2. amps-preamps
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Amp — Leave on or turn off

I always turned my Benchmark AHB2 amp off after use every night. After all, why is there an on off switch on the front panel if not to do that? Last night I accidentally left it on. This morning, when I played my first record, I couldn’t believe my ears. The same record I played last night sounded infinitely better. I tried a second record and that, too, was much better.
I know there’s a debate on the question of leaving an amp on all the time.
I now know where I stand!

128x128rvpiano
z32kerber
143 posts
 

My Pass Labs XA-60.8 mono blocks are class A and leaving them on would bankrupt me :). But they have a standby mode. They warm up fully after about 30 minutes. Like others have stated, it’s amp specific. If you change to another amp, consider one with a standby mode.

1happyman's avatar
1happyman
53 posts
 

I have been leaving my refurbished Audible Illusions preamp on to eliminate constant cycling on and off supposedly to extend tube life. The pre stays barely warm to the touch. Sounds great. Solid state amp on and off per use. 

rhg3
156 posts
 

SS Always on.

Tubes off. I don’t mind waiting for them to warm up.

dmguaragno
12 posts
 

Considering that the most common mode of failure in an electronic component is thermal fatigue from power cycles, I leave my system on most of the time. I turn it off for thunderstorms and if I will be away from home for an extended period of more than a couple of days. 

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