2. amps-preamps
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Reliabilty, Keeping Equipment Powered on or off?

I generally keep my system components powered on because the system does not have to "warm-up" when I sit down for a listen. I do know that reliability is usually calculated by POH (power on hours) however this calculation IMHO is a broad brush stroke. I do power down certain components that are not required to be left on to sound their best, such as a Luxman T-117 tuner and Wadia 171i Dock . However, my Krell IA, with the volume turned all the way down runs pretty hot, so hot you can't leave your hand on it. When turning the volume up on the Krell to reproduce the live event sound level, you can fry an egg on it, so I can only guess the Krell was designed to handle this kind of heat? However, back to the other components, such as DAC, SACDP, Headphone Amp, etc. Is keeping everything turned on asking for trouble or is leaving it on best to prevent thermal expansion and contraction which may be detrimental?
grm

Showing 2 responses by grm

grm OP
149 posts
 
Hi, and thank you!

After digesting the posts above, I will be powering everything down with the exception of the Krell. The Krell sounds best when left on and I do not want to introduce thermal stress on the 24 output devices, i.e, cold to hot, hot to cold, etc. I think for this amp, leaving it on with the output devices "warm" is the best way to treat them?

Thanks to all,
grm
grm OP
149 posts
 
Turned everything off last night after leaving everything on for an extended period of time (weeks). Well, when I powered on the Krell, there was a distinct "pop" sound, now the remote control does not work! Learned my lesson.
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