[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magic77 PinkFloyd, I have the X-Can v2 as well. I've opened up mine also, and Yes, it is well made and you can't beat the price for it's performance. The only thing I wish it had is an ON/OFF switch. Do you have any suggestions for turning it ON/OFF instead of unplugging it all the time or using a power strip to turn it ON/OFF ??

I believe it doesn't have an on / off switch as the manufacturer designed it to be left on all the time. If you must turn it off then the switch on the wall is as good a place as any.

have a read of this article too... Musical Fidelity recommend you let the unit warm up for several days before listening to it for the first time... I assume that this unit performs best when warm so just leave it on all the time and let it run hot

http://www.audioenz.co.nz/2001/0101.html

 

[BenG]

Quote:

Originally posted by PinkFloyd I believe it doesn't have an on / off switch as the manufacturer designed it to be left on all the time. If you must turn it off then the switch on the wall is as good a place as any. have a read of this article too... Musical Fidelity recommend you let the unit warm up for several days before listening to it for the first time... I assume that this unit performs best when warm so just leave it on all the time and let it run hot http://www.audioenz.co.nz/2001/0101.html

THe wallwart runs hot with that thing, you might want to replace it with something more substantial.

About leaving it on- I found that it sounds best after it's been left on for a day or so (this is after the 'burn-in' period), but after a couple of weeks of being left ON it starts to sound soggy and slow. I would turn it off periodically.

Interesting how this thread went from a Creek bashing to an MF party.

 

[london luke]

In all the 2 years I owned a very Good valve set up. I never once turned it OFF..... I always believed you dont turn them off as the valves dont like the cooling/heating process

?????

 

[jasonhanjk]

Yup. Thermal stress. But it is more applicable to ICs. Discrete component does not have such a big impact!

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by london luke In all the 2 years I owned a very Good valve set up. I never once turned it OFF..... I always believed you dont turn them off as the valves dont like the cooling/heating process ?????

There is no right answer to this one. Thermal stress is maximal at turn on/turn off, so you're definitely saving a lot of stress by leaving the gear on. OTOH, tubes do wear over time during use, so eventually they're going to wear out if you leave them on permanently. The unknown part is wear the trade off is. If you're not going to be using the amp for a period of time, such as a vacation, I'd say definitely turn it off. It will be better for the tubes (not to mention a good electrical safety precaution).

Daily use is harder. Repeated on/off is definitely bad. If I know that I'm going to be using an amp, I turn it on as soon as I get home from work, and leave it on the rest of the evening. I'll turn it off when I'm completely done for the day. That tradeoff works for me, so far. However, I have no idea at all if it's the right tradeoff, and haven't read anything that suggests that anyone knows for sure.

 

[Rotareneg]

Well, when I had a Creek OBH-11 SE, I discovered that the transistors in the class A amp stage didn't have heatsinks! All they had for cooling was a little piece of wire coiled between the L and R channels, soldered to where a real heatsink would normally be attached. They ran very hot, beyond the measurement range of the little Radio Shack digital thermometers external thermistor, and hot enough to melt the hotglue that insulated the leads. They boiled distilled water quite well when a small drop was placed on 'em too, 100+ (C) easily.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

AAAAAHHHH! The Spathi are back!!!

 

[SuperGiraffe]

Hmmm, I thought I had seen a photo of the innards of an OBH-11SE here somewhere, and it had small heatsinks on the output transformers. Could this be another case of the "A" vs. "B" revisions of this amp?

 

[Rotareneg]

They changed transistor types between the A (which I had) and B versions, so it's quite possible they switched to using proper heatsinks.