Cracklin' valves ???
Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 4:22 pm
I replaced the four EL34 tubes on my amp recently as they've been doing sterling service since 2008! In fairness I never noticed a drop in sound quality but I had 2 matched pairs of new JJ tubes set aside for the eventual replacement and did the swap over. No biggie, just like popping in a new bulb. I then adjusted the bias. But... I noticed after I turned on the amp from cold that I got a crackling noise in the right channel. It went after less than a minute but still... so I swapped over the pairs and, predictably, the crackling went to the left channel (this exercise was really to eliminate any problem with the amp). The crackle through the left side is less pronounced, more of a sharp hiss really, and seems to fade away quicker, maybe 30 -40 seconds.
Does this indicate a significant problem with the tubes? Could it damage the amp/speakers? My instinct tells me it's no big deal really just and annoyance. I bought the valves about 18 months ago in XMusic and although they've sat unused in their plastic protective tube and in a wooden "odds & sods" box I can't reasonably expect the shop to accept I haven't been using them all along so returning them isn't an option.
I'm not sure if they're RF or AF. Or if that matters much. They do sound bloody good though!
Does this indicate a significant problem with the tubes? Could it damage the amp/speakers? My instinct tells me it's no big deal really just and annoyance. I bought the valves about 18 months ago in XMusic and although they've sat unused in their plastic protective tube and in a wooden "odds & sods" box I can't reasonably expect the shop to accept I haven't been using them all along so returning them isn't an option.
I'm not sure if they're RF or AF. Or if that matters much. They do sound bloody good though!