FauDrei
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2007
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- 51
Having signal (music or test tones playing) is better, but no - you do not need to attach your laptop for warm-up.
The basic rule of thumb for A-gd gear is 350hours for the lower end stuff and anywhere from 400-750 hours for the higher end stuff. The initial 100 hours at the factory is to test the circuit for reliable operation (because 90% of the failures that do occur usually happen within the first power up and within the first 48 hours of operation).
I would recommended against leaving any of Kingwa's bigger Class A stuff powered up 24/7. As Regal rightly points out caps have a lifespan measured in hours at a max temp (look at the spec sheet for the part it will be listed ...85C caps operated at 60C will likely last 8000 hours) Again just because these things are SS does not mean they will last forever but with judicious use and proper ventilation Kingwa has estimated 20-30 years of normal use before a cap overhaul is needed. Most vintage amps (tube and SS) should be recapped before powering them up for the first time in years (unless you know for sure it works within spec). even then a lot of the old parts are much inferior to the new stuff being made.
I believe the RE1 and likely RE7 uses 150W or power ( a lot more juice then most dacs except those that are built similar in design). If you can afford to leave it powered up 24/7 then fine but remember the caps have a finite lifespan...might as well save that lifespan for actual listening (once you have the gear fully burned in) rather than running up your electricity bill.
Peete
I don't believe Kingwa when he says he burns in all gear for 100 hrs. With the Dac19mk3 I didn't notice much of a burn in. But with the bigger DAC3Se it was real because I didn't listen to the dam thing for two weeks and it sounded like a completly different unit. Have you owned a bigger AudioGd DAC ?
iPodPJ: There was most definitely a sonic change with the Fun between first use and a couple of hundred hours of being left switched on. At first it was very definitely harsh, which it is no longer. As well, the HDAMs go through quite wild sonic changes over the first 350 hours, including a complete drop-out in the treble at 250 hours. With experimentation, I determined it happened regardless of whether music was playing or not, so was likely due to the heat of the gear. I agree though that just switched on, my Ref 1 and Phoenix can be somewhat lack-luster.
The basic rule of thumb for A-gd gear is 350hours for the lower end stuff and anywhere from 400-750 hours for the higher end stuff. The initial 100 hours at the factory is to test the circuit for reliable operation (because 90% of the failures that do occur usually happen within the first power up and within the first 48 hours of operation).
I would recommended against leaving any of Kingwa's bigger Class A stuff powered up 24/7. As Regal rightly points out caps have a lifespan measured in hours at a max temp (look at the spec sheet for the part it will be listed ...85C caps operated at 60C will likely last 8000 hours) Again just because these things are SS does not mean they will last forever but with judicious use and proper ventilation Kingwa has estimated 20-30 years of normal use before a cap overhaul is needed. Most vintage amps (tube and SS) should be recapped before powering them up for the first time in years (unless you know for sure it works within spec). even then a lot of the old parts are much inferior to the new stuff being made.
I believe the RE1 and likely RE7 uses 150W or power ( a lot more juice then most dacs except those that are built similar in design). If you can afford to leave it powered up 24/7 then fine but remember the caps have a finite lifespan...might as well save that lifespan for actual listening (once you have the gear fully burned in) rather than running up your electricity bill.
Peete
Well perhaps not all gear gets the same treatment. You know me, I am not afraid to talk about changes I am hearing in gear, although I have "curbed my enthusiasm" quite a bit as I've pretty much attained the ultimate dynamic headphone rig. To this day I still maintain there are sonic differences between the 70/99 step option on the Phoenix. But when it comes to burn-in I'm just not hearing it on the DACs. I did notice slight burn-in on the Phoenix, but not really enough that it couldn't be due to brain adjustment. With the Ref-1 and Ref-7, it just doesn't seem to be there -- at least mine didn't change. Perhaps because Kingwa did custom work to them he let them run in longer and that ironed out the burn-in at the factory, but he says he only let them run for 100 hours.
Seriously, at the rate digital/analog conversion and audio formats have been steadily improving, who would be using the same DAC in 20-30 years? Are you still using 8-tracks and cassettes?I'm not saying that the Ref-7 couldn't or wouldn't stand the test of time, but digital audio formats and transmission will change vastly in the next 20-30 years. S/PDIF and AES/EBU will most likely be non-existent. USB and I2S might still be around then, but who really knows.![]()
Hell, at the very least even if you could use the same DACs, you might be able to pick up the MSB Diamond DAC IV for about $500, versus it's current $26,000 price tag.
Audio quality has not been getting worse. Where did you get that idea from? Some people's choice of formats have been getting worse. The technical abilities of digital are far superior to vinyl. You may prefer vinyl to your ears, but it is not technically superior to PCM.
I believe the RE1 and likely RE7 uses 150W or power ( a lot more juice then most dacs except those that are built similar in design). If you can afford to leave it powered up 24/7 then fine but remember the caps have a finite lifespan...might as well save that lifespan for actual listening (once you have the gear fully burned in) rather than running up your electricity bill.
Peete
Another variable to keep in mind regarding comparative listening is how our ears clear/equalize just from swallowing. Sometimes you take an elevator ride or drive your car up & down a hill and your hearing is affected but you are not necessarily aware of it (i am not talking about the obvious ear blocking you get from a plane landing), this can be very suttle and my point is that our ears are not always exactly the same from one listening session to the next. How many times have you swallowed and all of a sudden you ears clear and the sound becomes slightly clearer? Anyway, i think it's just one more thing that should be accounted for since we are on this topic...
I remember Kingswa said that the RE1 is about 40W.