Warm Up Time/Cost of Operation

@neonknight,

Classe Omega monoblocks.

Idle power consumption per monoblock 240 watts.

Per Owner’s manual page 28

Mike

It could vary by amp design I suppose.  The designer of my McCormack amp is adamant it should be left on unless leaving home for an extended period. I will say my amp lasted 30 years being left on 24/7 90% of the time.  Turning a component off and on frequently — again probably depending on amp design — can be stressful and detrimental (think of incandescent lightbulbs mostly blowing out when turned on), and electronic parts tend to prefer staying at constant temps rather than constantly fluctuating between cold and warm/hot.  I would not turn my components on and off more than once/day regardless unless it was a tube amp, but that’s just me.  Maybe call Classe and see what they recommend as they’d know better than anyone.

Not an expert but if a variac would not harm anything, you could dial back the voltage when not in use. The reduced voltage would keep things warm and charged (capacitors) when not in use.

Also, being warm in the winter would just contribute to keeping your living space warm which is what you furnace does anyway.

It's funny, some people think leaving an amp turned on is "bad" (constant heat causes deterioration) and some think it's good (hot/cold/hot stresses internal components). 

My time is pretty structured, so I act accordingly. Warm the big Macs up when needed and leave them off when not. I get caught with my pants down once in a while but not often. If you listen a lot, you should leave the amps on all the time.

Luxman Class A owner here, 400 watt dissipation when on. Usually allow 30 min warm-up; leave on most of the day on weekends.  Keeps the room nice and warm during the winter.