Turn off or leave on?

makes me wonder if any of you got electronics training ...

1. there is no harmful effect to non-tube equipment to turn it on or off (unless somebody decides to sit and push the power button on/off for 2-3 hours ) thus, to save electricity turn it off.

2. Tube stuff...here comes the pickle...the tubes normally go weak slow losing cathode emission. Emission is the process when electrons are flying out of the heated cathode... now here is the fun part...at turn on the heating element in the tube starts to heat the cathode and it takes 2-5 minutes to get to the correct temperature .during this period electrons slowly start flying off the cathode to anode under voltage potential on anode and greed(s) . while the cathode is not hot enough electrons are not flying out freely but are kinda "ripped" from it. and it creates micro-cracks and the slow destruction of a cathode .that is how over the years tubes go bad most of the time. Now ,if the heater in tubes is always ON and the cathode is always hot , tubes may last 2-3 times longer. in the old days of picture tube TVs, there were enthusiasts who installed a circuit to apply a permanent supply to the heater of a picture tube extending its life. Now, to turn off tube gear or not is your choice ...no advice from me at this point. Good luck my HI-FI enthusiasts

It seems to me that many tube equipment manufacturers recommend that equipment not be left on while "unattended", due to the (small) risk of fire hazard should a tube fail.  Not sure how well I would sleep at night knowing my tube mono blocks could kills me in a house fire.  🤣

Its my understanding that the expansion with heat followed by the contraction from cooling off causes metal fatigue in the solder forming cracks.    Leaving class A amps on 24/7 is expensive, hard on the electric bill and a fire hazard.   That's a good enough reason to buy class D amps.

According to the rebuilder of my solid state (integrated) amp, it should be left on all the time for longest life of the electronics. On their newer models they moved the on/off switch to the back.My phono stage (also SS) doesn't even have a power switch.

If in doubt, talk to the manufacturer or authorized repair shop.

It sounds better when played for a little while, but I'd hate to have to wait for it to warm up - often times I'll just play a record or two.

@kgbspy,  (putin, is that you ???)

makes me wonder if any of you got electronics training

Ok you can climb down from your pedestal now and go ... well go somewhere.

If the component is solid state and does not consume huge amounts of power when in its quiescent state then better to leave it permanently on, unless it's not going to be used for a considerable period.

Those who remember the old incandescent light bulb will know that 99% of the time they blew at switch on. The filament is cold, its resistance at its lowest and is when it draws the most current. POP.  Same with the solid state component. When on it warms up and then cools again when powering down, there is expansion and contraction on the PCBs and also condensation. You have now unwittingly provided all the ingredients for failure. Left on the device stays gently warm and should last decades.

For tubes that are permanently on their life will be shortened but there is a work-around. Some amps that have a standby switch just turn off the HT but leave the heaters/filaments on which will, over time, lead to cathode poisoning, however if the cathode voltage is reduced to 2/3 voltage, that is 4.2V instead of a 6.3V supply, all is fine and stripping is no longer a problem.

 This feature is not often found but I use it on my DIY stuff. When coming out of standby I arrange for the heaters to come immediately to design V and use soft start for the HT. There is little or no warm up needed as the amp is always and safely warm. 😎