Power On or Off......What do you do?

[Marks57]

I leave my 2 channel equipment powered on all the time....just as I do my computers.

I don't think this is decreasing the life on any of the equipment, but I don't know. Do You?

What do you do......Always On or Not?

Thanks for your input......Mark

[Danny]

I turn it off but leave the gear in standby. I would think that if you left it in an active state all the time that the working life would be shorter.

D.

[Josuah]

Initializing parts from turning on and off can place stress on some gear, causing it to fail sooner. Hard drives and vacuum tubes are probably good examples of that. But the cost of electricity is definitely costing you money. I always turn things off or set them to standby.

[geekwithfamily]

My tube preamp is only turned on when I'm actively listening, though I wish I could plan ahead and let it warm up for 20 minutes for better performance. The tubes have a finite lifespan.

In the past I have kept digital components on all the time (like a CD player or AV receiver). I know some audio tweaker expert suggested it, but I can't remember who. As long as the components aren't overheated I don't think it would hurt them.

Now, with two kids, I listen so infrequently that I keep everything off or in standby if possible. If I listened everyday after work I would keep the digital components on still.

[lcaillo]

Marks57 wrote:

I leave my 2 channel equipment powered on all the time....just as I do my computers.

I don't think this is decreasing the life on any of the equipment, but I don't know. Do You?

What do you do......Always On or Not?

Thanks for your input......Mark

This is a hard question to answer. Some components may be better left on and others not. Some, like tubes, lamps, or items that idle at high temperatures are likely going to have a shorter life if left on. Other components won't matter, and some will be more stressed by cycling. Electrolytic apacitors are likely the most difficult to assess. Caps do have a life rating, but what most people do not understand is that the life of a well designed electrolytic will far exceed its life rating unless it is run at or near the temperature at which the rating is made. Caps can also be damaged if they remain unused for a very long time then are subjected to their maximum voltage without proper "forming." Other considerations with thermal cycling are the expansion and contraction of solder joints, which can fail if not designed to account for this over time.

I would generally not want to run tube or class A devices all the time. With others it depends.

[Jusbegood]

I think that it's a matter of choice. First of all, you need to understand each of your audio components; especially your amplifier. Some amplifiers run hot after 5 hours of use. Analog amplifiers of this kind, I would place this type of amplifier on a shelf; without any other audio component resting on top of it, that will have at least 8" of headroom from the top of the amplifier to the bottom of the next shelf. This is the cheapest way to give your amp some ventilation; especially if you have a wood audio rack, as wood is an insulator. For amplifier equipment that really runs hot, I would suggest that you find a way to integrate a blower of some kind to dissipate the heat away from your amplifier.

I have one amplifier that I can leave on for over a week at a time, and it'll never feel too warm to touch. If you're in an area that has frequent power outages, or frequent electrical storms, you need to make sure that you have an adequate power surge protector to protect your investment.

As to the aforementioned question, I turn off the power of my audio components every other day to protect my investment.