Dark Terror Choke

[deadratsalad]

I would like to know if someone can tell me which resistor in the Dark Terror can I replace with a choke.Thank you in advance.

[a.hun]

I would like to know if someone can tell me which resistor in the Dark Terror can I replace with a choke.Thank you in advance.

Don't know which - I've never seen a Dark T schematic. But why would you want to do that anyway? Are you getting a lot of hum? If so chances are fitting a choke isn't going to sort that. Oranges designer Ade Emsley is good at coming up with exceptionally quiet circuit designs and layouts, so if you have hum you have a fault and you'd need to find the real cause.

Most amps aren't fitted with a choke because with good design it usually isn't needed. And of course they cost a lot more than a resistor.


Andy.

[deadratsalad]

The amp is brand new and has no issues,I just thought that adding a choke would alter the sound somewhat,I am a tone junkie and like to experiment with different components.I have the Tiny Terror and added a choke and it seems to sound good,I have opened up the DT and found the resisters but don't know which one will be replaced with a choke,thank you for all your help.

[a.hun]

The amp is brand new and has no issues,I just thought that adding a choke would alter the sound somewhat,I am a tone junkie and like to experiment with different components.I have the Tiny Terror and added a choke and it seems to sound good,I have opened up the DT and found the resisters but don't know which one will be replaced with a choke,thank you for all your help.

Well there might be a SLIGHT difference tonally with a choke, but probably not really worth the bother. I had an issue with the choke in my OR120 some years back and ran it with an 80W resistor instead for a while until my tech found a good replacement. There was a shade more hum using the resistor but that was about it as far as I could tell...

A quality replacement output transformer would make a LOT more difference to the amp.


Andy.

[deadratsalad]

I would like to try the choke and if doesn't sound good I can allways put the resister back,if you know the resistor that can be replaced that would be great,thanks again.

[a.hun]

Nope sorry, I don't. As I said I've never seen a Dark Terror schematic.

Andy.

[Randy Bass]

The folks at Orange might know...

[deadratsalad]

Thanks But I allready tried Orange and they said that they can't give out any info that alters their amps,I guess they don't want to be responsible for any misleading info,I'll wait untill the amp has been around for a while so people will have a chance to take it apart and figure out other mods.Thanks for your input.

[deadratsalad]

I would like to know if someone can tell me which resistor in the Dark Terror can I replace with a choke.Thank you in advance.

To answer my own question....the resistor is R50

[misty1982]

Massive Bump from 2011 >>> anyone in recent years tried this mod and fitted it squeezed it on board? I see gear upgrade detail the Orange Tiny Terror Choke mod on their website. I have a dark terror, and might give it a go.

[Orphin]

Both the Marshalls 1974X and 2061X does not have chokes fitted. Out of curiousity I bought a Mercury Magnetics choke designed for these amps. I had read on different forums about the "massive" difference in tone; how fatter and punchier and yada yada bla bla...

Being in a studio with re-amping gear I recorded my guitar, playing some different things.
We ran the guitar through the amp at stock and recorded. Put in the choke and recorded again. Did the same thing with the 2061X and... nothing, no difference.
We ran the sound through a frequency analyzer and.. nothing, no difference.

But the sound engineer kept his eyes closed and listened back and worth between the two takes of an open G chord and finally said it "I hear it!".
He described to me what to listen to which wasn't a difference in tone at all but how the low frequencies kind of punched in a little quicker. I listened over and over again and could finally hear it myself, but it required a trance-like-state of concentration to get there. I had to put myself to a blind test just to clarify to myself that I wasn't just losing my mind, but I passed it.

After this, just for fun, I also played two open G chords, trying to play them exactly alike. This proved to be impossible due to the fact that I'm a living being that is actually strumming the strings, the difference was ten times greater than the previous tests.

A much cooler modification to the amp is to modify it for fixed bias, or even better, make it switchable between the two!
This actually makes a difference to both feel and tone.

[a.hun]

I'd agree with David on the choke thing. I ran my OR120 for a while without one. (The original went microphonic causing a series of blown caps 'till we ID'd the problem. Just fitted a resistor until a suitable replacement came up.) No real tone change, just a shade of hum at some settings.

I'd probably not change it to fixed bias. It is designed as a cathode bias amp, and changing it to fixed biasing would certainly change the feel a lot, and indeed probably the tone some too. But you'd (IMO) lose a lot of the magic. With fixed biasing you'd lose the special sort of compression you get as cathode biasing reacts to your playing by shifting the bias in response to the input signal (ie to your playing). That is a lot of what makes this sort of amp great to play.
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If going that route misty1982 I'd definitely make it switchable.

If you want to upgrade the amp though I'd suggest going for an output transformer upgrade eg to an Mercury Magnetics. That costs but can make a really nice difference, not that the original transformers aren't decent enough...


Andy.