[Matias]

Audioquest published this paper below with measurements of jitter after warm up period.
http://www.audioquest.com/resource_tools/downloads/whitepapers/Phase-Noise-Jitter-Report-0317-14.pdf

 

[crazychile]

  Audioquest published this paper below with measurements of jitter after warm up period.
http://www.audioquest.com/resource_tools/downloads/whitepapers/Phase-Noise-Jitter-Report-0317-14.pdf

Interesting. The measurements actually get worse at 1 hr before they get better at 24hrs. I would have never expected that.
 
I leave my Bifrost Uber on all the time as I do with all my solid state gear. My Lyr 2 hasn't gotten much use lately since I went to electrostatics. But with most tube gear I try to power up a few hrs before serious listening and then shut it off afterwards. The exception was when I owned a Vali,  I kept it on all the time since Schiit said the tubes should still last for years.

 

[mab1376]

  So I built Bifrosts, Gungnirs, Modis, Ubers, all the Schiit Digital Stuff for me. What kind of stuff do I like?? Simple, good sounding, and ready to go anytime. Since I make digital stuff, which quantitatively requires warmup time so everything settles to the fewest number of LSBs (least significant bits) and reaches equilibrium. When I put my cans on, I want music NOW.
 
Stuff I build for me has the power switch in the back – I leave it on. It is ready to go and warmed up. My home Bifrost and Gungnir has been continuously on since our last power failure – about four months. I don't even turn anything off when I leave for days. Everything I have ever built, even when it had power switches on the front or a remote stayed on when the switch was off. The ever important stuff was on constantly - when you turned the “power” on you just made lights and no signal path fluff come on. Oh, you say, what about the power waste?? Even an Yggy uses about 1/3 the power of my 55” flat screen LED TV. A Bifront is about 15% of the TV. What about the carbon footprint? If you are concerned about that, take up a different hobby, say anthropology. Frolic around nude, with or without body paint, in some jungle region of the world. Commune with nature, eat grubs you find under leaves, and discover new species of millipedes crawling up your leg.
 
That is what and why I build it. It is not simple arrogance. It is been doin' this a long screw*n' time stubbornness. I repeat for emphasis. Three wise men could come to me with a message from God on how to build the perfect digital audio device. That device would NOT please everyone. Passive aggressive critics who never designed (or bought) anything audio their whole life would talk about flimsy power switches or whatever. Some buyers would buy and resell them. Users who are in this hobby but hate it (or themselves) so much they find nothing they ever like would continue to dirty up all threads they can. To quote Nancy Griffith, “they're out there running just to be on the run”. This is a hobby – it ain't no quest for an absolute. I do my best and I been doin' it a while. You either like my stuff or you don't. If you don't like my stuff – don't buy it. I sure as hell won't take it personally. I look on ebay right now and there are four used Bifrosts for sale. That is the tiniest fraction of even one percent of what we sold – not bad!
 
I again repeat – the purpose of this whole pastime is to have fun – not to throw out slop. Now if you like Schiit stuff, that is a plus. But even if you don't, and you are genuinely happy with an XYZ Mega Burrito D/A converter then that's still a plus because you are a positive contributor to our hobby.

 
As someone who works in IT, leave the damn thing on. PCs do updates at 3am by default. Turn it off, and guess what, now its doing it when you want to use the PC. 
 
My Bifrost has also barely even been turned off and I see no reason to, tube amp, yeah, but only because of heat issues.

 

[Eee Pee]

   
 but only because of heat issues.

 
Nah, tubes wear out, and eventually die.  That's the reason.

 

[mab1376]

   
Nah, tubes wear out, and eventually die.  That's the reason.

 
That is my secondary concern, heat primarily because my little dot isn't specced for more than 8 hours of continuous use. It's been on for well over 24 hours before with no issues, but rather not chance it continuously.

 

[silvrr]

Picked up a second generation Magni and Modi around Christmas, injured my back yesterday so while stuck at home today photography practice it is. Not a bad subject. 
 

 

[Tuco1965]

Now who said the newer models have a blacker background?  

