Loud Pop In Right Channel Followed By No Sound [resolved]

[Paul Birkeland]

vs...

https://www.amazon.com/Aurum-Cables-3-Pack-6-35mm-Adapter/dp/B00XAVOW00/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3N3PW1G77LJUA&dchild=1&keywords=1%2F4+to+1%2F8+headphone+adapter&qid=1599673462&sprefix=1%2F4%22+to+1%2F8%22%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Maxell-190319-Stereo-Headphone-Packaging/dp/B01I4JRBBE/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=headphones&qid=1599673518&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-1

[Colonl_Charisma]

I appreciate it! I went ahead and ordered the second option (Maxwell + 1/4" adapters). I'll grab some takeout and get an extra pair of chopsticks while I'm out later haha.

[Colonl_Charisma]

I thought of another question to ask. How important is it to crimp the wires around joints? I originally did not do that very well. I have gone back to crimp as many as I could and then applied more solder to the joint. There are still some areas where this could be done.

[Paul Birkeland]

The crimp makes the joint a lot more reliable, but it's certainly not 100% possible to do this on every joint. 

[Deluk]

Crimping on the wires is made much easier with suitable miniature pliers of various types. Pay a little extra for better made items. Many wires can be pre bent with fine pointed needle nose pliers before insertion. The hook then allows the wire to be squeezed a bit before soldering. Cut off the excess as you go. Having good and suitable tools for this work makes it more satisfying. Tool junkies know the feeling. 

[Colonl_Charisma]

Yes, having a good pair of needle-nose pliers is game changing haha. About halfway through my assembly I went out and got a good pair. No way would I have been able to assemble the kit without them.

I will be conducting my chopstick test later today. The only area that most likely needs to be re-soldered is 3L, but I have no idea how to get to it.

[Paul Birkeland]

If you heat 3U enough, 3L will also get enough heat to flow out.

[Colonl_Charisma]

Thanks Paul! I will try that later today. I will report back on the chopstick test and the re-soldering of 3L.

[Colonl_Charisma]

Hi Paul,

Just performed the chopstick test and I did not hear any pops or noises come from the headphones. I verified the Maxwell headphones worked by plugging them into my solid-state amp and briefly playing music through them.

I had the headphones off my head during the test but held them close to an ear. I did this because I wasn't sure how loud a pop or noise would be. I also had the volume slightly turned up. Want me to crank the volume and perform the test again?

When I was inspecting all of my joints I found that pin 6 on the 8 pin is slightly broken/cracked at the base. Could this be causing my tube to arc or whatever it is doing at the startup? Could I just run some solder over it to "fill it in"? My resistances and voltages are passing each time I perform tests (I run through the checks prior to powering the system on every time).

Also, my 3L terminal looks good on soldering.

[Paul Birkeland]

The socket contacts are twisted in order to hold them in place, so there's nothing wrong there.  Are you 100% certain you poked at all the joints?  You could do this with the volume all the way up, there's no harm in trying that.

[Colonl_Charisma]

Hi Paul,

Good to know about pin 6 on the 8 pin. I will do the test again and poke all the joints and wires with the volume all the way up. I'll update you shortly.

[Colonl_Charisma]

Chopstick test worked. I turned the volume up and was able to get a loud pop/crack when poking the black wire connected to terminal 14U & 20U. I will re-solder those terminals real quick and power everything up to see if anything changes.

[Colonl_Charisma]

Still getting an arc/flash from my tube. Going back to chopstick test.

[Colonl_Charisma]

Hi Paul,

After re-touching the joints that created the pop in the headphones I cannot fix the issue of the 6080 tube arcing and causing a pop in the headphones. When having the Maxwell headphones plugged in during the chopstick test I hear a buzz in the left channel with no sound from the right channel. This is all still my original problem. Resistance and voltage checks are still looking good. The Maxwell headphones are also okay. I tested them on my other amp to make sure they weren't fried.

Probably going to send the amp to you guys for repair. I am willing to try any other tests prior to doing that. I appreciate all the help.

[Paul Birkeland]

You can definitely send it in for repair.  I'm still 80% certain you have a loose connection.  Something that can also be helpful is to take your needlenose pliers and pull on each connection a little.  Sometimes they will just pop out because they aren't well soldered!