left channel loud hiss

[couchgoat]

i have a crack with speedball 1.1 which the left channel hisses very loudly on (volume all the way down).  if i turn up the volume with a source plugged into it hiss is not really noticeable due to the music playing.  the left channel is a about 10% weaker than the right channel.

ive went through the troubleshooting guide in the manual i found online and checked all of the readings readings.  i cant seem to get any readings on B3 and B6. also, the led going from a3 to center does not light up. other than that, ohm/vdc are all within 15%.  b3/b6 vdc reads properly.

the a3 led will blink a few times when i plug in a different tube there, tungsol 12bh7a.  doesnt do anything at all with the stock.    b3/b6 ohm readings with a tung sol 5998 vs stock rca 6080 is the same as well.

full disclosure, i bought this pre-built from someone on ebay and after seeing the horrible soldering work close up i probably should have just built it myself.   also, all of these issues didnt start happening until i had it for 3 or 4 months.  it would occasionally hum but that would be corrected by slightly moving one of the tubes.  the led lighting up on a3 , im not sure if its always done that or not, didnt notice it until i started troubleshooting.

[Doc B.]

Reflow all the joints and redo all the voltage checks.

[couchgoat]

such a pain.  threw it all in a trashcan - crack + speedball and a reduction phono preamp.  i want something that just works.  nothing but a headache with all of this from day 1.  constantly having to tweak this and that.  same issues i had with all of the balanced audio technology gear i sold.

[Doc B.]

And once again this is why we tell people to buy and build their own kits instead of thinking they are getting a deal buying a used, unknown build from ebay. Not all, but some sellers are dumping their mistakes there rather than getting them working properly. With a little time and patience the equipment could have been brought up to the proper functional standard, even if poorly built. Worst case, you could have sent it to us and we would have repaired it for you.

However, your comments make me suspect that you are not really a DIY guy. My suggestion would be to stick to buying new equipment with a warranty. That's not a guarantee that it will "just work", but you will be able to return anything you are not satisfied with.

[couchgoat]

Doc, it's just very frustrating that it did work and then over time started to have problems.  The only wear/tear involved, tube life aside, was turning it on and off. And by over time, I have only had this for maybe 6 months.  Is it normal to have to reflow solder and check it out with a meter on a regular basis?  There are no moving parts - I don't understand why this gear just sitting here on my desk, being used maybe once or twice a month, would have these problems.

Maybe I just have bad luck when it comes to tube gear. Aside from my 1964 Airline 62-9015A, every piece of tube gear I have ever owned has failed.  BAT VK-30SE, BAT VK-P5, Aune T1, Fender Bassman 70, Peavey Classic 50/50, Ampeg VL-503, Crate Stealth 50, Sound City 120, etc etc. 
 

[Doc B.]

No, it is not normal to have to repair an amp every six months. If it was, we would not still be in business after 20+ years.  But neither you nor I have any control over how carefully the amp you acquired was built, beyond the instructions we offer. Tube amps are like pretty much anything else in requiring minor maintenance once in a while to maintain performance. This is usually easily dealt with. More major things can occasionally happen too, and those can take a little patience to isolate and fix. It is difficult to say what is wrong unless a customer is willing to work with us in sorting out the issue on the forum, or willing to send it in to us for repair. If you have thrown them in the trash there is not really anything else we can do to assist you. It seems from your posts that you might be more happy going with solid state gear. Nothing wrong with that if it works for you. Regarding the other gear you have purchased, it would be imprudent of me to comment about any gear other than our own.

[couchgoat]

Understood.  Sennheiser HDV 820 has been ordered.  Thanks for your time.