Is it advisable to power down CDP/Transport?

Leave it on.

Laser would not be on unless the drive were engaged (i.e. actively reading a disc- not in pause or stop). I think this is right.

Hopefully the pickup design turns the laser off when not actually playing, but who knows this for certain? I've always wondered about this especially since I had to have an aging pickup replaced, which wasn't cheap. This EAD machine never fully powers down; it goes into standby mode when the power button is turned off, which it should for better sonics vs. coming up stone cold. I guess the power switch only turns off the display on this one?