EVH 5150 lll 1x12 Combo Sound Problem(?)

**Synyster5150** · 02.18.21, 07:51 PM

Alright, I have come across a strange problem. I have been attempting to run my THR10X through my Combo’s effects return but i noticed that i lose the right side of the sound. I then plugged my pc and my phone into the effects return and the same thing. Every song/video i play, i only hear the left side and it sounds like part of the audio is missing.

I have even adjusted my sliders on my pc and when i move the “Left” slider to zero, all sound goes away, but when i move the “Right” slider, virtually nothing happens.

Is this natural with a 1x12 combo, or does anybody know a way to fix it?

**Jedi McFly** · 02.19.21, 02:46 AM

If I’m understanding this correctly it doesn’t sound like a 5150iii problem, but really a THR10X problem.

The 5150iii is a mono amp. If you’re missing stereo effects from the THR10X I would continue looking into how to sum that output signal to mono.

**joezlo** · 02.19.21, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by Synyster5150

Alright, I have come across a strange problem. I have been attempting to run my THR10X through my Combo’s effects return but i noticed that i lose the right side of the sound. I then plugged my pc and my phone into the effects return and the same thing. Every song/video i play, i only hear the left side and it sounds like part of the audio is missing.

I have even adjusted my sliders on my pc and when i move the “Left” slider to zero, all sound goes away, but when i move the “Right” slider, virtually nothing happens.

Is this natural with a 1x12 combo, or does anybody know a way to fix it?

I concur with Jedi, the amp is a mono amp; you need to adjust your thr settings (if possible) to a mono output.

Or get another 5150 and split the fx signal between 2 amps, but that just sounds too spinal tap of an answer.

**Synyster5150** · 02.19.21, 06:12 AM

Originally Posted by Jedi McFly

If I’m understanding this correctly it doesn’t sound like a 5150iii problem, but really a THR10X problem.

The 5150iii is a mono amp. If you’re missing stereo effects from the THR10X I would continue looking into how to sum that output signal to mono.

But its strange because it happens when i plug my pc into my combo too. I can adjust the left slider, and all the sound goes away. But when i adjust the right slider, nothing happens.

**nobozos** · 02.19.21, 06:50 AM

You will encounter the same problem with any stereo output you try to plug into a mono input. If you look at a headphone plug, you will see it has two black stipes around it. If you look at an instrument cable, you will see it has one black stripe around it. That is because in the jack of a mono input, there are only two contacts that touch the metal on either side of that stripe (tip and ring). On a stereo jack, you have three metal contacts that touch each of the three metal pieces of the plug that are separated by the black stripes, giving you stereo (ground, left channel, right channel)

Even if you have a stereo plug pushed into a mono input, the jack still only has two contacts, and will only pass one channel through your mono input of your effects return. This will happen regardless of what stereo input you try to plug into your effects return. I would suspect on any amplifier, the effects return is going to have a Mono jack, even on a stereo amp.

**Synyster5150** · 02.19.21, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by nobozos

You will encounter the same problem with any stereo output you try to plug into a mono input. If you look at a headphone plug, you will see it has two black stipes around it. If you look at an instrument cable, you will see it has one black stripe around it. That is because in the jack of a mono input, there are only two contacts that touch the metal on either side of that stripe (tip and ring). On a stereo jack, you have three metal contacts that touch each of the three metal pieces of the plug that are separated by the black stripes, giving you stereo (ground, left channel, right channel)

Even if you have a stereo plug pushed into a mono input, the jack still only has two contacts, and will only pass one channel through your mono input of your effects return. This will happen regardless of what stereo input you try to plug into your effects return. I would suspect on any amplifier, the effects return is going to have a Mono jack, even on a stereo amp.

Yeah it’s funny. When i have my THR10X running from it’s “headphones out” into my Effects Return of the combo, if the plug is all the way on, i lose the right, but if i pull it out to the first line, i gain the right but lose the left, that must be happening.

