OR120 not loud at all!?

[kaospilot]

So I just traded up my old amp with this Orange OR 120 (made in the 90ies by Matamp) and everywhere on the internet I read that this amp should be SUPER LOUD while I can play mine at full volume and my ears can still take it.

I mean, I had a 100W Fender tube amp and if I turned it halfway open, it was much louder than the Orange can go at FULL POWER.
Also had it sit next to a Hiwatt Custom 100, if we turned it up like 1/4th it was blowing away my OR120 at FULL volume.

Anyone with a suggestion what could cause this? All tubes are glowing and the previous owner said it always has been that silent and that the tubes have been replaced twice.

[kaospilot]

I mean seriously, a Tiny Terror can go louder than my 120 WATTS overdrive, it's sad.

I need to fix this, badly.

[bclaire]

When you say full volume, do you mean the knob is all the way up? Some of these go way past the highest mark on the amp...

Other than that, the transformers may not be as good as the originals on which the amp is based....

[kaospilot]

when I mean up, I mean I can't turn it any further without breaking it.
it's sound is okay, it's just so quiet.

[Gladmarr]

I'm gonna say something's wrong with it....

How do you know it was built by Matamp?

[kaospilot]

well I don't know actually, the guy told me so.

It's serial number is 781, if anyone can give me more information about when it should have been built or who built it, thats always welcome too.

Here are some pictures after ages of cleaning I did.


http://www.ddekeersmaecker.net/orange1big.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ddekeersmaecker.net/orange2big.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ddekeersmaecker.net/orange3big.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(click the link for a larger format)

[kaospilot]

could this have anything to do with the voltage settings?
the hiwatt custom 100 I had before this amp was set to 240v (while Belgium actually is 220v).
Can you do any harm if you turn it to a "wrong" higher voltage?

Anyway I can measure if it's really putting out 120w or how I can test certain parts so I know it isn't them?
Oh and electric schemes are welcome too! I don't know much about tube amps or how to service them but my dad is an electrician so he can perform most of the measuring for me if you guys can point me in the right direction.

[Orphin]

That's a Matamp build alright.
I would have the bias checked. Your tech will see if the power tubes needs to be changed will he does this. This could be the issue here. I don't believe there should be a transformer problem unless the amp sounds like complete cr@p.

[kaospilot]

it sounds like it should sound, just nog loud enough than anyone would expect.
is the bias something you can d-i-y? because i'm all out of $$$, i've got like $150 i'm saving for new tubes.

[Orphin]

No, you have to get a tech to check bias. It shouldn't cost much just to get a check up I believe.

[kaospilot]

I'll save some moneys then. Called around and all places I called had to keep my amp for like a week, that kinda sucks.

[thornicated]

hmmm...seems like giving up your amp for a week to get it working properly makes sense to me...otherwise...why complain?

[kaospilot]

it's 2010, why give up my amp for a week if someone can do it in one day!?
and why complain? I don't know, it's kinda of like when you bring your car to the dealer, which most people would call 'stealer'.

[Randy Bass]

It's worth it to go without the amp for a week if necessary to make sure it is worked on by a professional, and it's understandable to complain about it too. Once you get the issue sorted out by an amp tech and get it back home, you really won't want to part with it again.

Dumb question - you do have all four power tubes in it, right? Did you check the fuse(s) to see if all four tubes are actually making power? Have you tried using both inputs to make sure that one hasn't had some sort of modification done to it? Sometimes it helps to have a different set of eyes look at it to see if you are missing something. Unfortunately, those eyes usually will belong to an amp tech who likes to be paid for his work.

Although I don't know what it looked like before, you must have done a good job cleaning it because the amp looks beautiful. You should do some more research on your amp at the sites listed below. It might help you to narrow-down the approximate year the amp was made and there may be some schematics for that amp as well. You might also see if there is a build date on the underside of the chassis (below the circuit board).

http://users.telenet.be/orangefg/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://orangeampguide.atspace.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.soulbuzz.de/orange/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kaospilot]

I'm sure it's worth it, I just like doing stuff like that myself and learning in the process.
I'm hoping i'll find someone who fixes stuff like this after his hours so I can watch what he's doing.

And thanks for the replies, I really appreciate all the help here!