[ksween93]

I'm going to be going away this week, and I want to leave my amp and headphones to burn in while I'm gone. Since I'll be gone for 5 or 6 days, is it a bad idea to leave my class A amp running continuously for that whole time?

 

[BIG POPPA]

Um, it is not a bad thing if you are going to be home. Just in case? I burned an amp for 33 days straight to get 800 hours in so I know the feeling? To have someone keep an eye on your pad would be recommended while you were gone.

 

[krmathis]

I would not leave it for 5-6 days without anyone watching it.
Class A amplifier run quite hot, and hence may be a risk. At least you should make sure it has proper ventilation.

 

[apatN]

I wouldn´t because I know I will stress out knowing my headphone amp is on while I am not at home.

 

[mrarroyo]

Although nothing bad is expected to occur I would not leave the amp on un-attended that long.

 

[jojo_b2]

Not to mention power spikes and power failures that may affect your amp while you're gone.

not really a good idea to levave it unattended so long. If you're burning in a head phone an old radio would be better to left on. Just place it in a safe place like a tiled floor.

But I do leave my amp open the whole weekend for 48hrs when I burn in something. But I would just be gone an hour or so when I did that.

 

[Happy Camper]

What protects your amp if you're in the bathroom or making supper? That's what fuses and cir. breakers do, protect. As mentioned, venting is key to not overheat. There are several of us who travel that have left the systems on to break/burn in. If you have to worry about the safety of a device at operating temperature, it ain't worth owning.

IMO

 

[santacore]

As long as there is proper ventilation you should be fine. To be extra safe you could put a surge protector in-line to guard against a outside power spike. In general though, gear is meant to left on and enjoyed. The only gear I might worry about is tube gear that doesn't have a fuse.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I wouldn't do it. You're not going to gain anything by leaving it on while risking component failure or fire.

 

[Happy Camper]

Of course all of this is speculation. How many have had a habitat damaged or destroyed by a component burn in compared to no trouble? Caution is speculative and I suspect the stats would prove a lot less problem than what is being suggested. I bet there is more failure in turning it on than leaving it running.

Do those who advocate against leaving it on also turn off your heat or AC when not home? What about your electrical devices like clocks and radios, tvs, satellite receivers, amps? Do you turn off your gas, pull your breakers?

The gain is burning your gear in sooner. If you don't believe in burn in, then there is nothing to gain.

 

[Stoin]

If your amps been running fine other times you've used it I wouldn't worry. My current amp has only been off once since I got it 7 months ago. It too is class-A, although the class of amp shouldn't make any difference to how long it can run provided it is properly designed and built (although class-A cost more to run).

Other people have already made most of the important points - if you've got a good surge protector (many are too slow to offer proper protection) then it should be fine. If you do have a more efficient amp available I'd use that because it will make no difference to burn-in and will be a bit cheaper to run.

 

[Il Mostro]

Which are you trying to burn-in, the phones or the amp?

FWIW, good solid state gear can be left on 24/7 indefinitely. SS gear needs to be warmed up for optimal sound, which is why leaving it on is often SOP among audiophiles. The only SS piece in my main system is a pure Class A 100w/channel amp that I use to power my subs. It has a standby switch which allows it to stay warm at idle (not fully powered-up), but it is still "on" all the time -- the best of both worlds.

If you are burning in the phones, any source will do. So, maybe use something else that doesn't cause so much concern for you. Heck, even put it on a timer if you do not want to run 24 hours a day. My 2 cents.