 

[Chris J]

Digital IC's are not operated with great linearity in mind, they are working with ones and zeros whose voltages are far enough from thresholds such that any linear effects due to tempeature/warmup/etc. are not of concern. Perhaps he's more concerned (OCD) with clocks (oscillators) stabilizing or other linear (audio) circuits operating at their best bias points. Perhaps he's calibrated his analog circuits for best operation at a specific temperature. Or he's just pulling our legs.

It may take 1/2 hour to an hour for the DC offset to settle.
Same with the bias points.

 

[johnjen]

It may take 1/2 hour to an hour for the DC offset to settle.
Same with the bias points.

 
And just to add a bit of comparison/contrast to the mix…
 
This also applies to power amps.
 
Well, all but one in particular…
 
Since The Rok has these parameters set and managed by a cpu, the warm up effects from these aspects of the circuitry has been minimized.
 
But, once The Rok reaches thermal equilibrium, it also hits it's 'magical' stride.
 
JJ

 

[Ableza]

I don't give a Schiit. I turn it on and enjoy the music.

 

[StanD]

I don't give a Schiit. I turn it on and enjoy the music.

+1 No point in wasting time being OCD. IMO better to listen than stare at the power LED.

 

[zaodriver]

To the switchgate scandal (lol): I had to send Schiit my Bifrost to be repaired after 3 or 4 months of use due to a switch that stopped throwing completely. As in I would turn it on and it didn't come on consistently. I still wouldn't call the switch flimsy. It is a decently weighted throw and the lever is a decently sturdy piece of metal. During the repair, I also opted for an Uber upgrade, so I made it a positive situation. During this time away, I noted that the SoundBlaster X-Fi sound card is grainy and not quite as 3d as the Bifrost. Schiit's service was excellent (ie. fast and free) and I never had a problem with the switch again. I had a later build of the Asgard 1 and its switch seemed to be a slightly heavier throw, but this is a minor detail. It turns on and off. If it does what it is supposed to do, who cares? In terms of switch placement, it is a builder's choice of design for better function or design for usability. In this case, Schiit has opted for functionality in leaving the switch closest to the power supply region. I find the placement awkward on the larger units in particular since they are likely to be located in a different spot (I have my Gungnir/Mjolnir on the bottom shelf of my computer desk as opposed to having the Bifrost/Asgard on my computer case or the desktop), but I had no issue with the Asgard and Bifrost.
 
I will also note that warmup does improve the sound. I can't say that the Bifrost or Asgard each improve, but the Asgard in particular gets more bass, a bit more saturated in volume and presentation when it is warm/hot. I live in Vermont. Winters are cold and we all tend to turn the heat down when we leave because it is expensive to live up here. When I first turn it on in a cool room (high 50's in Fahrenheit), the sound is slightly lacking in bass and sounds as if someone turned the volume down within the computer by about 10%. The sound is notably softer and less saturated. As it warms up for the first 10 to 15 minutes, the sound begins to fatten up a bit.
 
Edit: I forgot to mention, I taped off the LEDs on the Bifrost/Asgard with blue painters tape, and I taped off the Gungnir/Mjolnir with transparent green tape. They were a step up in quality so I thought the tape needed to step up too.  

 

[Shembot]

The switch on my (quite new) Mjolnir is loose and flaky-feeling compared to the ones on my other Schiit (Gungnir, Modi 2 Uber, Magni 2 Uber, two Wyrds, and Vali), but it seems to work correctly, at least for the moment. I do have concerns long term, but I suppose if it fails anytime in the next 5 years then they'll fix it. I just hope it doesn't because then I'd be without the amp for a while. 

 

[Eee Pee]

Mine is the same way.  I asked Jason at Schiit and he didn't have much to say about it.  It works, though I do leave it on all the time...

 

[RickB]

  The switch on my (quite new) Mjolnir is loose and flaky-feeling compared to the ones on my other Schiit (Gungnir, Modi 2 Uber, Magni 2 Uber, two Wyrds, and Vali), but it seems to work correctly, at least for the moment. I do have concerns long term, but I suppose if it fails anytime in the next 5 years then they'll fix it. I just hope it doesn't because then I'd be without the amp for a while. 

The switch on my Asgard 2 has some play, i.e., you can push it further up or down when moving it on or off. I was told by Nick (Schiit tech) that this was normal.