BVV3000 INFINIUM Trial

[Sparky Mark]

Mine is still going fine at home. I will gig it at some point but my LM3 sounds so good with my Bergantino HT112ER and EX mini stack I am saving my back. The Bugera matched sextet of 6550B can be bought pretty cheaply and are made by Shuguang so I don't think I will be testing the valve mixing capability soon (or ever!). Just because it can tolerate different valve types doesn't mean you can put faulty or dodgy ones in I guess.

 

[Lindex]

Mine has reached its 3rd anniversary since it moved to me.
Still very happy with it, no more issues at all since I got it repaired after that JJ power tube had blown up.

 

[TheRealKong]

TB member @TheRealKong gigs the amp a lot with no issues so far.

Yes I do. I unboxed it and used it for quite a while with an 8 Ohm cab, a Tecamp L 215", 800 Watt @ 8 Ohm, amp impedance switch on 4 Ohm, without any problems.

After about half a year I noticed that my GBE 1200 loves the 215", so I swapped cabs. Now the BVV fires up a Tecamp L 810", 2400 Watt @ 4 Ohms.

As the sound with the 215" was massive, the 810" really brought the amp to live. I use some massive solid state amps, like my beloved GenzBenz GBE 1200 and an Ampeg SVP Pro with a poweramp that delivers 2 x 700 Watt @ 4 Ohm, and I can't say that the BVV has not enough power and volume to fulfill my needs. I play in three bands, and the BVV is my amp for the hard rock cover band.

I often find a SVT on stages when touring, and I am thinking that the BVV does sound like an Ampeg SVT CL.

There is a weekly rehearsal, and I used the amp on more than 60 gigs so far, there was a 20 days tour with 18 gigs in fall 2014. The amp came to me about 15 - 16 month ago.

I never have touched the interior parts, still use the original tubes. Those will be changed when one of them goes snip.

Ok, to be serious, I was a bit frightened by problems some people had with the first production run of the BVV. So I always carry my Little Mark II with me when giging the BVV. Better having a backup and not needing it than the other way 'round, you understand.

But I never had to use the backup. Knock on wood......

Maybe I am lucky. But so far there are no problems with the amp, and I hope that it will stay this way. As said before, I have played some different Ampeg SVT, some Peavey tubesters and some times over Traynor 200 and 300 Watt heads when playing rentals on tour with my other bands. The BVV is my first own tube amp, and I'm blown away by the tone and dimensionality a tube amp gives you when you have the time to fool around with it, twiddling knobs.

As I love my solid state amps, the Bugera BVV opened up a new dimension of sound to me.
And this for about 1/3 of the price of a (cheaped out) Ampeg SVT, talking german prices.

I hope that I stay happy with this amp.

 

[timv]

Opened it up and it blew 2 internal fuses, pretty sure the same ones it blew before. I think the ones that the previous tech installed were the wrong values and not slow blow so the kt88's may have pushed it just enough to blow those fuses.
I picked up the correct fuses and will check it out the rest of the way soon and update.

 

[seamonkey]

There might be a field upgrade
Their site now says "(now compatible with KT88, KT90, KT100, etc.)"
Link Removed

 

[Ballin'bass]

I had the same issue with the amp not coming out of standby anymore, just weeks before it got 2 years old.
I had one of the original Bugera tubes go out of specs (at least Infinium showed this to me with an LED being constantly lit), therefore I decided to swap out every single pre and power tube for JJs as I considered them to be of higher quality and sound better.
Whatever this might mean...was just curious...

So I took the amp back to the rehearsal space and fired it up, and it really sounded a bit warmer, fuller and with just an ounce more clarity in the highs.

After 2h of playing we took a break for the smoke addict band members, so I just turned the volume off on the bass guitar and kept the amp fired up.
When I came back, the fault/standby LED was red instead of orange and I tried to put it into standby and back to operation with no effect.
Same with full power down, cool down and fire up again - it wouldn't come out of standby anymore.

So we ended rehearsal there and I took it home to take a look.
I found one of the brand new JJ 6550s having a little hole in the glass bulb, and some white dust inside.

