Using contact cleaner in tube sockets

  When you swapped tubes, did the problem happen in the other channel? If it did, then it must be the tube. If it didn't, then it must be something else. I have an MR-71 tube tuner. I have never used contact cleaner for the sockets. This is a good question...is contact cleaner recommended for tube sockets?

The problem was still the same channel after swapping tubes. I just now cleaned the sockets with the contact cleaner. The amp is warming up now and as I'm typing this, it's crackling on the same channel. So the cleaner did not work.

Ugh. I have the same amp. I love it! I just hate the shipping and maintenance costs.  Could be a capacitor or something. Speak to ARC.  You may need to have it sent in for service and have some minor repairs done.  I've done this a couple of times with mine...

I love the sound also! And I just got it Friday, tubes Monday! It was fine at first. This issue started this morning. Or maybe I didn't notice at first due to my excitement. I'd hate to have to return it to the seller.
Mark, was it expensive? I know shipping is not cheap, but the repairs?

@ sgonzalez33

My ARC VT100mkii which I just got, has a crackling from one of the channels. The tubes are new. When I first installed the tubes, it was fine.

New tubes? Installed and biased by someone who knew what he was doing?

You can’t just swap tubes around in a VT100 mkll. At least not the 6922 tubes.
The 6922 input and driver tubes must be biased. Failure to bias the 6922 tubes properly can damage tubes, blow screen resistors, and or damage circuit boards. Damage to the amp especially if the driver tubes are not biased properly.

Courtesy of Abe Collins
http://mycollins.net/audio/artube1.html

http://www.audioresearch.com/ContentsFiles/VT100%20MKII_BiasAdjust.pdf

Scroll down to bottom of page for schematic wiring diagram/s
http://www.arcdb.ws/VT100/VT100.html

http://www.audioresearch.com/ContentsFiles/VT100II_Manual.pdf

Jim