Amp — Leave on or turn off

I have the PS Audio S300 stereo amp and the M1200 monoblocks and was wondering the same thing. Just left a message at PS Audio. Curious to hear what they say.

I notice that my amp sounds better after I eat a croissant.

Coincidence?

Hard to say. ;-)

It’s not a debate. It’s very much amplifier specific.

I have ICEpower amps and they absoultely need at least 72 hours to sound musical.

My Luxman warms up well in half an hour.

I have no real explanation for why some amps warm up faster than others. I do not believe this has anything to do with the amplifier class (A, A/B or D) either. I do think it probably has something to do with the capacitor types, and maybe how much power they draw at idle. Perhaps the Class D amps, being low power, take a lot longer to warm up because they literally don’t warm up?

I’ve also heard say certain megabuck amps simply don’t sound good until after 48 hours at least.

I think it’s very much specific to the amp.

On. 

My AT3002 amp has a standby mode feature. I think it keeps the amps circuitry charged up some.

I usually turn it on about an hour before using.

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

And there is often less electrical activity in the neighborhood mornings.

I often forget to turn an amp off overnight for no net gain in SQ.

I left my McCormack amp on 24/7 (unless we were leaving for a week or more) and only had to replace a fuse over 20 years.  McCormack recommends leaving the amp on I think partly because many electronic parts don’t like constantly cycling between cold and warm, but I know some other manufacturers recommend turning it off so may be product specific (obviously you don’t wanna leave a Class A or tube amp on).  Anyway, I’m with you on just leaving it on.

Have you listened in the morning before when the amp was off all night and had a different result?   Personally, after being in a dead quiet room for 8 hours, my ears are much more sensitive in the morning then the night before.  Even when I listen at night, or during the day, I try to have some quiet time before I listen.  Relaxes me so I can better enjoy the music, but also gives my ears a rest.