How long daes it take your gear to warm up?

30-45 minutes for me...a combination of tubes(pre and amp) and a SS amp on the bass in a biamp configuration.
I usually power up and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before un-muting the pre.
It really 'shines' after 90 minutes.

In general I find tube gear sounds best after 1-2 hours. SS gear I leave on 24/7 unless it is a Class A power amp. Though I do admit that when I run track 7 on the Ayre/Cardas burn in disc, the rig sounds pretty damn good within 20-30 minutes.

Peter_s, I've also heard that cycling any piece on and off is best for capacitors. Many modifiers recommend cycling on/off so that caps break in quicker. It seems like this keeps capacitors "in shape", it's a good work out for caps. However, powering on and off does have negative affects on other electrical components, as switches, relays, resistors, etc are exposed to in rush currents. Since the component seems to sound better being left on 24/7 and the electrical components are split on the positives and negatives, I leave all SS on all the time unless it is a Class A power amp like my current CODA Model 11 amp.

I agree with Jim. Takes about 1-2 hrs for tubes. SS about 24 plus.

My kit is never off -- but a friend/professional sound engineer recently made the argument that the single most important important bit to "warm up" in any system will be the magnets and actual moving bits on the speakers. After about an hour, he argues, the coherence among the drivers and general timbral accuracy will "gell", while before it can be hit or miss, and basically just a lot less than seamless. There is something inherently sensible about this proposition to my mind, I must confess.

So there we are, talking smack and listening to the system, when about an hour in, he give the old hold everything sign, and says there it is, it just came together. And, I'll be damned, but with a pro to put a sign post on it, it seems pretty obvious. So, these days, I usually run the TV or other nonsense through the speakers for an hour or so before tucking into anything serious. Can I get a witness, or is it just me?

Most SS Class A power amps can draw 600 to 700 watts each. To leave them on all the time, lots of heat and utility cost. Some of us most own a power company. All my gear is left on less my power amps. One to two hours for casual listening , four to six hours for critical listing. Lots of Red wine is also required.