[zillac]

I'm curious how many of you leave your solid state gears on 7/24
and reasons please.

 

[3x331m]

I'm frugal when it comes down to electrical costs. Everything is down if I don't use it for a while.

 

[derekbmn]

I voted yes but as usual there is always an exception. I DO NOT leave my Aleph 3 (clone) on when not in use. For one it would be very expensive and for two it runs crazy hot. But for the most part the answer is yes.

 

[Sovkiller]

All parts degrade with time and use, specially capacitors which are rated in hours of use, some caps last a lot less than a good tube, my suggestion turn everything off while not in use, first for safety, second to preserve useful life...

Let's say for 10,000 hours life rating, leaving it 24/7 on a device will render you three times less life time that if you use it 8 hours everyday, so do your math...

Also in Europe they have regulations to turn off the equipment while not in use, and the placement of switches should be before the trnasfomer, so there is nothing on, while you cut the power...

 

[tubaman]

I vote yes because:
- I recall that the Corda Opera's manual says
that it's OK to leave the unit on if the amp is
used often.
- It's also advised by Wadia in the manual (it was CD
player not an amp though)
- I have not personally experienced any problems
when I do it
- Most headphone amps I had don't consume much electricity

I voted yes, but:
- I connect my amp to a PS Audio Power Plant which is supposed to provide "perfect steady voltage regardless of input conditions."
- Surge/spike could kill your components and if you leave it on all
the time without protection the risk increases
- My Singlepower MPX3 consumes 50W so I usually turn it off when I'm not home

 

[Frihed89]

Because it does not have an on-off switch.

 

[krmathis]

Yes, I leave them on 24/7

 

[esuko]

Off, because of insurancy rules electronics must be switched of when not home.

 

[LostOne.TR]

Presonus Central Station, on whenever I'm at this place of residence. (no power switch). I flip the power strip to off when go away for a day or two.

Gilmore lite- Off when I don't foresee using it anytime soon.

 

[DennyL]

Off because I try to minimize my carbon footprint.

The craziest thing about my GS-1 is that the on/off switch is on the back and the gain switch is on the front.

 

[snejk]

Voted yes. Naim recommends having their gear on all the time for best sonic performance. The switches are on the back... I turn my gear off if I'm planning to be away more than a day or two though.

Environmental thoughts have started to invade my brain though and I have started to turn some equipment off, such as PS3 and projector when not in use.

Oh, forgot, the Naim headamp doesn't even have an off-switch...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also in Europe they have regulations to turn off the equipment while not in use, and the placement of switches should be before the trnasfomer, so there is nothing on, while you cut the power...

Haven't heard of that one, maybe those regulations are not yet effective in Sweden.

 

[omendelovitz]

I voted no, but to qualify, I speak solely about sound performance and amp lifespan - IME, with the units I've designed and built (bi-polar transistor based amps), I've found that leaving them on always doesn't improve sound any better than leaving the amp on for 5-10 minutes before listening to the unit. Granted, I've never implemented units with more than 5000 uF capacitance in a single cap, and I've deliberately avoided Black Gates (they tend to need re-"burn-in" if they've been left unused for too long). Larger caps like Xin's 22000 uF cap in the reference would need some more time to burn in, but that also depends on the load and power source. Wall wart PSUs work quickly compared to batteries.

Finally, unlike tubes which need time to warm up and reach their full capacity, SS like op-amps and transistors need very little time to reach their peaks.

Long story short - leaving a unit on all the time just wears your current limiters and diodes out faster w/o really improving SQ significantly.

 

[JimSmiley]

I leave it on Friday afternoon to Sunday night. During the week I turn it on as needed. No need to use that power while I'm at work.

 

[zotjen]

No. Aside from energy consumption, I tend to be a worry wart. I don't like to leave electrical devices powered on when I'm not home unless they're supposed to be (e.g. refrigerator, clocks).

 

[tk3]

Off.
Can't justify the electric bill, and I tend to get my listening done over 1 or 2 large periods during a day, usually after I get home, and after dinner, so it doesn't make sense to leave it on all the time.