How much HISS sound is normal?

Discussion - ID:Series amplifiers.
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marcripollp
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:56 pm

Sun Jan 10, 2016 9:54 pm

Hi guys!

This is my first message and I think is for a bad bad thing hahaha I've got an ID:40, I love it's clean buuuuuut... How much "hiss" sound on the background is normal? Because it's so irritating to hear it when I'm playing and listening to music at low volumes, even when I'm recording from minijack connector! I mean, the hiss sound has a higher volume than the guitar or the music!

Should I take the amp to the technical service?

Thanks!
Mark

acs
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:42 am

Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:50 pm

Hello,

This is a defect , pending solution by the company.

I do not know why I'm still with then.

Unbelievable that they have not solved it.

Bad, very bad....

Danny_Two
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2016 4:36 pm

Sat Feb 27, 2016 4:40 pm

Any update on this?

Just got a Core 10 a few days ago, and the background hiss is becoming quite noticeable, even more on the crunch channels.
Amp is completely silent until the guitar lead is plugged in.

tommytiptree
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 10:20 am

Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:06 pm

Lots, especially on the clean channels.

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moogpower
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2016 7:31 pm

Sat Apr 09, 2016 4:45 pm

Fender Rhodes & Blackstar ID CORE 40

Background
As a keyboard player I was looking for a very good sounding practise and recording amp to bring out the full growl and dynamics of my Fender Rhodes Stage Electric Piano. I've over the years tried out many amp's that was said to sound perfect on Rhodes, but all shared the same problem: a) They had to be cranked up ridiculously loud to start sounding good (not suitable for me) b) Being big, bulky and heavy.
When I found the Blackstar ID Core 40, it directly stole the show with it's amazing spot on sound for the Rhodes, a warm and full character without sounding to "mid-range rock guitar" that is really rare. On top of this the Super Wide Stereo sound and amazing effects sounding like on the record already, It simply blowed me and all other much bigger 10x more expensive amps away directly!

The background HISS/NOISE issue
1) Starting the amp, nothing plugged in: Total SILENCE
2) Plugging in a cable to: a) LINE IN, b) MP3/EXT IN, c) USB with all knobs set to "0": Major constant HISS/NOISE
3) Even tried other ID Core 10, 20 & 40's in the shop, all unfortunately had the same issue.
4) Heartbreaking for me to be honest but: I had to return mine until Blackstar solve this one.

Blackstar Support
A conversation with the very friendly Blackstar team has since then been started on this matter though I really love this amp so much and want it back some day, when there is a solution or a newer amp out that dont have this issue.
Still unfortunately not got any feedback on my matter, that I obviously seem to share with so many other ID Core owners...

Solution?
As a Rhodes player I find this little amp to loud in my studio and even at "4" it was way to loud for me, so I was thinking:
If I had the circuit diagram on the ID CORE, could a potentiometer be tweaked or a resistor value changed on the PCB for the speaker amp circuit, so the pre-amplification for the speakers that today seems to be on an unhealthy high level could be decreased slightly (forgive me here all rock guitar dudes who always need to stay on top of the drummer).
By this mod the overall volume will be lower; yes, BUT the noise/hiss floor will also be lower meaning the amp for the speakers will have a lower starting point at volume "0" than today.

The question to Blackstar is simple: Could this be a feasible solution/mod (yes, I will void my warranty) or future update on newer amps?
This though the hiss seem to come from the speaker amp, NOT the LINE IN amp and/or the DSP modelling chain that beautifully mimics all the lovely amp-models. Another evidence on my theory is that plugging in HEADPHONES there is NO HISS.

Still waiting for a reply from Blackstar on this (maybe simple) quick fix...

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moogpower
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2016 7:31 pm

Wed May 04, 2016 7:50 pm

A honest and good answer received from Blackstar now on my issue. I hereby rest my case as a keyboard player and wish Blackstar all the best with their wonderful amps, hoping our roads may cross someday in the future again.

"Thank you for contacting us.
We are constantly looking at ways to improve our designs for future products, something which is evident in our latest releases - ID:Core 100 and 150.

Our core market area is amplification for Guitars. These ID:Core amplifiers have been designed and manufactured to be at the forefront of amplification in this section of the market, and the ID:Core range is growing from strength to strength. There are users that can successfully use the ID:Core amplifiers for their chosen application outside of guitars, but unfortunately in your scenario it appears this is not the case.

We fully appreciate the feedback in regards to using this amplifier for keyboards and electric pianos, and it has been fed back to the research and development teams. These amplifiers are designed for guitars, and as a result may not have the desired features or responses that a keyboardist, such as yourself, requires.

Our digital team have confirmed that there is currently no capability of any 'mod' being carried out on the ID:Core amplifiers.

Our team are continuing to develop our products on a day to day basis, and as I have stated in a previous message, I'm certain that having provided them with your comments and information that they will look into this further when developing the ID:Core range.

Our circuit diagrams and technical specifications are often classified and release of this information to the end user is prohibited.

We apologise that we could not resolve your issue at the current time, but thank you for contacting us."

barto
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu May 26, 2022 7:12 pm

Fri May 27, 2022 8:30 pm

Too bad Blackstar didn't reply in this forum, so others could readily see it. Above all, however, Blackstar completely sidestepped the issue at hand, which makes input irrelevant, provided it is clean, which is; why does the amp output a constant ~30 dBA relatively white noise, with controls at any/all settings. I assume noise only starts once an input is attached because the amp circuit is internally switched off when there is no complete input circuit . . .

Simple question. I would hope that, barring a huge hardware design f-up, this might be addressable in firmware?

Any answer, Blackstar?

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