My lxii channel A began making a popping and screeching noise
I checked all my cables and swapped out the phase inverter tube on that channel. I have 2 extra matched 6l6 tubes from when i had a problem prior. Can you tell me which two 6l6 is channel A, and does this sound like a power tube issue?
Hi @S_everett
Good question. I’m not actually sure and the user manual does not say.
If you can post me a photo of the labels on the PCB near the sockets, I can tell you for sure. They should be labelled V201A, V201B, V202A and V202B.
I got it figured. Its the first 2, and it was the power tubes. Its curious though, thats the second time in less than a year that i have had to replace the power tubes in this new power amp. Its in a rack , played at bedroom levels, only 2 or 3 days a week. I get that tubes wear out and have to be replaced, but i would have thought they would last longer than that.
Tube life may vary depending on when the amp was made, This is because of the shrinking supply and dubious quality control on the part of tube manufacturers.
The LXII uses small bottle types. Traditionally the Sovtek 5881/6L6WCG has been a pretty solid performer and our preferred tube for this model. Over the last two years quality control weakened and we started seeing more frequent failures.
Lately they seem to have improved and are returning to normal lifespan. Let us know if this behavior continues. We might recommend a bias mod to help stabilize performance.
Dave