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Post subject: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:17 am
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I am using my Vibro Champ XD as a preamp for a Marshall AVT 275,
because I like the 2x 12 inch celestions in the AVT better than the small speaker in the Fender.

I just go from the line out in the back into the input on the marshall,
works fine and I get good tone.


Is it Ok to unplug the Fender speaker ? I know with some big amps they can blow if you run them without a load, is it OK on this ?

I know its not a biggie, but when I put a fuzz or tubescreamer in front of the fender it sounds like the small speaker is taking a bit of a battering, as I am not really using it seems kinder to give it a rest.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:04 pm
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Hi The Aimless Blade,

You don't want to use any tube amp without a speaker, load, or shorting jack connected to the output, as the output transformer (OT) will fail if the amp is run with no load connected. The schematic shows that the VCXD amp has a shorting output jack. This shorting jack is supposed to protect the amp if it is used with the speaker unplugged from the jack. So, as long as the shorting jack functions as it should, you can unplug the speaker from the jack and use the amp as a preamp. Or, just pull the output tube and leave the speaker connected, either way, or both would work to prevent sound from the VCXD speaker, while still being able to safely use the amp as a preamp.

Keep in mind that with the speaker unplugged and the tubes installed, and the OT shorted by the jack, the output section of the amp will still be working just as hard as if a speaker were connected, and if the shorting jack fails, your OT will also fail and probably do other damage to the amp. If you are going to use the VCXD amp as a preamp like this, it would be a good idea to pull the output tube when the speaker is unplugged, just to be on the safe side (of course turn off the power before unplugging the speaker and tube). The output section would otherwise just produce heat for no reason when the speaker is unplugged from the jack, putting mileage on the tube with no sound produced by it. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:17 am
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Thanks for that, great answer.

Sounds like its more of a risk to unplug the speaker than leave it connected,
unless you take the tube out too.

I like to swap things about, and it is useful to use just the Fender speaker sometimes when I dont want a lot of bass, so I will probably leave the tube in for now, but its good to know how to take care of it, this amp is a keeper.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:00 am
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"because I like the 2x 12 inch celestions in the AVT better than the small speaker in the Fender"

hey there~
you could just unplug the speaker prong from the back of the AVT and plug it into the back of the Fender.
First, power off the Fender and unplug the speaker from the back of the amp. And DO NOT power on without a load.
2nd, plug the speaker prong from the AVT into the speaker input of the Fender.
The speaker load from the AVT is 8 ohms, so it will be safe for the Fender (4ohms MIN>)
NOW, you have a 2-12 config withOUT the small internal speaker of the Fender all flubbing out.
DOUBLE check you have a speaker load and POWER on.

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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:42 am
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Thanks for that, it was a very interesting experiment.

The speaker lead on the AVT is very short so it was a bit of a fiddle,
but the difference in sound was amazing, it just sounded so much better.

I am a bit shocked, why did Fender put such a bad speaker on such a good amp ?

My guess is its all about marketing and price points,
they dont want their cheap amps sounding better than their expensive ones.

Anyway I guess I have to go back to ebay for a speaker or cab ,
I hoped getting an all tube amp would satisfy my cravings but somehow you always need more.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:55 am
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The Aimless Blade wrote:
I hoped getting an all tube amp would satisfy my cravings but somehow you always need more.


Indeed.

Let the games begin!

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:10 am
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Back to ebay,

bought a Hayden Peacemaker 4x12 cab for £68

Thought it was overkill but cheap harmless fun,

Much better now, as expected the Treble rings out and the Bass rocks,

but I didnt expect the huge improvement in clarity, suddenly I can hear exactly what strings are out of tune and hear each string in a chord, even with high gain and distortion.

Seems odd to put a 5 Watt amp into a 300 Watt cab but somehow it works and sounds great.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:49 am
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That's great! You'll find the same with just about any amp. The C600 is another example of a 5 watt amp (with a 6 inch spkr) that sounds tremendously better when plugged into an external 1x12 cab. Think of the watt rating of a speaker as simply a limit on the amount of power that the speaker can handle, so any wattage into the speaker that is less than the speaker's rating is OK as long as it sounds good. The sensitivity rating of the speaker will determine how loud it sounds with any given input. Glad for you. :)

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 5:02 am
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The Aimless Blade wrote:
I hoped getting an all tube amp ...


Well, you're not there yet with the VCXD.


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:03 am
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Jack Knife wrote:
Well, you're not there yet with the VCXD.


I need a bigger one with MORE valves ?

Do they sell them on ebay ?


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:36 am
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The Aimless Blade wrote:
Do they sell them on ebay ?


Everything ends up on Ebay sooner or later......

It's like a global garage sale!

:lol:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Vibro Champ XD - Ok to use with speaker unplugged ?
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:45 am
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The Aimless Blade wrote:
Jack Knife wrote:
Well, you're not there yet with the VCXD.


I need a bigger one with MORE valves ?


If you want an "all tube" amp the VCXD is not it. It has a digital preamp.

The Champ 600 is all-tube.


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