JSngry Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Do you leave your system on when it's not in use? I don't mean for a few hours or so, I mean like a day or two (or more). I've heard that this is actually best, since it avoids the "shock" of the initial power-on, and that it also allows the circuitry to "stabilize", whatever that means (eplanation anybody?). But what about the "wear", such as it is, of having a machine on non-stop, especially when it's not being used for a while? Anybody got the inside scientific skinny on this matter? Quote
jazzbo Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 No inside scientific skinniness. . . . My technical support at work tells me it's best to leave the computer on, monitor off, they cite the same reason for leaving the computer on that you have heard. I kindof do half and half with my audio system. I really feel that the components DEFINITELY sound better if left on for a long time. And I leave my PS Audio Power Plant on constantly, and my cdplayer on constantly, but I don't leave my tube amplifier on constantly. I leave it on from Friday evening through Sunday evening. . . and boy does it sound good by Sunday evening. BUT as I don't get a chance to listen much during the week I turn it on and off in the morning and maybe on and off in the evening. The power tubes wear when on so if I left it on constantly I would be only using them for music for about 20 to 30 percent of their life on a good year! (That would be if I were single, which I'm not.) My cdplayer has tubes as well, but they are signal tubes only, and they really don't wear much with use in comparison to power tubes, so I just leave them on 24/7. I have not found a cd player that does NOT sound better if left on continuously. Same to my ears for solid state power amplifiers and preamplifiers, and I can really see no reason not to leave them on continuously. (Unless you are breaking them in; I've read that you are supposed to alternate having a component on and off in four to six hour stints when breaking in---more audio voodoo science, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were true.) My two cents. Quote
sidewinder Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Affirmative ! I leave my system powered up day and night. It is actually recommended by the manufacturer of my pre and power amp amp (Naim) and the justification is, as you say, that it minimises thermal shock and allows the power transistor stages to settle and do their stuff with minimum distortion. Similarly, Linn turntable power supplies take a while to settle down to steady state too. I always notice an appreciable difference when the system is powered down and up - it takes a few hours to get back to normal optimum sound. Particularly noticeable when playing very good vinyl ! Quote
JSngry Posted May 22, 2003 Author Report Posted May 22, 2003 FAST answers! More please! And somebody help a kid out - what's up with this "stabilization" business? What's that all about anyway? I don't get it. Quote
Guest Chaney Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Based upon what I've read and the advice of both local and out-of-state (Galen Carol Audio) retailers, always on. Quote
catesta Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 From PS Audio... Is it better to leave equipment on or off? Sonically, it's better to leave equipment on. The problem is tubes. While tube gear certainly sounds better after it's been on for a while, tube life will be shortened if it is left on all the time. With solid state gear (transistor), it is best to leave it on all the time, but a lot of people are afraid to leave their power amps on for fear of something happening that might blow up their speakers or amp or both. I recommend leaving everything BUT your power amp on. Also, bear in mind, anything with a remote control is probably not off anyway. It certainly isn't COMPLETELY off; if it were, there would be no way for the signal from the remote control to be read. Tubes: leave it off and warm up about 30 minutes before use. Transistors: leave it on always, unless it's a power amp. Quote
shrugs Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 and then you're stuck at work and a freak lightning storm rolls through the hood and all your gear is fried................................................... Quote
Matthew Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 I've been turning my amp & cdp on in the morning, then at night, turn it off. I've been toying with the idea of leaving it on 24/7, but I have visions of a Big Bang! followed by fire. My system is in my bedroom, so I'm still trying to get my nerve up to leave the system on. Quote
J.A.W. Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 (edited) and then you're stuck at work and a freak lightning storm rolls through the hood and all your gear is fried................................................... Happened to me once. Fortunately, my telephone / fax machine was the only equipment that got roasted; my Mark Levinson amp shut down and wasn't damaged, and my CD transport / converter and electrostatic speakers were switched off... Edited May 22, 2003 by J.A.W. Quote
catesta Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 and then you're stuck at work and a freak lightning storm rolls through the hood and all your gear is fried................................................... Good point. Quote
Claude Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 (edited) What would Jesus do? Seriously, while it may be good for the sound of an amplifier (which otherwise needs one or two hours to attain the optimal quality), there is no need to leave a computer on all the time. CPUs draw alot of power, especially if they don't have idle management (AMDs), and this will certainly be noticed on the electricity bill. There are even some hard drive brands that need to be powered down every few days according to the manufacturer. Edited May 22, 2003 by Claude Quote
RDK Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 While i have no doubt that audio gear might sound better after being on and "stabilized," I can't bring myself to leave the stuff on for long periods of time - unless of course i'm listening to it over the course of the day. I almost always shut everything down at night (except the Tivo ), and I'm paranoid so i'll turn off the tubes if i leave the house for more than a few minutes. Personally, it's rare that i can listen to music with so few distactions around me that I'd even notice the possibly slight change in sound quality that the on/off issue imparts. Also, as Claude said, computer gear and even audio gear can drain a lot of power and you can see this on your bill. Ray Quote
