Is it best to leave gear on or to shut it off?

On all the time, get a Hybrid car and recycle if you feel guilty.......but if it is SS or even a tube pre I leave everything on 24/7. My gear isnt exactly vintage but isnt new either, I only shut off if out of town or in Thunder Storms.

I don't think it's a question of vintage vs. modern, but solid state vs. tube.

I kept my Bryston amp and pre-amp on almost 25-years and it sounded great all the time. I wouldn't do that with tube equipment, since there's more likelyhood of a tube failure and the lives of tubes are relatively short.

I'm turning off my Conrad Johnson solid state control amp after listening. It's got a couple of LED displays and some switching features that worry me. The Bryston pre-amp was passive and the amp didn't even have a power switch.

Generally I think it's a personal decision.

Dave

Hi Mlsstl. Thanks for the very helpful response. I found that there are many answers. I also found out that tubes might be right for me. The amount of time my system is on I would be going through about two sets of tubes per year.

All great equipment stays on in stand-by mode. Keeps the transistors ready. Solid State not familier with tubes but I love high doller tube systems.