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Solid state-Leave it on at all times or turn it off?

post #1 of 60
7/5/07 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
Curious what most do with their solid state amps/sources. Obviously, tubes need to be turned off to save the life of the tube.

Most would agree that audio equipment sounds best when it is warmed up. I have always left my equipment plugged into a surge suppressor/conditioner and turned on. I received a recent PM from a helpful gent who said I should be turning off my equipment as the caps have an audiophile lifespan of 7000-10,000 hours, sometimes less.

The equipment I have left plugged in and turned on seems to sound as good now as it did when I bought it, but my memory may be flawed. I would say it has about 70,000 hours of on time. All solid sate of course. Caps galore.

I have perused a few component makers. PS audio recommends their Headphone amp be left on at all times. Ayre doesn't even include a power switch on their new $16,000 monoblocks. Some even say a power switch might detract a slight bit from the sound quality of the component and if you believe in aftermarket powercords, you would necessarily have to believe this as well. What say you?
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post #2 of 60
7/5/07 at 1:37pm
Most solid state can be left on permanantly except during lightning storms. Some manufacturers don't even put power switches on thier gear for this reason. However if your runing a larger class A amplifier you will want to turn it off when not in use so as not to run your electric bill up too high. I leave my source electronics on all the time except my computer which doubles as a good space heater. My biamped speakers and subwoofer are left on all the time too as they are not class A designs.
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post #3 of 60
7/5/07 at 1:48pm
Thread Starter 
Excellent point about the big Class A power amps. These guys use a ton of juice even in idle.

Just looked at the Bel Canto Ref 1000 monoblock class D user guide. Bel Canto specifically states that it takes 40hr's to warm up these little beauties. They recommend leaving them powered on at all times. This works well in particular for this amp as it uses almost no juice on idle and because it is class D, it produces very little heat.

However, my friendly gent's PM directed me toward the ELNA website. They do make some vague statements about cap lifespan.

Which is interesting because the Ref 1000 appears, from pics of its innards at 6 moons, to use no less than 10 ELNA caps.

So, it appears we have a bit of a disconnect.
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post #4 of 60
7/5/07 at 2:47pm
I've wondered this as well. Fumbling around to switch my ECSS off is now something I don't need to worry about. If all else fails and your paranoid but to lazy like myself wouldn't turning down the volume pretty much cut out most if not all of the power usage when idle from a headphone amp?
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post #5 of 60
7/5/07 at 3:30pm
I've got MF X-Can v3. Though it's a tube amp, it doesn't have on/off switch, and the manufacturer expects customer to put it on all the time. In fact, turning on and off the amp will shorten the life of the tubes, as the manual says so.
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post #6 of 60
7/5/07 at 3:40pm
I'm not comfortable leaving any electronic equipment on if it isn't actively being used, regardless of what the manufacturer says. The only exceptions I make is my PC network - I leave it on 24/7, unless I will be out of town for 2 or more consecutive days. And also my TiVO is required to be on all the time for it to work properly / at all.

I am just in the habit of switching everything off when I am not using it. I even once passed on a really good deal for an Xcan v.2 because I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with it not having an on/off switch. It would have driven me crazy, and I would have lost sleep over it, I'm sure. If I did buy it, I would have probably ended up plugging it into a switched power outlet so I could turn it on and off, LOL.
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post #7 of 60
7/5/07 at 4:09pm
Thread Starter 
A perusal of the Krell owner's manual's reveals that Krell also recommends their equipment be left switched on in standby mode.

Interesting about that MF tube amp always on rec. I didn't think about shortening the life of the tubes by switching.

So, are we just psychologically driven to have a power switch or is there something to the Cap life issue and therefore equipment life issue?

I, for example, also leave my cable box/DVR on all the time as well. That thing gets hot.

The ELNA cap website does have some nice graphs and charts regarding cap life expectancy etc.

Who should we believe?
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post #8 of 60
7/5/07 at 4:10pm
I usually power them down when not in use.
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post #9 of 60
7/5/07 at 4:19pm
I, as lmilhan, turn of my gear when i'm not using it. Except my wireless router and internet modem, which stays on always.
My Hornet, MicroDAC and Iriver H120 are currently on, because i'm burning in the Hornet. After that, just on when in use.
BTW, this burn in process sucks badly ...
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post #10 of 60
7/5/07 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 
Mark Levinson recommends that even the beastly 33h monos be powered on in standby at all times.

Why are those of you who turn off your equipment doing so? Does it help you sleep better at night or do you believe there is real equipment degradation possible by powered on state?
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post #11 of 60
7/5/07 at 5:26pm
"Why are those of you who turn off your equipment doing so? Does it help you sleep better at night or do you believe there is real equipment degradation possible by powered on state?"

Yes to all of the above. Also, giving the appliances the day off when not in use is the right thing to do during these times of energy shortages.

- augustwest
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post #12 of 60
7/5/07 at 5:47pm
I've got a Krell pre-amp that has been on for about 13 years except during Hurricanes, without any noticable problems. I do turn off my Tube headphone amps, but there seems to be some dispute as to whether this is necessary.
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post #13 of 60
7/5/07 at 6:18pm
Thread Starter 
Sim Audio, makers of the highly regarded $8000 W8 dual mono stereo amp clearly state in the owners manual that they recommend the thing be left on at all times to provide optimal sound quality.
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post #14 of 60
7/5/07 at 6:23pm
I turn audio equipment off when it won't be used for several hours. TO save electricity, the tubes, and because they act as personal room heaters, real nice in the summer
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post #15 of 60
7/5/07 at 6:27pm
the class a bias and dc offset changes until the temperature of the transistor stabilizes ("warms up") so the amp should be kept on at all times if the warm up takes so long on big Class A amps. but yes, the life of the amp is shortened if you keep it on all the time, nobody cares though.
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