Do cold temperatures damage audio equipment?

Electronic components such as transistors and integrated circuits, even in their cheapest commercial grade form, are usually rated for storage (non-operating) temperatures down to -55 degC or -65 degC or thereabouts. Brrr!

I think that the biggest concern would be the quality of the solder joints, and the connections within printed circuit boards. If well constructed, those kinds of temperatures should be no problem. If poorly made, it's anyone's guess.

Of course, as you probably realize, any electronic or electromechanical device that has been exposed to extreme cold should be brought up to room temperature slowly, to avoid both condensation and thermal shock. I make it a practice to not unpack anything that has been so exposed for at least a couple of hours after bringing it inside.

Regards,
-- Al

Somebody once told me that you need to let the equipment warm up to at least 40 degrees before you turn it on. I don't know why that number was picked but that is what I usually told customers. Dan

That's a pretty reasonable guideline. Commercial grade integrated circuits are commonly rated for an operating temperature range of 0 to 70 degC. 0 degC is of course 32 degF, so the 40 deg number allows a little margin.

Regards,
-- Al