Ok, tube death...sh.t happens.
Had a new tube shipped over to me, even matched to my other 5 ones by the store, plugged it in and - nothing.
Still wouldn't come out of standby.
So I had it sent in for repair under warranty conditions, got it back 2 weeks later and all fine again since then.
And yes, it was my unit that I got back, it still had the JJs in and the same scratches at the housing that I added to it by accidentally "road wearing" it.

Still I really love this amp so much, it sounds amazing and is able to easily release an earthquake with my sweet little custom built 2x18" cab.
I especially like the preamp and its sound controls, so I can't wait to try the new Veyron T, hoping it to be a similarly sounding but more portable version of it.

That's read that you got yours fixed and now it's working well. I've been really eager to try one cause DANG that price!

If people are correct in saying it sounds a lot like an svt, then you will be disappointed to know that the Veyron Tube BV1001T does not sound similar. I would relate it more to sounding like a genz benz Streamliner. You simply can't get a hybrid class D amp to sound like an all tube amp. That isn't to say it doesn't sound good, it does have its own kind of big sound. But it's a different animal than anything all-tube. I still am working on EQing it to site a band mix. The one obstacle I've been hitting is when I turn it up, the bass freq gets proportionally boomier and can get much, so I have to attenuate it as I turn up the volume. But then when I turn it down, the bass starts to fall out in relation to the other frequencies. That's my experience so far.

Other than that, the Veyron Tube is pretty great for the money.

 

[Lindex]

If people are correct in saying it sounds a lot like an svt, then you will be disappointed to know that the Veyron Tube BV1001T does not sound similar.

That's correct.
And exactly the reason why I got myself a Veyron M as an addition to the BVV.
The Mosfet version comes very much closer than the Tube one.
As you said, the T mimics the streamliner, while the M goes much more into the SVT direction.
Just compare the EQ sections with their "copy target" and you will see...

 

[Ballin'bass]

Wow that actually surprises me!

 

[Lindex]

Wow that actually surprises me!

Same here...that's why I had the T first.
Sent it back when I noticed it and got the M.

Mid freq switch with its 5 positions and values, Ultra Low, Ultra High...all quite familiar for Ampeg users.
The T only has its 3 mid freqs which are exactly the same as on the GB STM, none of the "Ultra" buttons, Gain, Volume and Master...

Soundwise it goes into the same direction, the T is more low mid focused with a little shy highs, whereas the M emphasizes the mids, high mids and highs and sounds way more aggressive and snappy compared to the T which has its strenghts in the fundamentals.

 

[seamonkey]

I'd wonder if anyone with a BVV3000 still under warranty, if they contacted the music group for information on an upgrade now that they say "(now compatible with KT88, KT90, KT100, etc.)", if they actually do the upgrade under warranty.

It would be an interesting reflection on their service policies.

 

[Ballin'bass]

Same here...that's why I had the T first.
Sent it back when I noticed it and got the M.

Mid freq switch with its 5 positions and values, Ultra Low, Ultra High...all quite familiar for Ampeg users.
The T only has its 3 mid freqs which are exactly the same as on the GB STM, none of the "Ultra" buttons, Gain, Volume and Master...

Soundwise it goes into the same direction, the T is more low mid focused with a little shy highs, whereas the M emphasizes the mids, high mids and highs and sounds way more aggressive and snappy compared to the T which has its strenghts in the fundamentals.

Damn... I now feel like I chose the wrong one! I want the M!

 

[Lindex]

Damn... I now feel like I chose the wrong one! I want the M!

Fooled by toobs...?

 

[Ballin'bass]

Guilty!

 

[Sparky Mark]

I'd wonder if anyone with a BVV3000 still under warranty, if they contacted the music group for information on an upgrade now that they say "(now compatible with KT88, KT90, KT100, etc.)", if they actually do the upgrade under warranty.

It would be an interesting reflection on their service policies.

