Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

[Studioplayer]

My Dark Terror was just perfect until today when I was playing in its 15-watt side and then
decided to go to the 7-watt mode (my usual mode) as I was bit too much volume. In 7 watts
I was no quieter!! I put in a whole new compliment of tubes (older tubes are still fine though).
It seems something has caused the amp not to switch over to 7-watts. Has this happened to to
any other Terror users.? If so, what was your fix?


Studioplayer

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

7 watts is not much quieter. Are you saying you used to notice the difference before and now you definitely don't? Or is this your first experience with it?

I think the power switch is just selecting a different tap in the power transformer, so I'm not sure how that would break.

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[Empty Pockets]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

There is no appreciable difference in volume between those power levels. It's not a 'half volume' switch.

 

[Studioplayer]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

No. Between the two wattages there was a noticeable difference in volume. Until today, when I switched from 15 to 7 watts, I had to slightly boost the volume and gain knobs and tweak the shape knob to get the same vol level that 15 watts had; the opposite sequence happened in reverse when going from 7 to 15 watts. I had to roll volume and gain back and tweak the shape knob to,get back to the 7 watt vol level. I primarily use 7 watts for home practice and rare occasions the 15 watts would be used. I considered this normal. Now, it just seems like the amp is always in 15 watt mode, so to speak. When I switch to 7 watts there normally has been a slight but noticeable volume reduction and e.q. change. Most of the amp's use has been on the 7-watt side, with only an occasional switching to full 15 watts.


Studioplayer

 

[VinceT]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

No. Between the two wattages there was a noticeable difference in volume. Until today, when I switched from 15 to 7 watts, I had to slightly boost the volume and gain knobs and tweak the shape knob to get the same vol level that 15 watts had; the opposite sequence happened in reverse when going from 7 to 15 watts. I had to roll volume and gain back and tweak the shape knob to,get back to the 7 watt vol level. I primarily use 7 watts for home practice and rare occasions the 15 watts would be used. I considered this normal. Now, it just seems like the amp is always in 15 watt mode, so to speak. When I switch to 7 watts there normally has been a slight but noticeable volume reduction and e.q. change. Most of the amp's use has been on the 7-watt side, with only an occasional switching to full 15 watts.


Studioplayer

That sounds about right for 15/7 switching. If you’ve mostly been playing at home, at lower volume, the difference (which is about clean headroom in the power stage) wouldn’t really come into play in the lower ends of the master volume.

On my Mesa Rectoverb 25, switching from 10W to 25W has some effect on volume but not nearly as drastic. The difference comes more clear once the master volume goes above noon (loud in either mode!) where it’s really a question of a “chewiness” in the 10W mode compared to “punchiness” in 25W (sorry for the descriptors, but it’s the best I can do).

All in all, I would say it’s more likely that you’re now experiencing normal operation of the amp, and you weren’t before. Maybe with all the cascading tube stages in lunchboxes, the tube change has now got all of them working fully?


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[Studioplayer]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

That sounds about right for 15/7 switching. If you’ve mostly been playing at home, at lower volume, the difference (which is about clean headroom in the power stage) wouldn’t really come into play in the lower ends of the master volume.

On my Mesa Rectoverb 25, switching from 10W to 25W has some effect on volume but not nearly as drastic. The difference comes more clear once the master volume goes above noon (loud in either mode!) where it’s really a question of a “chewiness” in the 10W mode compared to “punchiness” in 25W (sorry for the descriptors, but it’s the best I can do).

All in all, I would say it’s more likely that you’re now experiencing normal operation of the amp, and you weren’t before. Maybe with all the cascading tube stages in lunchboxes, the tube change has now got all of them working fully?




