2. amps-preamps
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Dumb Question 36

I just bought a used Conrad Johnson PF-R pre-amp and noticed that it has no power on/off button. Am I supposed to leave the unit on all the time? Is this a common practice in audio quipment these days? This is the first unit I have ever seen with no power switch. I have heard that there is a certain protocal you should use when turning on your system and reverse the procedure when turning it off(something like turn pre-amp on first then power amp and then reverse the procdure to shut down). I presently have the amp and pre-amp plugged into the same surge protector. When I turn on the power button of the surge protector naturally both units come on--no problems--but when I turn off the power through the surge protector I get a LOUD "POP" from the speakers. This can't be right so how do I hook up the sytem to the power correctly?

Thanks.

Steve
say811

Showing 1 response by sugarbrie

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Yes, Yes, leave the preamp on all the time. It was designed that way on purpose. It would take a few hours for the FETs (Field Effect Transistors) to get up to speed if you shut it off. By the time the preamp warmed up fully, you would be done listening. It uses a tiny amount of power, so don't worry about your electric bill. None of the Conrad Johnson/Sonograph/Motif preamps have on/off switches.


You should not shut off everything at once by way of the surge protector. The general rule is amplifier on last and off first, for the very reason you state (loud pop). Since the amp is still on, it amplifies the shutting off of your other gear. Could cause problems eventually.


Some AC power conditioners/surge protectors (Adcom and Rotel come to mind), have circuits that automatically turn the equipment on and off in the proper order when you hit the power switch on the AC power unit.

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