In response to your question, yes, i leave all of my SS gear on at all times. That is, unless there is a horrible storm taking place, i'm doing major work on the system or i'm leaving town. Tube based digital gear ( DAC's ) also remains on but the remainder of the tube gear is turned off and powered up as needed.
Secondly, always make sure that any product that runs hot has adequate airflow. I'm not talking about just during normal use, but at all times. Most amps of higher bias require airflow on ALL sides of them. This means that an amp should be elevated above the platform by an inch or two. If you have the amp directly resting on the platform, you've reduced airflow through the heatsinks. If you have the amp tucked into a rack with solid sides, you've reduced airflow. If you have equipment or shelving in close proximity to the top of the amp, you've reduced airflow. Common sense dictates that the hotter the product runs, the more airflow it needs around, and especially, directly above it.
All of these things are BAD and can cause premature parts failure, erratic operation, reduced performance, etc... While some may say that leaving a hot running product on all the time will cause premature failure, i disagree. If the product is properly designed and the natural convection of heat allowed to occur, my personal thoughts and experience are that more damage is done to this type of gear from massive temperature swings and high levels of in-rush current than any other phenomena. Others may agree / disagree, but i'm putting my money where my mouth is and keeping my gear on. Not only does it sound better ( almost all high bias amps DO improve after achieving full temparature stability ), the gear actually lasts longer. Low bias amps may not be affected in such a noticeable manner, but their sonics and levels of resolution are typically not as good to begin with. Sean
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