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I was thinking as you stated here. Maybe all f a sudden the amp decided to “act” as it was designed. The problem with that is that aside from a blown tube 1 1/2 years ago, the amp has been sounding wonderful to my ears. My volume and gain knobs are usually running at nearly half on the 7-watt side which is the side I prefer for home volume level. As of yesterday, 7 watts is as loud as 15 watts....it seems. Not only that the one knob e.q. is not as flexible as before!?. I swapped in a whole set of new tubes...same brands as what was in there. Same result. And I also hear a bit of interference happening at a very low volume. This amp has been dead quiet and with great tone and now it sounds too loud for my practice room!?


Studioplayer

 

[Ewizard]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

Typically in tube amps, in order to halve the wattage, you go from pentode to triode operation. This is typically done by taking the screen and suppressor grids and tying them to the cathode ( basically grounded as opposed to connecting to the HT B+ line ). My guess is that the switch has failed and is no longer switching the screen/suppressor grids out of circuit. Unless there is some other tricky way that Orange has done half power switching, it should be pretty hard to have the switch fail. The switch is under some pretty high stress though as it would have the HT voltage ( several hundred volts ) going through it. Switching while the amp is on doesn't help. Either the switch or another connected component has failed in either case.

 

[Studioplayer]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

Typically in tube amps, in order to halve the wattage, you go from pentode to triode operation. This is typically done by taking the screen and suppressor grids and tying them to the cathode ( basically grounded as opposed to connecting to the HT B+ line ). My guess is that the switch has failed and is no longer switching the screen/suppressor grids out of circuit. Unless there is some other tricky way that Orange has done half power switching, it should be pretty hard to have the switch fail. The switch is under some pretty high stress though as it would have the HT voltage ( several hundred volts ) going through it. Switching while the amp is on doesn't help. Either the switch or another connected component has failed in either case.

This makes a lot of sense to me. I sipped the amp to vendor, but not heard from them yet as to what they have
discovered. Repairs go into a queue of sorts. Most of the answers that have been given to me in various forums, indicate almost what you write about. Thanks.


studioplayer

 

[Studioplayer]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

That sounds about right for 15/7 switching. If you’ve mostly been playing at home, at lower volume, the difference (which is about clean headroom in the power stage) wouldn’t really come into play in the lower ends of the master volume.

On my Mesa Rectoverb 25, switching from 10W to 25W has some effect on volume but not nearly as drastic. The difference comes more clear once the master volume goes above noon (loud in either mode!) where it’s really a question of a “chewiness” in the 10W mode compared to “punchiness” in 25W (sorry for the descriptors, but it’s the best I can do).

All in all, I would say it’s more likely that you’re now experiencing normal operation of the amp, and you weren’t before. Maybe with all the cascading tube stages in lunchboxes, the tube change has now got all of them working fully?


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You may be correct in your assessment. I got my Dark Terror back from then vendor's tech/repair department. The tech told me that he thinks that my amp is functioning normally. Whatever I experienced in a sudden sound difference may be an intermittent issue and thus difficult to find. I did notice one clue as to what may have happened. For nearly two years of playing this Dark Terror, I noticed a scratchy sound from the gain pot every time I turned it upwards. Orange figures that it might be due to a batch of dodgy pots that they used in some amps.

All of a sudden that scratchiness has gone and I notice my amp a bit louder (as I stated) the gain character has changed, not much difference between 7 and 15 watts, and just a different “feel” to the amp. Re-tubing with a whole new set of the same exact tubes produced no difference. So, now I wonder if for two years I have not been hearing my Dark Terror in the manner it was designed; and viola', now I am!?


Studioplayer

 

[Studioplayer]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

A happy outcome is now mine. The Dark Terror seems to be working as it should. After a visit to the vendor for an inspection and play-through, they pronounced it performing as it should. I’ve been using it now that it's back home and it sounds fine, albeit that the 7 watt side seems closer in volume with the full power mode. Whether it was new tubes, an internal circuit part adjusting itself somehow; it's just now clear to me what I had heard.


Studioplayer

 

[VinceT]

Re: Orange Dark Terror Won't Switch From 15 To 7 Watts

Great news - enjoy!


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