Do you leave your solid state amps powered up.

gibbsy

There is a school of thought that it's best to leave solid state amps on 24/7. The amp is ready to go and will give a better sound rather than waiting for it to warm up. It's also thought that turning the units on and off came damage some components. Some amps, such as the Regas don't have a stand-by function and need to be turned on and off and quite a few believe they should be left on.

larkone

Though all of these 0.3w standby amps multiplied by many tens of thousands adds significantly to global warming. It isnt just about how little it costs you over the year, think of the accumulated amounts with lots of people doing this. Leaving amps on increases this by an order of magnitude. But hey don't worry as it will be the next generation that has to deal with the fallout - you will be fine.

Apollo83

I found myself sometimes forgetting to switch off my system at the end of the night and was concerned about the environmental angle.

I bought one of these countdown timer switches and plugged my powerbar into it so that all components were switched off after 3 hours (you can set it to different times).
I have the wired button subtly positioned next to the amp. You just press that button when you first want power or if you want to extend by another 3 hours. (long presss it switches the whole thing off - without having to reach round the back)

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Lowenergie Energy saving countdown timer switch socket with remote wire, rundown auto power off 3,6,10hr, conserve electricity: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools                                                                                                        Lowenergie Energy saving countdown timer switch socket with remote wire, rundown auto power off 3,6,10hr, conserve electricity: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools                                                                                                                                                                                                        www.amazon.co.uk                                                                               
I hoped the single socket switch off wouldn't cause electrical issues (rather than powering off all components individually with their buttons) but couldn't see how it would and it seems fine.

Now if I forget to switch off the system in the evening, I come in the next morning, everything is off and the world is a little less worse off...

oldcootstereo

More tube-land myths to be dispelled?  

Heat is the enemy of semiconductors, so why would having those semiconductors generating heat 24/7 be a good thing?  I think the main reason for the standby found on most new quality s/c amps is to prevent the speaker-damaging "thump" which most older amps were known for.  Stereo FM/AM receivers first got the soft-start circuits due to the high probability they would be powered-on with volume set at normal levels and immediate input signal. (Unlike a turntable, tape deck or CD player which would most likely start producing signal after the amp was finished the power-up cycle.)

To my own experience... Both the A-S501 and HSU sub have fractional-watt standby circuitry, and I use them for convenience.  At the other extreme, the Crown DC300A (Class AB, but 150wpc/8ohms) I once had made a noticeable increase in my monthly electricity bill if left on 24/7 (ya, I believed the myth back then).  

Does a powered-24/7 semiconductor amp sound "better" than one put on standby or even shut off between listening sessions?  I don't think so, but would like to see rigorous Toole-esque double-blind tests to confirm or dismiss the idea.

JohnnyNapalm

Mine are switched into standby at the end of a listening session. I would think that leaving a piece of electronics on constantly would shorten its life expectancy but I recall visiting Sony in Bridgend in the 80’s and they had a Trinitron TV that had been constantly on for 8 or 9 years with no issue. I would go with what the manufacturer recommend. Cheers.

cosmicma

not a mistake or typo it's something to do with keeping the amp at optimum temperature before switching on to use

if you think that's bad at 50 watt standby you should try the Krell Ksa 150 pure class A power amp which draws 7 amps ( 1.6 Kw ) whilst in use  
spec for the KSA 150 is 150 watts into 8 ohms and genuinely doubles power as the impedance halves right down  to 1 ohm making it 1.2 kw into 1 ohm and Krell claim it's quite capable of delivering it

daddy999

I turn my Hifi off at the mains when not in use. Personally I can think of no benefit to leaving anything on ‘standby’, well except perhaps killing the planet that bit quicker.