I don't think they are offering it as an upgrade and it certainly wouldn't be anything to do with the warranty. It means simply that you can fit any of those types of tube in any socket. The auto bias is designed to compensate any combination of tubes. I think Tim has already found that using tubes other than the 6550B doesn't give a power advantage so I really can't see why anyone would do the swap unless they just happened to have a sextet hanging around and the originals were knackered.

 

[Adriano Macedo]

Hello all.


I'm a new member, and also with a problematic BVV3000.

Already read the entire thread so, I think i have a common problem by the descriptions here.

I did opened a ticket with Music-Group CARE and the RMA number is already issued but i still have to call the carrier to pick up the amp.

Nevertheless, i'll report here what happened and this is what I already addressed to the Music-Group:

“First off, the unit came well packed, with no signs of damaged to the box, and it worked fine from August 2015 until, maybe, mid October. Then it started to make some weird noises like little cracks (?!) randomly. I noticed in the meantime the infinium leds were also randomly flashing. Anyhow, after the unit was on for about 20-30 minutes, there were no more noises and I only got a smooth and warm sound, with strong lows. Sometimes it didn't do any of those noises and played good from the first flip of the standby, and with no infinium LEDs lit. But sometimes, even with good sound, one or two infinium leds would lit...
The unit was used always with 2x Warwick wca11pro from the beggining.
Last week, during a gig, the amp stopped at the very first song !. Flipped off and on and played smoothly until the end of the show, for 1 hour, or maybe a little more than that. Brought it back to our rehearsal place and I played with it without issues 2 rehearsals in a row.
2 days ago I went to try out a new fretless, I flipped on and when I flipped standby I noticed a tiny spark/flash - maybe blueish - right in the front where the fans are. And no more sound... The standby led always stays in red... Connected only one cab, two cabs... Still no good…”

So, my worries now are related to the warranty. It is stated that not all parts have the same warranty period and by the reports here it seems there will be issues with my tubes and fuses, which are the parts with a very short warranty period. I think this is no good for a bass head like the BVV3000, ownned for less than a year.

Before the Bugera and with the same cabs, i used a warwick protube4 for a few years with great results. Two years ago a fell in love with a well used peavey alphabass (don't know why!) since the day I plugged it to the wca's. Although there are no strong lows, the sound is pretty sweet for me. Anyway, what i'm trying to say is that this beast is 25-30 years old and it still uses the same 6l6 tubes, all marked with "peavey"- all 6, allong with the preamp tubes. Although there are reasons to believe the new manufacture of tubes are not that great these days, i find it hard to believe that the BVV3000 only has 3 month warranty on the tubes. I think this is not even reasonable when tubes are made to last years. And believe me, the alphabass gigged a lot before me and i also used for recordings.

I also mean no disrespect to Music-Group as I already have a few units form Behringer like 3 ADA8000 units, one 1953 preamp, one 1952 compressor, one mic2200 and some other stuff i cannot remember the names of. As you can see, i trust these units and i'm very happy with them.

I'm sorry my first post is a bit lame... but you experts are representative of what freespeach means.

Any insight will be most appreciated.

Adriano

 

[JimmyM]

“First off, the unit came well packed, with no signs of damaged to the box, and it worked fine from August 2015 until, maybe, mid October. Then it started to make some weird noises like little cracks (?!) randomly. I noticed in the meantime the infinium leds were also randomly flashing. Anyhow, after the unit was on for about 20-30 minutes, there were no more noises and I only got a smooth and warm sound, with strong lows. Sometimes it didn't do any of those noises and played good from the first flip of the standby, and with no infinium LEDs lit. But sometimes, even with good sound, one or two infinium leds would lit...
The unit was used always with 2x Warwick wca11pro from the beggining.
Last week, during a gig, the amp stopped at the very first song !. Flipped off and on and played smoothly until the end of the show, for 1 hour, or maybe a little more than that. Brought it back to our rehearsal place and I played with it without issues 2 rehearsals in a row.
2 days ago I went to try out a new fretless, I flipped on and when I flipped standby I noticed a tiny spark/flash - maybe blueish - right in the front where the fans are. And no more sound... The standby led always stays in red... Connected only one cab, two cabs... Still no good…”

So, my worries now are related to the warranty. It is stated that not all parts have the same warranty period and by the reports here it seems there will be issues with my tubes and fuses, which are the parts with a very short warranty period. I think this is no good for a bass head like the BVV3000, ownned for less than a year.

