Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Marshall Class 5

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SteveD
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Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby SteveD » 06 Oct 2009, 10:04

It seems that some people are concerned about the volume of the Class 5 for home use. Well, if you have a spare cab, any cab, you can plug it into the headphone out socket which is derived straight from the main speaker out (not just from the preamp) so the preamp and poweramp and output transformer will be giving you that tone at bedroom volume - Viola!! Works great.
:rocker

NOTE! The only thing you have to ensure is that the speaker lead is only plugged HALFWAY into the headphone socket because it is a stereo headphone socket remember and you'll earth the signal out if you have a mono jack plug (which you probably will). But don't worry no damage can be done.

Feel free to pass this info on to any forum where the bedroom volume issue arises.
Still my guitar gently weeps

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby parvulesco » 06 Oct 2009, 12:17

Thanks Steve, good to know! Is there any reason the internal speaker can't be used this way? Is it simply a matter of the speaker cable being hardwired or not long enough to reach the headphone jack on the back of the amp?

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby SteveD » 06 Oct 2009, 15:20

It's internally hard wired, only disconnected by plugging something into the extension speaker output or moving the switch on the rear panel from 'speaker' to 'headphones'.
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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby Kongels » 06 Oct 2009, 21:40

Nice, thanks for doing that man, on my Orange AD15 I have to reach up under there and unplug the damn thing to go into a cab, pain in the ass. I am buying one, day they come out!!!

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby slowpokerhino » 07 Oct 2009, 16:30

SteveD wrote:It's internally hard wired

BOOOOOOOO HIIISSSSSSSSS!! :cuss
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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby Kongels » 08 Oct 2009, 01:42

Why boo hiss? If you gonna change speakers you still got to wire it, if your gonna use an extension cab you going out the back, right?

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby SteveD » 08 Oct 2009, 11:40

slowpokerhino wrote:
SteveD wrote:It's internally hard wired

BOOOOOOOO HIIISSSSSSSSS!! :cuss
Why is this a problem?? :dunno
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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby slowpokerhino » 08 Oct 2009, 19:26

I had it planned in my head to partially open the back and add a Dr. Z Brake Lie attenuator in there for bedroom use.
Can still be done, just have to be a little creative.
Not really a big deal.
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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby ClubAndCountry » 09 Oct 2009, 06:58

I'm not sure I like the idea of hardwiring the speaker like this either. Two reasons:

First, it prevents you running anything - like an attenuator - between the amp and the internal speaker, and it prevents you using the amp's own internal speaker via the headphone jack as a built-in attenuator as SteveD suggested. (This used to be a feature on the Studio 15, too.) Second, by running the speaker signal through the switch in the extension speaker jack and also the speaker/headphone switch, there are now two potential contact failure points instead of only one if the speaker simply plugged into a jack and needed to be manually disconnected to run either headphones or an external cabinet. It's not a big issue, but jack switches are a common cause of problems on many amps - they're definitely less reliable than the contact between a jack and a plug. It would have been simpler - and saved the cost of the switch, although also adding the cost of the plug - to just provide two jacks, one for the speaker and the other for the headphones/low power output.

Not a big deal, I just think it's preferable to maximise the options while minimising the number of contact points in the signal path. Any tech will confirm that bad contacts in jack switches are a substantial proportion of all repair work - easy to fix, but annoying. And in cases where it involves a speaker-level signal in a valve amp, potentially serious - if it does go bad and leave the circuit open you could blow the output transformer. (This is a known cause of OT failures in the DSL/TSL amps where the switch in the 16-ohm jack interrupts the signal path when using the 8/4-ohm jacks, for example.)

Presumably it would be possible to remove the hardwiring, fit the speaker with a standard cable and plug, and plug it into the extension speaker socket (or the headphone socket).

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby parvulesco » 09 Oct 2009, 07:16

ClubAndCountry nailed it. The hardwired speaker certainly wouldn't keep from buying it, but I'd have preferred a two-jack setup like C&C described. Being able to run the internal speaker through the attenuated headphone output (as with the old Studio 15) could be quite useful.

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby Kongels » 09 Oct 2009, 10:45

$400.00 ($360.00 with a 10% GC coupon) 5w combo amp with an out for optional cabs, I wanted Sharks with fricking laser beams but hey, you can't have everything...

Should we make a list of things Steve should have done, 15w, 12 inch speaker, better wood, bigger transforrmer whatever and run the cost of a fun little practice up that says Marshall up to around a grand and then somebody will still miss something on that one won't they?

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby SteveD » 09 Oct 2009, 10:54

Of course I certainly would never do it on our higher power amps but I have extensively tested the Class 5 with no load and there was no damage, so I consider any risk to be extremely low.
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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby parvulesco » 09 Oct 2009, 11:19

Kongels wrote:$400.00 ($360.00 with a 10% GC coupon) 5w combo amp with an out for optional cabs, I wanted Sharks with fricking laser beams but hey, you can't have everything...

Should we make a list of things Steve should have done, 15w, 12 inch speaker, better wood, bigger transforrmer whatever and run the cost of a fun little practice up that says Marshall up to around a grand and then somebody will still miss something on that one won't they?
The difference is that all of the things that you mention would add significantly to the price (and also perhaps the weight and size) of the amp; I'm not sure that a different wiring arrangement for the internal speaker would add to any of those.

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby Kongels » 09 Oct 2009, 13:47

I don't know man, I don't build amps, lol, it must be the cheaper and quicker way to do it right? Honestly from my pov it's a cheap practice amp that says Marshall, if it sounds good it will sit next to my couch and maybe use it for some recording, I will plug it into a cab once just to try it out then probably never do it again.

To run the brake lite mini couldn't you just wire it up amp into 1/4 jack, plug on the brake lite mini, 1/4 plug into speaker. Then you can use the speaker on its own, run straight out to an extension or run out the attenuator.

I mean, it's 5w and already has a line out for an extension cab though so unless you need an attenuator or want to try that speaker with another amp is it really an issue.

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Re: Class 5 at bedroom volume secret

Postby krugoval » 09 Oct 2009, 13:59

now when we are discussing about the internal components i was just wondering what kind of output transformer does the class 5 have? Whats the nominal power and so on? And furthermore the overall komponents in the amp? Are the tube sockets PCB mounted? And if we can get som inside pics :bgrin

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