Amplifier Power off or Leave on

Ethancf
Ethancf Posts: 458
edited January 2006 in Electronics
So I have a Parasound 2205AT and I leave it on all the time. Would it be better to turn it off at night when it's not being used, or is it ok to leave on/idle.

Thanks!
THE SYSTEM
Polk Audio LSi25 Mains
Polk LSiF/X Surrounds
Polk Audio LSiC Center
Definitive Technology PowerField 1800 Subwoofer
Parasound Classic 7100 Pre/Pro
Parasound 2205A Amplifier
Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD Blu-ray Player
Monster HTS 2600
Microsoft XBox 360
Samsung PN64D550 64" Plasma
Post edited by Ethancf on
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited January 2006
    Flip a coin 42 times, heads on, tails off. Write down your results, and that's the replies you will get below.

    Keep an eye on the weather, and use some sort of surge/spike supressor to protect your investment, esp if you choose 'heads'.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Doc99
    Doc99 Posts: 100
    edited January 2006
    My amp has a stand-by mode that puts it in a low power mode, when not in use. But to keep a power amp on all the time, is something I personally would not do.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2006
    Keep in a safe place where a malfuntion will not burn down your house. With that said, I belive in leaving equipment on.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited January 2006
    madmax wrote:
    Keep in a safe place where a malfuntion will not burn down your house. With that said, I belive in leaving equipment on.
    madmax


    why ?
    just out of curiosity....
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2006
    beardog03 wrote:
    why ?
    just out of curiosity....

    Because when you head home from a hard days work it is always nice if your house is still THERE!!!
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited January 2006
    wwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    no, I mean why leave it on, instead of turning it on and off as you use it..!
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2006
    Off.

    If you don't have the time to let your gear warm up, you might need some medication.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Ethancf
    Ethancf Posts: 458
    edited January 2006
    So I suppose it's a matter of wearing out the unit switching it on and off every day with the heat up and cool down process, or having it barely warm all the time with the temp rising with use...although it is going to cool back down to barely warm. Is this another topic similar to 'best cables to use'? lol
    THE SYSTEM
    Polk Audio LSi25 Mains
    Polk LSiF/X Surrounds
    Polk Audio LSiC Center
    Definitive Technology PowerField 1800 Subwoofer
    Parasound Classic 7100 Pre/Pro
    Parasound 2205A Amplifier
    Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD Blu-ray Player
    Monster HTS 2600
    Microsoft XBox 360
    Samsung PN64D550 64" Plasma
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2006
    You hit the nail on the head, it is the temp fluctuations that kill electronics. Also, with a lot of equipment you can get that last percent of fidelity once it has been on for a few days. Some of my equipment takes 5 minutes to get there, most of it takes an hour or so, my preamp takes 3 days and all of a sudden it becomes magical.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • Skynut
    Skynut Posts: 2,967
    edited January 2006
    Shut it off and use the money you save on your power bill to repair anything that breaks because of it.
    Skynut
    SOPA® Founder
    The system Almost there
    DVD Onkyo DV-SP802
    Sunfire Theater Grand II
    Sherbourn 7/2100
    Panamax 5510 power conditioner (for electronics)
    2 PSAudio UPC-200 power conditioners (for amps)
    Front L/R RT3000p (Bi-Wired)
    Center CS1000p (Bi-Wired) (under the television)
    Center RT2000p's (Bi-Wired) (on each side of the television)
    Sur FX1000
    SVS ultra plus 2

    www.ShadetreesMachineShop.com
    Thanks for looking
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited January 2006
    on during the day. off at night.
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • thehaens@cox.net
    thehaens@cox.net Posts: 1,012
    edited January 2006
    For those of you that leave your equipment on you must not be paying California electric bills :mad:
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  • venomclan
    venomclan Posts: 2,467
    edited January 2006
    Not only do I shut everything down, I then kill the power switch to everything. Evne while off most gear will draw power and that adds up to hefty power bills. Down in S. FL, they just approved a 20-40% power price hike.
    My Krells also get hot enough to heat the whole house, fine up north, not for down here.
    Venom
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  • chase17
    chase17 Posts: 6
    edited January 2006
    I use a 12volt trigger. Works well.
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  • SKsolutions
    SKsolutions Posts: 1,820
    edited January 2006
    Anyone heard of Capacitor and resistor tolerance dropping after 'x' thousand hours of use? A 1% tolerance becoming a 5% after 5000 hrs? I really don't know, so I turn em off.

    Just my pebble in the pond.

    Sean
    -Ignorance is strength -
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2006
    I think there is something to be said for the warming up of gear, no doubt; however, that is regardless of age in my travels. I'm not sure if it can be validated into capacitor/resistor tolerances but I know what I hear....
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited January 2006
    Some amp manufacturers like Plinius actually recommend leaving the amp on at all times. They claim the best sound comes out of the amp after it has been on for a day or two. When I had one, I couldn't tell the difference after a 15 - 30 minute warmup from a cold start.... but that's just my ears.

    If one of my amps has a standby mode, then I'll put it in standby when not in use. My tube amp I always turn off when I'm done. If I get 1.5 - 2.0 years out of my power tubes life then I'm happy.
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  • SKsolutions
    SKsolutions Posts: 1,820
    edited January 2006
    If I get that long out of my woman, I'll be happy.
    -Ignorance is strength -
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  • W WALDECKER
    W WALDECKER Posts: 900
    edited January 2006
    i leave my monos running 24/7 and turn off the tube preamplifier when i am done listening.Klaus Bunge at Odyssey Audio recommends it ! Sim , Plinius and Ayre audio and several other manufacturers do also. thanks....WCW III
    Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
    .Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.2xhmpsuownoj.jpg
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  • W WALDECKER
    W WALDECKER Posts: 900
    edited January 2006
    Ethancf wrote:
    So I suppose it's a matter of wearing out the unit switching it on and off every day with the heat up and cool down process, or having it barely warm all the time with the temp rising with use...although it is going to cool back down to barely warm. Is this another topic similar to 'best cables to use'? lol
    A few years ago a local audio dealer who carries BK amplifiers told me that the factory representitive told him that it is best to leave them on. and that start up is very hard on the electronic components and is when most failures occur.
    Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
    .Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.2xhmpsuownoj.jpg
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  • SDA SRS 1.2
    SDA SRS 1.2 Posts: 255
    edited January 2006
    After a sneaky South Carolina thunderstorm zapped my Carver amp, I unplug them when not in use! The dealer I purchased the Carver's replacement from also advised leaving the amps on as they did. They had some very nice Krells that gave new meaning to that "warm" sound! :)
    Main System: Polk SDA SRS 1.2 Speakers, Sunfire Signature 600~two Amp, Carver C-16 Preamp, Carver TX-11b Tuner, Marantz 6350Q TT, Philips CDR-775 Recorder, Teac V-707RX Cassette Deck, Signal Cable Double Run Speaker Cable

    Upstairs Den: Marantz 2325 Receiver, Marantz 5220 Cassette Deck, Marantz HD-880 Speakers, Marantz 6370Q TT

    Exercise (Kabuki speaker) Room: Kenwood KR-9600 Receiver, Pioneer CS-99a Speakers, Sansui SP-X9000 Speakers (not pretty, but LOUD! :) )
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  • SKsolutions
    SKsolutions Posts: 1,820
    edited January 2006
    It appears that it may be Manufacturer/Technological dependent.

    Switch circuit positon and type/Tube-SS/heat tolerance etc. . .
    -Ignorance is strength -
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