**nobozos** · 02.19.21, 07:30 AM

Yes, that is what is happening. Depending on how far you have the plug inserted, one of the three isolated metal pieces of the stereo plug is making contact with the two metal contacts of the jack, giving you either right or left, depending on which piece of the plug one of the tow contacts is touching.

**Synyster5150** · 02.19.21, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by nobozos

Yes, that is what is happening. Depending on how far you have the plug inserted, one of the three isolated metal pieces of the stereo plug is making contact with the two metal contacts of the jack, giving you either right or left, depending on which piece of the plug one of the tow contacts is touching.

So in order to, run Bias FX 2 software through my 5150, id need another combo to split the signal?

**nobozos** · 02.19.21, 07:48 AM

Yes, either that or put your software into mono output mode. Is it important to you to get the tone of the 5150 power section, or are you just wanting to boost the volume?

**iplayguitaralot** · 02.19.21, 09:28 AM

Listen, the computer domain and the guitar amp domain are two completely different worlds. I would honestly suggest selling your guitar amps and buying two monitors like Yamahas HS5 and use a cabinet simulator in your daw if you want to run biasFX. It will save you hours and hours of problems. I know you are trying to do the stereo detune thing like Eddie but you can’t really accomplish it by patching things together, there is a method to the madness. Your half in between the mono analog realm and the digital stereo realm, you need to choose which paradigm you are going to go with.

If I was going to do stereo detune with your setup, it would take some money because I would buy a interface and two monitors. That way you could use your 5150 preamp out to the computer and you would get your harmonics back. Then you could use an cabinet sim on that channel, add your left right detune effects and call it a day. I would ditch your Yamaha stereo box because it seems to be doing more harm then good. At the end of the day, you need computer speakers to have the sound coming out and not the amps.

Basically you need to buy computer speakers or monitors.

**Synyster5150** · 02.19.21, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by iplayguitaralot

Listen, the computer domain and the guitar amp domain are two completely different worlds. I would honestly suggest selling your guitar amps and buying two monitors like Yamahas HS5 and use a cabinet simulator in your daw if you want to run biasFX. It will save you hours and hours of problems. I know you are trying to do the stereo detune thing like Eddie but you can’t really accomplish it by patching things together, there is a method to the madness. Your half in between the mono analog realm and the digital stereo realm, you need to choose which paradigm you are going to go with.

If I was going to do stereo detune with your setup, it would take some money because I would buy a interface and two monitors. That way you could use your 5150 preamp out to the computer and you would get your harmonics back. Then you could use an cabinet sim on that channel, add your left right detune effects and call it a day. I would ditch your Yamaha stereo box because it seems to be doing more harm then good. At the end of the day, you need computer speakers to have the sound coming out and not the amps.

Basically you need to buy computer speakers or monitors.

This has nothing to do with the Balance tone i was trying to achieve.

I was more looking for a way to play music(like albums and the such) through my Combo as a speaker for the loudness it has.

The THR10X does stereo with two seperate speakers so theres no need to buy two monitors.

**iplayguitaralot** · 02.19.21, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Synyster5150

This has nothing to do with the Balance tone i was trying to achieve.

I was more looking for a way to play music(like albums and the such) through my Combo as a speaker for the loudness it has.

The THR10X does stereo with two seperate speakers so theres no need to buy two monitors.

My apologies, as the other posters have mentioned summing to mono through your daw or some other method will probably work.

**nobozos** · 02.19.21, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Synyster5150

This has nothing to do with the Balance tone i was trying to achieve.

I was more looking for a way to play music(like albums and the such) through my Combo as a speaker for the loudness it has.

The THR10X does stereo with two seperate speakers so theres no need to buy two monitors.

That is kind of what I suspected. To do what you want to do with an amplifier, you would need something like a Boss Katana 100 212, that has a stereo aux input. This would give you true stereo at the volumes you are looking for, as well as the ability to play along with it if you want. In addition, you would have a much cleaner reproduction of the input without coloring the sound with the power tubes.