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Warm-up time for amps and preamps

How long does it take for your system to sound good from a cold start?
I try to keep my system on most of the time.  But occasionally I turn it off and it sounds like crap for a good half-hour to an hour.
i know there has been discussion here on the virtue of leaving tube preamps on all the time.
But my solid state amp (modified NuForce mono blocks) technician advises turning even them off occasionally.
128x128rvpiano
brf
1,715 posts
 
My manufacture recommends 30 minutes for optimal performance and I agree with their assessment.  Both my pre and power amps also have a standby switch which I use for short periods when away from the system. 
mesch
3,469 posts
 
My system seems to takes 30min-1hr. It is left off and unplugged much of the time between listening sessions. Not sure what each component contributes to this need, DAC, tube pre, SS amp, speakers. No one seems to mention speakers however I can't help but believe they also sound best once driver elements reach thermal equilibrium. Not sure of the temporal requirement for this.  
tpreaves's avatar
tpreaves
2,682 posts
 
While I agree that some warm up time is good, especially for tubed equipment, I think the major factor in improvement of sound over time is the human hearing and recognition ability. 
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,464 posts
 
I keep on SS gear all the time for best sound. This is especially true for digital front ends and class D amps. 
rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
2,653 posts
 
I have a class D amp.  The NuForce technician told me something very interesting: He said it's not good for a switching amp to be on without being connected to a running pre-amp with a source playing.  Therefore, when warming it up I have the tuner playing at very low volume.
i have a tube pre-amp (Conrad-Johnson) which also benefits from the warm-up.


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