Yes, I find especially when listening to vinyl, that the cartridge requires one album side to come out of it's hibernation mode. I feel that the amps and pre-amp get better as they reach operating temperature as well.
does your system "warm up" and then sound better?
I leave my amp on all the time but I'm wondering if all the other components warm up too. Speakers, pre amp, cd player, cables, ears? It seems that my system sounds better after an hour or so. What gives?