Leaving the power on

Ethancf

So for those of you that have a seperate amp/preamp, does it hurt anything to leave the amp all the time? I hear from some that shutting it on and off all the time causes more wear than just leaving it on idle...kinda like some treat PC's with screensavers. Just curious what your thoughts are.

Toxis

but I don't want to leave it on 24/7 due to the power it'll be pulling even at idle. That's wasted energy IMO. But then again, I understand it's very little amounts but it's still extra money each month.

steveinaz

I wouldn't recommend leaving a power amp on. Amps tend to warm up pretty quick (mine goes from zero to egg frying in about 4 minutes). Preamps/DAC's/CD's/tuners...no biggie.

hoosier21

My power amp has no power button at all, it's on 24/7. I leave the pre on unless I am sure it won't be used in the next day or two.

There are points to be made by both side, wasted energy, wear and tear powering up and down, do what you like ain't nothing going to last forever either way.

Ethancf

Originally posted by steveinaz
I wouldn't recommend leaving a power amp on. Amps tend to warm up pretty quick (mine goes from zero to egg frying in about 4 minutes). Preamps/DAC's/CD's/tuners...no biggie.

Your Parasound gets up to egg frying temps within 4 minutes??? That seems odd. My 2205 barely gets warm through an entire movie at very high levels. Do you have good ventilation to your amp?

Ron-P

I shut everything done completely.

steveinaz

Originally posted by Ethancf
Your Parasound gets up to egg frying temps within 4 minutes??? That seems odd. My 2205 barely gets warm through an entire movie at very high levels. Do you have good ventilation to your amp?

I've got it in a "semi" enclosed rack, with 8.5" of clearance above, the back of the rack removed, and about 4" clearance on each side. It runs quite hot, though it has not suffered thermal shutdown.

Run hot water thru your kitchen faucet for about 2 minutes then lay your hand on the faucet---there you have it. It's the only thing I don't like about my HCA-1500, but hey, 10 year warranty has me covered.

steveinaz

Originally posted by Ron-P
I shut everything done completely.

I do too. I've struggled to hear any difference either way; with the exception of my Polk XM tuner--it sounds better after about an hour of play time.

steveinaz

HCA-1500A bottom, MF A3CR above. Note the space between:

cfrizz

Steve, you need to move that amp out into the open & let it breathe. Mine doesn't even get warm. My Denon gets warmer than my amp ever will.

Once you get it out into the open it will stay as cool as a cucumber.

edit:
Wow that tells me how important it is to let the sides get air as well, since it has so much room on top!

steveinaz

In the new house, the system is going into a dedicated "open" audio rack, I'm hoping that helps. At first, I did have some thermal shutdown issues, but I moved the preamp up 4" (to where it is now) and cut the back out behind the amp. Hasn't shutdown since, even with the system running all day. But it does get HOT.

steveinaz

Originally posted by cfrizz
Wow that tells me how important it is to let the sides get air as well, since it has so much room on top!

You should feel the underside of the preamp shelf after about 2 hours....vewy, vewy warm.

Cathy-
Is yours in an audio rack?

Ethancf

Originally posted by steveinaz
HCA-1500A bottom, MF A3CR above. Note the space between:

Yeah man, my 2205AT is in a similar rack with even less space above the amplifier. Could speaker type/impedance play into this type of heat?

phuz

My Rotel RB-990BX stays on 24/7. I use it daily. If I'm going out of town for the weekend or something I might turn it off, but usually it just stays on.

It doesn't get very hot or effect my elect. bill much.

danger boy

i've done it both ways... leave power amp on. then turn it off some times. I find that the amp sounds best warmed up for a good 30 mins or more. it puts out some serious heat without it powering any speakers. but then the other amp stays cool no matter how much power it's pushing. I guess different amp designs.

cfrizz

No. Mine is on one of those True Value DIY 36" 5 shelf metal racks.
Nothing on top of it, and only one of the sides is a little blocked by my vcr, dvd & mono amp next to it.

It might not look all fancy but I bought it yrs ago to hold my 150lb+ 32" TV. I was going for indestructability & sturdiness not looks! The rack has served me very well.

Originally posted by steveinaz
You should feel the underside of the preamp shelf after about 2 hours....vewy, vewy warm.

Cathy-
Is yours in an audio rack?

steveinaz

Ok, gracias. Then the new "open" rack should go a long way to cooling the HCA down. Thanks for the help!

heiney9

It's simply a matter of preference. On the weekends I turn my stuff on, say Friday night, and don't turn it off until Sunday night, unless I'm not going to be around. Most amps sound better when they have been idling and have had a chance to reach a steady operating temp. I listen to my rig alot and it makes more sense to leave things powered up if I know I'll be using it for days at a time.

My amp is almost 20 years old and has been cycled on/off many thousand times w/o any problems. If you are concerned about the energy draw from idling all day, then turn it off between sessions. If not, then leave it on. In my experience and opinion you won't hurt anything.

Heiney9

dorokusai

I turn all my gear off, no real reason, I just do.

If I didn't have ventilation for my amp, it would set something on fire.

VR3

I leave mine on allll the time unless I'm going to be gone for a number of days or a storm, etc

madmax

I leave the preamp on all the time because it takes a few days before it sounds right. The amps I wish I could but with the big tubes I don't trust them.

Anyone who does leave their equipment on should give a good hard look at failure modes. Look at each piece of equipment. If it catches on fire do you have it where it will not cause other things to ignite? Also, if it is an amplifier are you willing to take a chance on some full output audio signal going to your speakers for hours if you are not home?

madmax