TH30C problem

[Randy Bass]

I'm not sure that you should feel let down by Orange based on what you have posted in this thread. The first amp may well have had a tube issue, but was replaced by the shop without explanation after they sat on it for a long time. That's not Orange's fault if you can't establish whether the amp itself had any defects.

The second amp apparently worked properly for a year and then two tubes failed according to an independent tech's diagnosis. Tubes fail in every amp made by every manufacturer, sometimes in the first five minutes they are in use. Blackstar and Hughes & Kettner get their tubes from the same suppliers, ship their amps to retailers using the same clumsy couriers, and have the same issues with faulty tubes that have to be replaced under warranty when necessary. No amp manufacturer is immune. If you prefer the tone and/or features of another amp, then get it, but don't give up on the TH30 based on failed tubes if you still like the way it sounds. You'll just be setting yourself up to be disappointed by the next manufacturer.

[scarper]

At the risk of putting people offside I see it as this:-

1. The first amp was not suffering a tube issue, it was an intermittent issue that the tech could never re-produce (yet strangely I could). This issue was never solved.

2. It was not Orange that honoured the warranty but the store as I assume they wanted to preserve their reputation and retain a customer.

3. The problem with the second amp was also not due to tubes. As I understand it the dead fuse and the dead tubes were symptoms of something else, that could not be identified.

4. I purchased an Orange coz I liked the sound, I was also under the impression that Orange was quality gear.

5. I am now stuck with a model of amp that has let me down twice in two different ways. To accept this as "par for the course" surely would allow me to be labelled as a sucker.

The money I outlayed for this amp was not inconsequentual for a bloke with a mortgage and three kids. I don't think it's too much to ask for a product to do what it promises to deliver. The question is do I roll the dice with this amp or roll the dice with another brand.

If you are considering a TH30C, be warned, if you have one with no dramas I envy you, they sound tops I reckon.

[Randy Bass]

It would be fair enough to write-off the TH30 as a poorly-made amp if you knew what happened to yours, established that they were factory defects, and observed a pattern or trend of similar problems experienced by other TH30 owners. The information that you have provided in this thread is basically that two techs have told you that your amps were messed up, but they weren't sure how or why. The competency of the techs is in question just as much as the build quality of the amps at this point in the absence of any specific technical information.

There was a batch of TH30s with faulty components a while back that Orange had to resolve under warranty. Orange will take care of their customers, but they have to know a problem exists before it can be fixed. You have been advised over and over and over again in this thread to contact Orange directly and I have not seen where you have done so yet. Orange UK can receive e-mails from anywhere in the world if phoning is not feasible for you.

I am not trying to give you a hard time and I do appreciate that you have spent a large amount of hard-earned money on your amp, as have the rest of us here on the Forum. I recognize that Orange could have shipped-out your TH30s with internal defects (it has happened before). My point is that the information required to draw such a conclusion is absent and also that other amp manufacturers have the same potential for both internal defects and tube issues, the latter being responsible for the overwhelming majority of problems with new tube amps. It's just not enough information to justify writing-off an entire brand. You may find it interesting that I have purchased 6 Chinese-made Orange amplifiers in the last 5 years and have experienced 0 defects with any of them. I hope that you will be able to get the same level of reliability out of your TH30 now that it has (hopefully) been fixed by a (hopefully) competent independent tech.

[richardfirebird]

It would be fair enough to write-off the TH30 as a poorly-made amp if you knew what happened to yours, established that they were factory defects, and observed a pattern or trend of similar problems experienced by other TH30 owners. The information that you have provided in this thread is basically that two techs have told you that your amps were messed up, but they weren't sure how or why. The competency of the techs is in question just as much as the build quality of the amps at this point in the absence of any specific technical information.

There was a batch of TH30s with faulty components a while back that Orange had to resolve under warranty. Orange will take care of their customers, but they have to know a problem exists before it can be fixed. You have been advised over and over and over again in this thread to contact Orange directly and I have not seen where you have done so yet. Orange UK can receive e-mails from anywhere in the world if phoning is not feasible for you.

I am not trying to give you a hard time and I do appreciate that you have spent a large amount of hard-earned money on your amp, as have the rest of us here on the Forum. I recognize that Orange could have shipped-out your TH30s with internal defects (it has happened before). My point is that the information required to draw such a conclusion is absent and also that other amp manufacturers have the same potential for both internal defects and tube issues, the latter being responsible for the overwhelming majority of problems with new tube amps. It's just not enough information to justify writing-off an entire brand. You may find it interesting that I have purchased 6 Chinese-made Orange amplifiers in the last 5 years and have experienced 0 defects with any of them. I hope that you will be able to get the same level of reliability out of your TH30 now that it has (hopefully) been fixed by a (hopefully) competent independent tech.

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