Noisy Tube

[gbcook2]

Hi - the large tube on my crack has been pretty noisy ever since i setup the kit.  Does anyone know where to buy a new one?  The tube starts to buzz and hiss and gets worse until I flick it or move it.   Thanks in advance.

[Paul Birkeland]

I would be extra certain that the solder joints on the socket are solid, as thwacking the tube will jostle these joints. 

6080s are very common, most tube dealers will have them.

[gbcook2]

Thanks for the reply.  I went back through and reheated the joints.  I also noticed that the leads on the socket move around a bit so I tried to bend them a little to make them more solid.  The noise got quieter so I think it helped.   However, now at low volumes the left channel doesn't play music.  It will kick in at a certain point though.  Any ideas?  Thanks again.

[Paul Birkeland]

However, now at low volumes the left channel doesn't play music.  It will kick in at a certain point though.  Any ideas?  Thanks again.

How long does it take to kick in relative to the right channel?

[gbcook2]

If 3:30 is no volume whatsoever, I can hear right channel at 4:00 but no left channel at all.  The left channel starts to kick in about 4:30-4:45. 

[Paul Birkeland]

I don't know what those numbers mean.  Pots have about 270 degrees of rotation, is this happening in the bottom 1/4 of the rotation?  If so Crack FAQ #3 and #4 cover a simple mod for this:
https://forum.bottlehead.com/index.php?topic=4295.0

[gbcook2]

Exactly, I was referring to a clock for my numbers.  It occurs at the bottom 1/4.  Thanks for the tip/link, I guess I will give it a try.  Just wondering why it the crack didn't have a volume imbalance before though?  All I did was reheat some joints at the socket and try and make them more solid.