Tubes are very much like (and I hate car analogies, but this time it's actually legit) tires. They are considered disposable items that often wear out much quicker than other parts, and are changed on a semi-regular basis, and how you use your amp has a direct bearing on how quickly they wear out. Therefore, the warranty isn't going to be as long on them as most parts on your amp. Nothing unfair about it.

 

[Adriano Macedo]

Thank you for chiming in, JimmyM.

My BVV3000 gigged only 3 times. It doesn't have much use like I wished it would as it looks just like new. Sincerely, my usage is negligible for this type of thing as it got more use in rehearsals. Again, my alphabass (with me) stayed already several hours in recording sessions for much longer periods of time. It's not tottaly fair to compare these two different machines, but they are my reference since I own them.

By this time there is a feeling that it must be something else than the tubes. As for now, my case is pretty much the same as others with more or less the same symptoms. My point here is the tearing caused to the tubes (and maybe elsewhere) that maybe is messing things. So the part that needs fixing is treated but the owner must pay the tubes. This is why I think is questionable.

But hey, I'll write back to CARE regarding this, let's see what they say about it.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Agree with Jimmy, tubes do "wear out" and it seems the newer ones and/or the ones Bugera supplies may not be "made like they used-to".
Tube experience here:
Very old Fender Bassman 50: during the 10 years it was used only at home for practice, I rebuilt the power supply twice(capacitors both times) and replaced the tubes probably 3 or 4 times, ALL of them at once. Also during this time, my brother(guitarist) used a Fender Twin that I put a master volume in and rebuilt its power supply twice, tubes changed probably 4 times as it was his practice & gig amp.

OLD SVT(bought in the 70's, used from about 74(?) until early 80's: put a fan on the power transformer side of the case as it seemed to run too hot(very warm to touch), changed preamp tubes once, changed power tubes twice. It was used for rehearsals(2nights per week x 4 hours each) and gigs(2 or 3 gigs per week x 3 hours ON, maybe 30 or 40 minutes on standby). SVT road in Ryder trucks wrapped in a moving pad/quilt. Road crew was VERY gentle with it as to not bring out the "Crab" in me.

Final note: tubes built "back then" were or seemed to be built to last since it was before "cost savings" and cutting corners became the fashionable way to manufacture for "higher profit".

I've seen some really foolish concepts in industrial control systems in 26+ years at work due to such practices. One un-named vendor had filter capacitors that were rated only slightly above operating voltages. He covered his backside with one sentence in an 80 page manual stating "Avoid turning the power off or on any more than absolutely necessary". Yeah, it popped through one of the capacitors during pre-startup checkout so I put Radio Shack capacitors in it rated many times higher than operating or peak voltage(turn on surge) would be. It's still running since 1995.

 

[seamonkey]

BVV3000 only has 3 month warranty on the tubes. I think this is not even reasonable when tubes are made to last years.

That's something you should say before you buy and amp. Then look for an amp with a warranty that you expect. A good warranty is an indicator the the amps quality and reliability. If "Infinium" does what they state it should do they should up the warranty on the tubes.

Unfortunately you will not find any "tubes" that have "years" of warranty. Half a year at the most.

The Music group CARE service is pretty good. so I look forward to how they resolve this for you.

 

[BurningSkies]

Losing tubes so quickly isn't always a sign of bad tubes...it's often a sign of other problems that make the tubes run out of spec.

Some of my tube amps have run the same tubes for decades, both 'modern' and vintage tubes and both modern and vintage amps/preamps. I had one unit for a while that just seemed to eat tubes, classic vintage tubes or modern issue, it didn't care. The builder took it back, stripped it down and built me a new one. No problems since.