on the analysis too much. I do plan to do some A/B'ing in a couple of weeks with a Clarus and my new Micro.

macmrkt · #10 08-24-2007, 09:37 AM

Mine just got here. It's so low as to be a non-issue. Bit of an LED light show as it powers up, but that seems to be what it does.

IMHO, now that I'm back into EA for both loud blues bands on BG and quiet jazz on DB, I'm impressed with the fact that one company makes a variety of superior gear for this wide range of situations...and both speakers and amps!

tony moore · #11 08-24-2007, 09:52 AM

can someone check to see if the noise/buzz on their unit is transferred thru the di?

thanks!

tony

DocBop · #12 08-24-2007, 10:02 AM

To it's sounding like they just tried too hard for small size. I think focusing on small size so much limits the available components to build with. I was pretty amazed when I saw the Micro and the Wizzy 10's at the NAMM show. But the amp to me, an older player the controls are too small and then some controls are done with a screwdriver? EA is a good company and will I know they will work thru all this and do right by their customers.

bottomzone · #13 08-24-2007, 10:10 AM

My repaired Micro 300 is back. The first thing that I listened for was the noise or lack thereof. There is just a little there, but compared to the noise before, it is very quiet! What a clean sounding feather weight!!! The flashing LED's are probably part of a diagnostic routine that the unit executes. In the near future, I will post some sound clips of the Micro 300 played through a Wizzy 10 and a Schroeder Mini 10+ Light. Now that I have the Micro 300 back, I can break in the Schroeder for a proper comparison. Right now, the Wizzy has deeper sound stage while the Schroeder has more "sizzle" because of the tweeter.

Keep God First!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

**Adrian Cho** · #14 08-24-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macmrkt

Mine just got here. It's so low as to be a non-issue. Bit of an LED light show as it powers up, but that seems to be what it does.

I don't think neither T-Bal nor I were saying that the buzz from the unit itself is a problem - just that we were wondering if it was normal - being used to the complete silence from the AI heads. I certainly don't seem to be getting any noticeable noise through to the speaker.

**Adrian Cho** · #15 08-24-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tony moore

can someone check to see if the noise/buzz on their unit is transferred thru the di?

thanks!

tony

I will check when I get a chance but I doubt it. The noise T-Bal and I were talking about is the buzz from the unit itself and not any buzz in the audio signal.

T-Bal · #16 08-25-2007, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

I will check when I get a chance but I doubt it. The noise T-Bal and I were talking about is the buzz from the unit itself and not any buzz in the audio signal.

The noise is in my unit but it is most definately coming through the speaker as well. I tested it into a PA last night (just hooked it up, didn't play through it). The buzz was almost inaudible from the direct out - you could only hear it faintly in headphones with the gain fully cranked on the mixer - I don't consider this to be an issue. Tony, what was your experience with the DI?

tony moore · #17 08-25-2007, 09:10 AM

i sent the di signal to an input of a mackie 1202vlz mixer and monitored thru headphones and my normal yamaha ns10 monitors. at unity gain, the 'buzzing' was audible at about the same relative ratio as the 'buzzing' thru the speaker. this 'buzzing' is independent of any input signal to the micro300. it's consistent whether anything is plugged in, or if there is input but the channel is muted, or if there is input but no signal and the gains are maxed. the really interesting thing is there is very little "noise" , not the "buzz" i'm referring to, when cranking the gain. the only amp i currently have to compare it to is an original swr california blonde. the california blonde is dead quiet in both speaker and di, but as you increase the gain, you get the normal "air-noise".

i can live with the micro300's "buzz" thru the speaker. i certainly lived thru worse with the gk mb200 i used for years. but the "buzz" passing thru the di may be an issue for me. my gigs are either small coffeehouse type gigs, or gigs where there is pa support and my amp is just a stage monitor. i double and need 2 inputs but need to send only 1 signal to the FOH. i have a few different gigs this and next weekend that will be pa supported, so i should know if the di "buzz" will or will not be tolerable for me.

in addition to the "buzz" being passed thru the speaker and di, there is a mechanical buzz coming from the top of the amp, to the front right side. it's consistent and doesn't seem to change from startup on thru hours of use.

i love the feature set, size and price of the micro300 and really hope these issues can be addressed. outside of the "buzzing", it's the amp i've hoped for for years. thanks for all the shared info! honestly, i've been hesitating posting this because i didn't want to give the wrong impression of how i feel about this amp. i remember the threads where ea asked folks (us players) what we wanted in a new product, and the micro300 is exactly what i described. i've never had a consumer experience where my (and others) input actually resulted in a final product, and at a reasonable price. admittedly, i have the luxury of another fine amp to use so i can be patient. i bought my micro300 (along with a wizzy10) thru bob g and he's been handling the entire situation very, very professionally.

i'll report back after a few gigs with pa support...

thanks,

tony

DocBop · #18 08-25-2007, 12:29 PM

Warning non-electrical person talking design....

I wonder with the small size the power circuit and wiring is too close to other components. Is it like a 60hz hum? I wonder if they went to an external power on the power cord like many computer monitors and laptops have it would help? Would help with cooling also.

**Adrian Cho** · #19 08-25-2007, 02:01 PM

I just played a gig today with my EA setup and I also just tried some quiet testing in a room. In additional to the "mechanical" buzz coming from the right side of the unit, there is definitely a buzz coming through the speaker but it's not noticeable at low gain. I am only getting it on channel 1 and it is dependent on the gain on that channel. At least at medium to low gain it's not enough to be a problem. I didn't test the direct out. I believe any buzz on the direct out would be a problem.

Uncletoad · #20 08-25-2007, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatback

Soooo. What I dont get is why ain't you cats just sticking with the Focus? It is such a good amp that to save a pound and an inch and give up well the list of things you give up is long? I don't get why you want to spend the time and money?

Yea.

I don't get it either.