There’s no one right answer anymore.
The biggest issue with on/off cycles was the initial current surge that goes through the transformer and power supply capacitors. They are much better now than 40 years ago, and many amp makers have added soft-start circuits which prevents this from occurring.
So the concern for turn-on surges is less than it was historically and leaving your devices on 24/7 has a down side. All power supply capacitors are rated for a certain number of operating hours so even while you are away you are running the clock down on them.
The higher temperature caps a vendor used, the longer they will last in general.
The other thing to consider is AC surges and spikes. Depending on where you live, like say Florida, these can really wear down the caps quickly. Of course, you also run the issue of a power surge happening when you are away.
So, I’d say keep your low power equipment turned off unless you have a good surge supressor. Then leave them on all the time. :)
As for big items like the Krell’s and tube power amps, I have a tough time stomaching the damage to the environment I’d be causing. If they are relatively recent models, I wouldn’t be surprised if they already had built in soft-start circuits as well as more modern caps that are less vulnerable.
Personally I’m off in class D land so for a total of 15 Watts at idle I leave my stereo amps all the time through a Furman surge protector. :) The amps are also excessively well cooled, so the wear and tear on them operating 24/7 is much less than your Krells I'm afraid.
Best,
Erik
The biggest issue with on/off cycles was the initial current surge that goes through the transformer and power supply capacitors. They are much better now than 40 years ago, and many amp makers have added soft-start circuits which prevents this from occurring.
So the concern for turn-on surges is less than it was historically and leaving your devices on 24/7 has a down side. All power supply capacitors are rated for a certain number of operating hours so even while you are away you are running the clock down on them.
The higher temperature caps a vendor used, the longer they will last in general.
The other thing to consider is AC surges and spikes. Depending on where you live, like say Florida, these can really wear down the caps quickly. Of course, you also run the issue of a power surge happening when you are away.
So, I’d say keep your low power equipment turned off unless you have a good surge supressor. Then leave them on all the time. :)
As for big items like the Krell’s and tube power amps, I have a tough time stomaching the damage to the environment I’d be causing. If they are relatively recent models, I wouldn’t be surprised if they already had built in soft-start circuits as well as more modern caps that are less vulnerable.
Personally I’m off in class D land so for a total of 15 Watts at idle I leave my stereo amps all the time through a Furman surge protector. :) The amps are also excessively well cooled, so the wear and tear on them operating 24/7 is much less than your Krells I'm afraid.
Best,
Erik