[MatsudaMan]

What is better for the life of an amplifier, to leave it on most of the time, or to turn it on and off when ever I use it? My amp has an on off switch on the back and a stand-by option in the front. However, It seems to run pretty warm even in "stand-by" mode.

Is it true that it is stressful for transistors to turn on and off?

I've heard that if there's an on-off switch in the back, the amp is meant to always be on. BTW, it's an Atoll in100 dual mono 100watt integrated amp.

 

[blast8180]

In my HT setup, I usually leave the receiver on unless I know I won't be using it for a couple of days. Then, I just put it in standby.

As for the amps connected to the pre-outs from the receiver, I leave those on all the time unless I'm off on a vacation. In the past year and a half, the amps in my system have been off twice.

I have one garage receiver from the early 90's and I leave that on all the time, unless I'm off on vacation. It's still running very strong.

 

[olblueyez]

I would think leaving it on wastes power and also reduces the life of the components in your amp. I have been told the opposite though, leaving it on keeps the components at a constant temperature and that extends the life span of all the internal bits. I go with the first way of doing things unless the kit in question has a standby mode. My wife (why do women insist on pressing every damn button instead of looking at the controls to find what they need) turned the master power to off on our surround receiver in the office for about 8 days (because she simply could not press standby as that would cause the world to end) and all "our" settings were lost.

 

[dura]

I always leave my 10 year old Primare A30 on; it gets a little warm but nothing too serious.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been told the opposite though, leaving it on keeps the components at a constant temperature and that extends the life span of all the internal bits.

No. The longer a component is exposed to heat the shorter its life will be. If components never get a chance to cool off, their lifespan will decrease. If you go to Mouser, Digikey and read manufacturers' datasheets, you can find the amount of hours each component is engineered to last. Nothing lasts forever.

I gradually got into hi-fi through restoring old radios. Most failures were caused by excess heat. That was a big problem when capacitors were made of wax and cardboard - the wax would melt, leak out and short. That's not a problem any more, but even modern caps go bad eventually. If you're not using your gear, turn it off.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif No. The longer a component is exposed to heat the shorter its life will be. If components never get a chance to cool off, their lifespan will decrease. If you go to Mouser, Digikey and read manufacturers' datasheets, you can find the amount of hours each component is engineered to last. Nothing lasts forever. I gradually got into hi-fi through restoring old radios. Most failures were caused by excess heat. That was a big problem when capacitors were made of wax and cardboard - the wax would melt, leak out and short. That's not a problem any more, but even modern caps go bad eventually. If you're not using your gear, turn it off.

Good, so I am doing it right.

 

[zotjen]

If a component has an on/off switch, it's there for a reason.

 

[blast8180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif No. The longer a component is exposed to heat the shorter its life will be. If components never get a chance to cool off, their lifespan will decrease. If you go to Mouser, Digikey and read manufacturers' datasheets, you can find the amount of hours each component is engineered to last. Nothing lasts forever. I gradually got into hi-fi through restoring old radios. Most failures were caused by excess heat. That was a big problem when capacitors were made of wax and cardboard - the wax would melt, leak out and short. That's not a problem any more, but even modern caps go bad eventually. If you're not using your gear, turn it off.

Ah, but some manufacturers recommend the opposite. My dealer recommended me leave my two Adcom GFA-555s on all the time unless I'm not going to use them for days on end. There is another train of thought that components like power amps and integrated amps can be left on if they have proper ventilation and heat dissipation. I also believe that power cycling is what kills certain electronics in the long run, but only if they meet the first criteria of that they don't run hot.

I have some colleages with some very high end dedicated home theater rooms with air conditioned central A/V rooms. They have their components rack mounted and, for the most part, leave pre/pros, receivers, and amps on all the time. Media players like a BD player or PS3 are usually turned off. I have the opinion that if the component was designed with rack-mounting in mind, it is okay to leave it on for extended periods of time.

 

[krmathis]

I suggest you turn it On/Off.
As long as it has an easy access power button, and you have the time to let it warm up before performing critical listening.

 

[NightOwl]

I agree with Uncle Erik. Heat is the No. 1 enemy of electronic components
(O.K., after water).
There are some amplifiers that through either conscious (so-called purity of signal) or flawed design are susceptible to cycling, but these are in the minority.
I prefer to turn my electronics On/Off. Maybe I've been lucky, but all I've ever had to replace through failure are tubes, fuses, switches, and potentiometers from years of normal wear and tear. These were all easy fixes compared to finding and replacing faulty caps, transistors, fets, and resistors