Playing with electrical components -always best to play it safe. Power off.
Real world-I've never been to a demo/show, where gear was turned off, with the exception of power cables.
This has been with the presence of the amp/gear designer standing next to their creation.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=byVrloNIcKQ
Volume down, source not playing, obvious precautions.
Also experienced hot swaps with side by side speaker comparison- music playing, quick swap of speaker cables to hear differences.
Living on the edge!
Real world-I've never been to a demo/show, where gear was turned off, with the exception of power cables.
This has been with the presence of the amp/gear designer standing next to their creation.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=byVrloNIcKQ
Volume down, source not playing, obvious precautions.
Also experienced hot swaps with side by side speaker comparison- music playing, quick swap of speaker cables to hear differences.
Living on the edge!