I just came across this thread. I wanted to add my conclusion to the story. I returned to the Flaming Bird in October, after this thread was posted, and I noticed the same thing. So, I pulled the brain and brought it intot he shop to show Al. I tried for 30 minutes to prove to him that this volume pot in fact was noisy. The damn thing wouldn't fail! It made no noise that night, in anyway, shape or form. Al told me I was full of shit and walked out. I was upset... I hate problems that "fix themselves", you can't trust that shit. However, 13 months later. It hasn't made a single noise yet....and I've trying to make it happen. I have not (even intentionally) been able to reproduce, since then, the crackle that Roachie described and that I heard.