Tube DAC Conundrum

Audio Note recommends 24/7 operation for their tube linestages, phono preamps, and D/A converters.

Dealer disclaimer

You should never turn your tube gears on as it is too risky and a tube failure could take down other componants. Make sense? of course not. Tubes in dacs are most likely small signal tubes and should last far longer then a year, so leave it on and minimise the thermal cycle of the other componants. And may powdered sugar fall upon your ears tonight!

Never turn off your tubes, just like you never turn out the lights in your house when you leave.

Oh, wait, that advice was meant for another planet. On this one, if it's a bulb, turn it off when you don't use it.

Honestly, of all the stupid advice you get on audiogon, this thread seems to be the current winner...

The audiophile in me says: "leave 'em on".

The rest of me which is where most of my rationale behavior emanates from, says: "turn 'em off when you're not using them, dummy"!

My rational side can be harsh. It also usually ends up winning these battles ( I hope).

What are the tubes? Have you researched the average or expected life of these particular tubes? Some small tubes are good for 10,000-15,000 hours.