Jump to content

Tube Amp Crackle

mister_s
By mister_s
in Audio
 Share
Posted

I have an xDuoo TA-01 and it seems to have a crackle in the left channel. It doesn't make the sound when it is first turned on, but it will eventually just appear after a few minutes, and gradually get louder. Although it's probably not a good idea to do often, I find that just turning the amp off and on again solves the problem for a while

 

I have gotten a new tube for it, and cleaned the pins of the tube and port with alcohol the best I could. I've also heard things about it may take half an hour for the tube to fully warm up?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I have an xDuoo TA-01 and it seems to have a crackle in the left channel. It doesn't make the sound when it is first turned on, but it will eventually just appear after a few minutes, and gradually get louder. Although it's probably not a good idea to do often, I find that just turning the amp off and on again solves the problem for a while

I have gotten a new tube for it, and cleaned the pins of the tube and port with alcohol the best I could. I've also heard things about it may take half an hour for the tube to fully warm up?

Yes, tubes take a while warm up. They are not solid state, so the sound can change depending on how long a tube has been on. That being said, you shouldn't just leave it on, as the tube will die very quickly that way. Have you waited for the amp to warm up all the way yet, or have you just been power cycling whenever you start to hear the noise?

Hey! New SIgnature! 

 

I'm supposedly a person on the Internet, but you'll never know if I'm human or not ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

Yes, tubes take a while warm up. They are not solid state, so the sound can change depending on how long a tube has been on. That being said, you shouldn't just leave it on, as the tube will die very quickly that way. Have you waited for the amp to warm up all the way yet, or have you just been power cycling whenever you start to hear the noise?

How long would waiting for it to warm up all the way be? I used to just endure the noise for about half an hour and then cycle the power since it would get too annoying

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

How long would waiting for it to warm up all the way be? I used to just endure the noise for about half an hour and then cycle the power since it would get too annoying

 

I have heard so many different "warmup times"

 

Some people say 15mins, some say 2 hours.

I think 1 hour should be MORE than adequate. 

 

 

Although it shouldn't be crackling, something may be faulty.

 

 

When I had my tube amp, there was a slight hissing noise for the first few mins it was on, and it went away after a while of being on.

Stuff:  i7 7700k @ (dat nibba succ) | ASRock Z170M OC Formula | G.Skill TridentZ 3600 c16 | EKWB 1080 @ 2100 mhz  |  Acer X34 Predator | R4 | EVGA 1000 P2 | 1080mm Radiator Custom Loop | HD800 + Audio-GD NFB-11 | 850 Evo 1TB | 840 Pro 256GB | 3TB WD Blue | 2TB Barracuda

Hwbot: http://hwbot.org/user/lays/ 

FireStrike 980 ti @ 1800 Mhz http://hwbot.org/submission/3183338 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/11574089

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Is the tube new? Probably it's just going bad.

Audio Reference • Cutting the Crap • 7.1 Headphones? • Audio Interference Troubleshooting Guide
REVIEWS • HiFiMan HE-560 • Beyerdynamic T1 2. Generation • Schiit Bifrost 4490 • Schiit Valhalla 2
RECOMMENDATIONS • The Audio Board's Recommended Gear

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

Is the tube new? Probably it's just going bad.

Yeah it's a new tube,

 

 

I have heard so many different "warmup times"

 

Some people say 15mins, some say 2 hours.

I think 1 hour should be MORE than adequate. 

 

 

Although it shouldn't be crackling, something may be faulty.

 

 

When I had my tube amp, there was a slight hissing noise for the first few mins it was on, and it went away after a while of being on.

Alright so I've left the amp on for about an hour and I've noticed that if I wiggle the power cord around the sound goes away and comes back, etc. Could it be a poor PSU, or a loose power port?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Yeah it's a new tube,

 

 

Alright so I've left the amp on for about an hour and I've noticed that if I wiggle the power cord around the sound goes away and comes back, etc. Could it be a poor PSU, or a loose power port?

 

Maybe. It's not like you can fix it yourself, so you might as well get it replaced under warranty.

Audio Reference • Cutting the Crap • 7.1 Headphones? • Audio Interference Troubleshooting Guide
REVIEWS • HiFiMan HE-560 • Beyerdynamic T1 2. Generation • Schiit Bifrost 4490 • Schiit Valhalla 2
RECOMMENDATIONS • The Audio Board's Recommended Gear

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

What tube are you running in it? There are many different 12AU7s, straight from absolutely useless to godlike. With it being a Chinese amp I would guess they used the first kind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I'd try buying a cheap tube off of ebay or something to see if that fixes it. It could very well be just a bad tube.

 

When I first got my Lyr the stock tubes would crackle lightly for 30 minutes or so while they warmed up. This never went away until I switched to some quality tubes. My current Matsushita 7DJ8's don't crackle at all. They also sound fantastic.

LTT Unigine SUPERPOSITION scoreboard: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jvq_--P35FbqY8Iv_jn3YZ_7iP1I_hR0_vk7DjKsZgI/edit#gid=0

Intel i7 8700k || ASUS Z370-I ITX || AMD Radeon VII || 16GB 4266mhz DDR4 || Silverstone 800W SFX-L || 512GB 950 PRO M.2 + 3.5TB of storage SSD's

SCHIIT Lyr 3 Multibit || HiFiMAN HE-1000 V2 || MrSpeakers Ether C

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

What tube are you running in it? There are many different 12AU7s, straight from absolutely useless to godlike. With it being a Chinese amp I would guess they used the first kind.

It's came with a unbranded Chinese 12AU7, but it's been running a JJ Electronics (Made in Slovak Republic) gold pinned one, which did make a big difference, but the problem was still there but less abrasive.

 

Also, I just took the casing off of the amp and noticed a gain switch set to high. I've put it to low and already I've noticed that (something I didn't mention) when the volume is turned down really low the left channel doesn't get quieter than the right anymore.

 

I'll let you know if this solves the problem after about 0.5-1 hour

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

If the gain setting changes how the volume wheel responds, something is definitely wired incorrectly.

PC Build in LTT Gallery - JBL J88 - Fostex T50RP (Modded) - Pioneer SE-A1000 vs audio-technica ATH-AD500X - Skullcandy Aviator  
audio-technica ATH-T400 - CHC Silverado and Laredo - Clip-On Headphone Roundup - Sony LinkBuds

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I agree, something is definitely wrong with the rest of the amp then, not the tube (in what ever state of heated up it might be). Send it back. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Audio

×