Popping at startup?

[Barabus]

Hi, new to this forum and I guess you've all heard this question before but it's new to me and worrying.

I'm a late starter at 61 and have bought some great gear, I have a new Lazy J20 amp which is fabulous........but it has started popping when I switch on, usually lasts a few minutes then all is fine. I have read that the valves warming up can do this and that while it sounds nasty is actually not harmful, therefore I ask is it normal and should I not be concerned?

Cheers

Si

[DrGonz78]

Welcome to the forum! Is it a popping that comes through the speaker or is it like a tink tink tink sound around the tubes inside the actual amp?

[Barabus]

Hi from the UK, yes its coming through the speaker I think. New to all this, amp is fine now, it only lasts a few minutes at start up. I heard that the tubes when warming can make noises like this but is it Normal?

[DrGonz78]

Perhaps your tube sockets are in a need to be cleaned or it could be the tubes as well. Could be other things too, but look there first. When the popping occurs look at the tubes and observe if there is a flickering of any kind going on at the bottom of tube.

[DrGonz78]

The tubes I am suggesting to look at are the output tubes and even the rectifier tube(I think there is one on that model). Cleaning the tube pins might be part of the solution, but first for you observations.

[Barabus]

I've had all the tubes out and cleaned with electrical cleaner and it still popping. I just spoke to the amp builders salesman a Phil Harris, you may have heard of him, the builder Jesse Hoff is a hard man to get hold of he's too busy building amps. Phil told me it sounds like a bad tubes and he'll get in touch of Jesse for me and he will know the answer, maybe send me a new set of tubes he said. So wait and see.

[gtrplayr1976]

You might want to pull a tube at a time and see if the popping stops at any point. Start at the preamp end and work your way up. V1 ,V2 ect. one at a time. Make sure the amp is off when you pull a tube.