Help with a few questions please

For the first question...
You will not get any agreement here on which is better. I have all solid state equipment & keep them on 24/7 unless their is a thunderstorm in the area or I'm out of town for an extended period. IME, solid state sounds best when left on.

Second question:
My dedicated listening room is between 14-15 foot square & in the basement.

I like it in the basement for three reasons:
1. Room treatments make a huge difference & they wouldn't be tolerated upstairs. 
2. Slate over concrete floor. Very solid foundation for the system.
3. I can listen to music at anytime day or night without bothering anyone else.

In regard to ceiling height. Mine is 8' & works great with a few sound panels attached to it.    

@boxer12 

Thank you for the input. I am going to try leaving everything on from now on. Did you find any speakers to be to much for your room? 

You're welcome. To answer your question... No, but the room has been "tuned" well with room treatments (sound panels, bass traps, & diffusion devices) & I'm currently using B&W 802D's with a pair of Tekton 4-10 subs. In my experience, usually when a speaker is to much for a room it is because of excessive bass &/or echo. That can be taken care of with bass traps (usually in the corners behind the speakers) & sound panels at the first reflection points on the side walls/ceiling, & a rug or carpet on the floor. You have a decent sized room though, so may not have to do much.   

Also, if you keep your equipment on, make sure there is enough ventilation around each piece & none of the vents are covered. You've probably already done this, but just saying you don't want to have them running hotter than they are designed to run.

Best Regards 

Those are great speakers. I figured there would be some room treatment needed. We have 4 REL s510 subs now so I’m hoping to be able to have them in the dedicated room as well to reduce the need for at least some bass traps. Thanks again!