Just wanted to post this as a disclaimer in case anyone is looking into purchasing a used Yorkville xs800 head. I've had plenty of Traynor/Yorkville equipment over the years, and this is the only piece of gear from this great company that I've ever had a problem with. Still love my Traynor TC1510.
That being said, I have had nothing but issues with this thing since I bought it - admittedly, used. Tried it in store before purchasing and it produced a noticable white noise but I attributed that to the lighting/power/surrounding equipment in store, and didn't want to raise the volume too high. Price was great, $399, and it has some great features so I decided to get it. Got it home, and the white noise was WAY more pronounced in a smaller room, and at any volume. Even with no input. Tried different cables, inputs, outputs, power sources, gain structure, cabs - nothing changed it. And this is all with no tweeter flat EQ, and low gain. Literally anything you can suggest, both myself AND a tech have tried it. Took it back to the store, and one of their in house repair guys troubleshot it, came to the same conclusion, and sent it away for repair by a Traynor-licensed tech. Tube was replaced, volume pot was replaced, multiple connections were resoldered. Got it back - same issue and it even stumped multiple Long & McQuade employees. Sent it to the parent company for repair. Got it back - same issue, and now the power switch won't even shut the unit off. Had to pull the plug to kill it. Totally at my wits-end, I'll be returning it tomorrow. Luckily, Long & McQuade and Traynor have stellar warranty systems and customer service, but this amp is now discontinued, so I'll be searching for something new. Probably a Traynor SB500h. It's a shame, because this amp has a ton of killer features, but with the power and white noise issues that technicians can't figure out, it is basically a 40 lb. noise machine.
That being said, I have had nothing but issues with this thing since I bought it - admittedly, used. Tried it in store before purchasing and it produced a noticable white noise but I attributed that to the lighting/power/surrounding equipment in store, and didn't want to raise the volume too high. Price was great, $399, and it has some great features so I decided to get it. Got it home, and the white noise was WAY more pronounced in a smaller room, and at any volume. Even with no input. Tried different cables, inputs, outputs, power sources, gain structure, cabs - nothing changed it. And this is all with no tweeter flat EQ, and low gain. Literally anything you can suggest, both myself AND a tech have tried it. Took it back to the store, and one of their in house repair guys troubleshot it, came to the same conclusion, and sent it away for repair by a Traynor-licensed tech. Tube was replaced, volume pot was replaced, multiple connections were resoldered. Got it back - same issue and it even stumped multiple Long & McQuade employees. Sent it to the parent company for repair. Got it back - same issue, and now the power switch won't even shut the unit off. Had to pull the plug to kill it. Totally at my wits-end, I'll be returning it tomorrow. Luckily, Long & McQuade and Traynor have stellar warranty systems and customer service, but this amp is now discontinued, so I'll be searching for something new. Probably a Traynor SB500h. It's a shame, because this amp has a ton of killer features, but with the power and white noise issues that technicians can't figure out, it is basically a 40 lb. noise machine.
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