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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.
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wwaterman2's avatar
wwaterman2
26 posts
 
My system takes 30 to 45 Minutes to sound great! 
whitestix
727 posts
 
Great posts!  My Don Sachs preamp takes few minutes to sound its best and my McCormack DNA .05 Deluxe SS amp clearly takes a 30 minutes to sound optimally.  "Ear-lube" attributed to a beer or two might bias my impressions as "donjr"suggests above.  As a green-leaning guy, I can't bring myself to keeping my gear powered up 24/7.  
randy-11
1,913 posts
 
"allowing the processed signal from you cartridge (or other source) to complete transmission thru your speakers, where the signal is processed thru the tube grids opposed to the tubes in an idle state, speaker motors in a working state warming up and working the surround material, interconnects transferring signals, etc."

- say whut?
psickerson
97 posts
 
Once turned on my tube amp takes 60 seconds before sound can be heard. That is for amp protection.  Just enough time to pour the Jamison. Sounds great from the start and better every sip. 
deepee99's avatar
deepee99
86 posts
 
I'm not a scotch drinker, but my tube system sounds better after a couple of beers. Seriously, I think both the amps and pre-amps are in their stride after a half hour's running from a cold start. Leaving the pre-amps on 24/7 is just a waste of electricity and more importantly, a waste of those priceless electrons. When I hit the feathers, everything's off.
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