Power Amp off or Standby

[Dragonfly]

I am currently using Cinepro 6.4SE to drive my ML Aeons and Theater,I always switch the Amp and the Speakers off the mains after use, would it be better to leave everything on standby or am I doing the right thing by switching everything off after use, any detrimental effect?
Regards

 

[jmschnur]

I have left my Carver 1.5T amp and Hafler amps on for the last 27 years with out problems. I am doing the same with outlaw amp.

I feel that the turn on and turn off surge is worse that the long term effects of solid state stuff being on as long as it is properly ventilated.

Joel

 

[Matten Logan]

youre actualy better leaving them on. When the equipment is on or even in standby the signal outputs can maintain a risidual "charge" (its not really a charge, but its like the way you develop static on your body and keep that static charge untill you discharge it on some metal) and actually store part of that "charge" in the cable. This "charge" keeps the dialectric of the cable constant. When you shut off your amp the charge on the cable will change and so will the dialectric. Dialectric is the tendancy of insulating materials used in the cable to store and release energy. By keeping the cable charged, the dialectric should remain constant, but when the charge is lost, the dialectric releases its energy too, and will again absorb and release energy until it balances itself again. This can be audible as brighness if energy is absorbed and muddled and unfocused bass when energy is released.
Short version, unless you have a DBS (dialectic biasing system) on the cable, leave the equipment on.
Cheers

 

[Craig]

I usually leave solid state equipment on or in standby mode. Tube gear gets turned off when not being used. Tubes have a lifespan and some tubes can be very expensive and hard to find. Also, tube gear has a very quick warmup time usually in the range of 3 minutes to 30 minutes. If your equipment is solid state and has a standy mode then I would power down to standby. No need to completely shut down.

I live in Florida and when the summer afternoon thunderstorms begin I turn off all my gear and unplug everything including the speakers before going to work for the day even though I use power conditioners or surge protection. Nothing protects protects better than being disconnected when lightning strikes. The Tampa Bay area is the lightning capitol of the US.

As a general rule: When powering on - turn on from the source to the preamp, then the amp. When powering down reverse the sequence: Turn off the amp first, then preamp, then source.

 

[Robin]

Never turn your system off...

I am currently using Cinepro 6.4SE to drive my ML Aeons and Theater,I always switch the Amp and the Speakers off the mains after use, would it be better to leave everything on standby or am I doing the right thing by switching everything off after use, any detrimental effect?
Regards

Dragonfly,

We had a great discussion about this very subject about a year ago, here it is:

http://www.martinloganowners.com/~tdacquis/forum/showthread.php?t=871


I think the consensus of oppinion was, if you have a tubed system it might be kinda expensive, as far as the cost of tube replacement but it is a good thing to leave your equipment on and ready to Rock n' Roll...

 

[Craig]

I think the design of the unit determines if it is a good idea to leave a component on constantly, or to turn if off when not in use. At least with tube gear. My Art Audio VPS-DM tube preamp runs in class "A" and the manual for that particular unit states:

" 1) Allow the unit about 20 minutes to warm up before doing any seriuos listening. This will allow the circuit to stabilize and components to settle."

I don't think you would notice any further improvement in sound after the 20 minute warm-up anyway.

"2) Avoid repeatedly turning the unit on/off in quick succession. This may damage the tubes and some of the capacitors."

Not a bad idea for any component.

"3) Never disconnect the output tubes while your amplifier is turned on."

I suppose someone gave them a reason to put this statement in the manual!

"4) Because the unit operates in full class "A" (draws current consistently) IT SHOULD NOT BE LEFT ON FOR MORE THAN 36 HOURS STRAIGHT. Leaving the unit powered on for more than this period will drastically reduce the life of the vacuum tubes (particulary the 6FQ7/6CG7 type).

Apparently this particular preamp should not be left on constantly. I also have a tube amp by the same manfacturer but the manual says nothing about leaving limiting the amount of time it is left on. However, I have some pricy tubes in that amp and they have a limited lifespan based on hours of use. While I agree the cooling down and heating up cycle adds some wear to the tubes, a 10,000 hour tube life will be used up in 14 months if left on constantly.

In most cases I'm sure it is ok to leave equipment on constantly unless your manual or manufacturer states otherwise.

 

[tsd2005]

I am currently using Cinepro 6.4SE to drive my ML Aeons and Theater,I always switch the Amp and the Speakers off the mains after use, would it be better to leave everything on standby or am I doing the right thing by switching everything off after use, any detrimental effect?
Regards

Actually I want to know... how do your ML's react to that power? If I remember right the 4k6.4SE is 475watts@8, 800watts@4, 1200watts@2. This amp is one of the most powerful made, and I'd love to know how it works in your system.

 

[roberto]

I am currently using Cinepro 6.4SE to drive my ML Aeons and Theater,I always switch the Amp and the Speakers off the mains after use, would it be better to leave everything on standby or am I doing the right thing by switching everything off after use, any detrimental effect?
Regards

Hola. Some time ago I used to leave on my system, until one day I was not at home when a thunder storm hit my place. Nothing survived that was plugged to the mains. So now, when I'm not at home, I diconnect everthing form the Mains A.C. before leaving. What my system takes to warm up is about 15 minutes, and this also does not means that at the begining the sound is bad. What happens it that it sounds better when everything is warmed up...hope this can help! happy listening,
Pura vida,
Roberto.

 

[Dragonfly]

Actually I want to know... how do your ML's react to that power? If I remember right the 4k6.4SE is 475watts@8, 800watts@4, 1200watts@2. This amp is one of the most powerful made, and I'd love to know how it works in your system.

That was my concern they are one of the most powerful AMP in circulation,there are no standby mode on this Amp its either on or off and they do get very HOT, I am using Cinepro 6.4SE and Lexicon MC8 processor.This Amp and my ML'S do complement each other I think I get the best out of my speakers.I listen to music or watch movies with a big smile on my face

 

[jmschnur]

It is very very important to have very good surge protectors for any system these days. Power surges can happen in the U.S. with or without storms and the quality of the power has decreased a lot.

That having been said nothing beats disconnecting all from the mains during a thunderstorm.

Joel