Jim Dye Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Where I live, freak lightning storms aren't *freak* at all. They are quite common, so I turn both my computer and my stereo system off when not in use. Quote
jazzbo Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Sissies! Well, I do what I do. The sonic difference is quite noticeable to me, and worth it. My PS Audio Power Plant (ridiculously expensive machine that I love) shuts everything down at the slightest fluctuation of voltage, so I feel fine as far as that goes. And I have not really seen an appreciable difference in my electric bills either way. (I have considerably low electrical cost at home; I'm lucky that way!) Quote
Guest Chaney Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 and then you're stuck at work and a freak lightning storm rolls through the hood and all your gear is fried................................................... If thunder and lightning is forecast -- or if the weather looks threatening -- I unplug everything. Quote
JSngry Posted May 22, 2003 Author Report Posted May 22, 2003 What would Jesus do? "Good one!", laughed Jesus. (LOVE this image, btw. Wish it were better know, or more accurately, taken to heart by my fellow C-Words... ) Quote
shrugs Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Sissies! Well, I do what I do. The sonic difference is quite noticeable to me, and worth it. My PS Audio Power Plant (ridiculously expensive machine that I love) shuts everything down at the slightest fluctuation of voltage, so I feel fine as far as that goes. And I have not really seen an appreciable difference in my electric bills either way. (I have considerably low electrical cost at home; I'm lucky that way!) which power plant are you using? Quote
pryan Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 I've been turning my amp & cdp on in the morning, then at night, turn it off. I've been toying with the idea of leaving it on 24/7, but I have visions of a Big Bang! followed by fire. My system is in my bedroom, so I'm still trying to get my nerve up to leave the system on. Ditto. But, sometimes I forget to 'sleep' (as I tend to listen to tunes as I go to bed, or just fall asleep with the radio on) my system and it does get left on overnight. The improvement in sound thing (in leaving the system turned on) isn't really worth a try for me, because all I have is a mini-system in my bedroom anyway. Perhaps it's worth a try, though. Quote
jazzbo Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 I've got one of the first dozen or so sold of the PS300. Never have gone for the "multi-wave" upgrade. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 I leave everything on all the time. However, my wife turns everything off as soon as I leave the room, so it really doesn't matter. It drives me up the wall when I stop a DVD to return to at a later time, and find that "standby" just wasn't good enough for her... Oh well, thank goodness for our other compatabilities! Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 Lot's more like this one, at: http://www.arouse.net/jesus/ Quote
SEK Posted May 22, 2003 Report Posted May 22, 2003 My friends with tube gear leave everything on 24/7. It really heats things up in the summer. My gear is all solid state. I turn it on and off as needed and start playing music through it right away. I've observed that by the time everything warms up (no more than 10 - 20 minutes), I've warmed up and settled in as well. It can be rather amusing asking many audiophiles for "scientific" support for what they buy and do... If it's not my money, I say, "If it sounds better to you, then go for it." Quote
J Larsen Posted May 23, 2003 Report Posted May 23, 2003 Here's my opinion. My research lately has been geared towards new types of extremely tiny devices that can be embedded in chips, so I guess I'm a quasi-expert. An EE guy could probably give a more authoritative answer, but I'm pretty confident in the answers below. This I'm positive of: There's no reason to leave analog circuitry on (ie, devices composed purley of resistors, capacitors, tubes, etc.) You're not going to fry a resistor or a capacitor just by turning its current source on and off. On the other hand, as mentioned above, voltage fluctuations that occur while the device is left on really might fry the resistors. So leave these turned off when they're not needed. This is informed speculation: I don't think there is a simple answer to the question for digital circuitry (op-amps, chips, etc.). It is conceivable (but not very likely, IMO) that powering such systems up and down a lot could fry the tiny transistors imbedded in such devices. On the other hand, computers (especially the hard disks!) prefer to be cold, so that's an argument for turning them off when not in use. I'd think keeping your hard disk cool (amost had a nasty typo here - change an "s" to a "c" and you have a post unsuitable for minors) is the overwhleming concern. It seems to me that it is quite unlikely that you're going to fry any transistors, however small, by powering up. I recommend turning your computer off when not in use, but you might want to check with your manufacturer for their opinion. (As an aside, I always wondered whether people left their computers on just so they didn't have to boot up the next morning. It will be interesting to see if attitudes on this subject change after MRAM comes out.) As to the "stabilization" issue: to me it sounds like someone was feeding you a line of mumbo-jumbo. However, any circuit with resistors and capacitors will experience voltage osciallations when first powered up. Eventually, the circuit settles into a steady state. Depending on the circuit, this can take anywhere from nanoseconds to minutes. (The amplitude of the oscillations also varies depending on the circuit.) In my opinion, this time is not long enough to justify leaving all your equipment turned on. Quote
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