I put in the EH pre-amp tubes and it seems much better. There is a little bit of very low level crackling when I first turn it on, then after about 2 minutes it stops. My Fender Custom Deluxe Reverb does about the same thing and it is less than a year old. So, the Line 6 is on eBay for $629 if anyone wants it. Seller location is Jacksonville, Florida. ;-)