2. amps-preamps
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When to Poweroff amps and preamps

I apologize if this has been asked before but I haven’t been able to find it.  What is recommended for when to turn off the power to amplifiers and preamps?  What if you’re going to be using the equipment within a day or so...power it off completely, put it on sleep if that’s available, leave it on?  What if you’re not going to use  it for a longer time...a couple of days?  A week?  Are there different recommendations for solid state and tube equipment? I’m interested in both getting the best sound and prolonging the equipment life. 
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Showing 1 response by millercarbon

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millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Solid state, leave on 24/7. Tubes, turn on to warm up 5-20 minutes, turn off when done. Hybrid (DACs that think a tube will make digital listenable) no tube on Earth can do that but hopefully the tubes are cheap because being digital absolutely must be left on.

This is both for sound quality AND longevity. The greatest wear factor with SS is thermal, which is reduced by leaving on. The greatest wear factor with tubes is being on, which is reduced by turning off.

So the moral of the story: buy tubes, buy analog, turn off when done.
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