Intermittent Crackles and Pops

[leadlike]

As long as you don't have a series-strung chassis (and since it is a european radio, you shouldn't) then you can pull the last tube in the rf section (before the audio amp) and see if the popping still remains. If it does, then you've likely got a problem with the audio/power section.

I'd just go ahead and recap all of the coupling caps, and replace the electrolytics, especially if you plan to use this set as a daily driver and want to leave it (relatively) unattended while it plays.

I don't know if European radios used the same crummy IF transformers that cause silver mica disease, but don't be intimidated: I just redid a pair of the exact same type that Wa2ise has pictured, and it took me a little over an hour to do the first time. 100 pf silver mica caps generally work well as replacements (Original values typically ranged from 50 to 150 pf). On my set, you could still turn down the audio, and the IF crackle would still come through, just not as loudly, but still audible enough to be heard across a silent room.