Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Noisy Superfly


Nick80
 Share

Recommended Posts

As original poster I feel I should offer an update. My superfly was sent back to ashdown twice. The first time a powerboard was replaced. It was different but still noisy! So, sent it back. It came back unchanged. That was as good as it got. So I ditched it. I now have a very reliable, non noisy (but very heavy) EBS td650 instead. I'd much rather put up with the size and weight than go insane listening to a screeching amp!
I must add that despite the disappointment of what can only be described as a pile of manure amp, Ashdown were very helpful in trying to fix it. I just wasn't happy with the end result. Though my hearing is sensitive to high frequencies - despite my nearing 30 years of age I can hear those high pitch teenager deterrent thingies outside the local shops.
Anyway, in conlusion, if you have a superfly, just be sure it's not a dud one!! If it is, get rid of it!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Ashdown were very helpful in trying to fix it. I just wasn't happy with the end result." - If they were helpful but you still ended up with a squealing amp then in what way were they helpful?

I just got the replacement today - so far so good. No square-wave boiling kettle. It does squeal but only very quietly, and somewhere around 15k, so it only sounds to me about the same level as the rest of the (quite significant) noise. Anyway, not enough to spoil a gig. And in every other way it sounds great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Raph' post='179638' date='Apr 18 2008, 12:02 PM']"Ashdown were very helpful in trying to fix it. I just wasn't happy with the end result." - If they were helpful but you still ended up with a squealing amp then in what way were they helpful?

I just got the replacement today - so far so good. No square-wave boiling kettle. It does squeal but only very quietly, and somewhere around 15k, so it only sounds to me about the same level as the rest of the (quite significant) noise. Anyway, not enough to spoil a gig. And in every other way it sounds great.[/quote]


In that they were friendly and polite and accepted to take it back twice for warranty repairs.
In the end I didn't find the squealing noise acceptable, someone else might have done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's good that they didn't make a fuss - in that sense things could have been worse. But the point is, did you end up with something you can't use?

Interestingly (well, only a bit interestingly...) mine squeals on one of the speaker outputs, but as I mentioned it's at a frequency on the edge of my hearing - dB-wise it might be quite loud but to me it sounds about the same volume as the mains hum, which isn't too terrible. On the other output it's totally quiet. The first amp I got was horrendous - a really loud square-wave boiling kettle! ...though it didn't occur to me at the time to try both outputs.


Totally different issue - I can't get the PC editor to send EQs to the amp. I midi it up to the PC and send EQs on channel 1, click "send" and the patch number comes up on the amp, but the EQ LEDs go flat (i.e. all a t 0dB), and there's no audible EQ. My interest in the software EQ is to change the centre frequencies and bandwidths - e.g. to set the lowest one as a rumble filter, and to get a couple of good "honk" filters in the middle. So far no luck with that. Has anybody else used the software EQ?

Edited by Raph
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Raph' post='180733' date='Apr 19 2008, 09:54 PM']It's good that they didn't make a fuss - in that sense things could have been worse. But the point is, did you end up with something you can't use?

Interestingly (well, only a bit interestingly...) mine squeals on one of the speaker outputs, but as I mentioned it's at a frequency on the edge of my hearing - dB-wise it might be quite loud but to me it sounds about the same volume as the mains hum, which isn't too terrible. On the other output it's totally quiet. The first amp I got was horrendous - a really loud square-wave boiling kettle! ...though it didn't occur to me at the time to try both outputs.


Totally different issue - I can't get the PC editor to send EQs to the amp. I midi it up to the PC and send EQs on channel 1, click "send" and the patch number comes up on the amp, but the EQ LEDs go flat (i.e. all a t 0dB), and there's no audible EQ. My interest in the software EQ is to change the centre frequencies and bandwidths - e.g. to set the lowest one as a rumble filter, and to get a couple of good "honk" filters in the middle. So far no luck with that. Has anybody else used the software EQ?[/quote]

I wasn't happy with it. Couldn't live with the noise. I do a fair bit of home practise. Even when jamming with a drummer the drummer commented on how noisy it was. The shop that sold me my current amp helped me get rid of it.

As for the editor can't really help you there, never got it to work at all!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Superfly editor: I've had success with it. For a start, you need to be connected via USB, not MIDI, and the switch needs to be set to USB. Also, and this really was crucial, I couldn't get it to work through a USB switch - can't remember if I tried going through a hub as well. You need to connect the Superfly direct to the PC, which seems a rather poor USB implementation by Ashdown.

Latest (last) software is available for download on [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=199"]the archived Superfly webpage.[/url]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks tauzero - I tried USB and the PC wouldn't recognise the amp at all, so I used a midi cable and then at least the amp came up as a "midi device". Via USB nothng happened at all - the amp didn't appear as an external drive or anything, simply the same effect as not plugging it in at all. I did set the switch on the back for USB or midi by the way (took me a while to notice it!)

I'll try reinstalling the editor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reinstalled it all, it's the same. The amp comes up as "new hardware" on teh desktop but the editor doesn't seem to know it's there. The first menu has upload and download, clicking these results in "you must be connect first!" - yes, the amp's on and connected. When I open a saved patch the upload and download options are greyed out. Both options on the "action" menu (a misnomer if you ask me!) are greyed out.

The midi control tool is the only thing so far that's recognized the amp - it comes up on the midi device field, but as I mentioned the EQ patches aren't being transferred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...