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Amp — Leave on or turn off

I always turned my Benchmark AHB2 amp off after use every night. After all, why is there an on off switch on the front panel if not to do that? Last night I accidentally left it on. This morning, when I played my first record, I couldn’t believe my ears. The same record I played last night sounded infinitely better. I tried a second record and that, too, was much better.
I know there’s a debate on the question of leaving an amp on all the time.
I now know where I stand!

128x128rvpiano

Showing 2 responses by vair68robert

vair68robert's avatar
vair68robert
593 posts
 

I agree with both 12many and fuzztone ,  I turn my McCormack amp on about an hour before listening , enough time to warm up .

vair68robert's avatar
vair68robert
593 posts
 

Electronics degrade by cycling on/off , true but to what extent ?  leaving on 24/7/365 equals 8,760 hours per year , since most power/filter capacitors are rated for 10,000 hours which would you think causes the most degrading ?  How often do you plan on replacing the electrolytic caps ? how long do you plan keeping your amp ? 

Newer amps have standby modes , older ones are on and off only .  The new Krell 800 watt mono block uses 1 watt in standby and 260 watts on with no music so leaving it in standby is like turning it off , you wouldn't leave it on using 260 watts would you .  My 250 watt amp uses 84 watts at idle/on , there isn't a standby mode so leaving it on is not very practical .

If leaving your amp sounds better to you then do so but think about the true cost depending on the amp you own .

 

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