Leaving my amplifier on ok?


Would it be ok to leave my amplifier on all the time if I want to extend the reliability of the amp? Many amplifiers ar Class A, high current bias and tubes might be a problem if energy consumption is a factor. Not to mention Excessive heat from bias operation. Is it possible to extend the life of the amp with leaving it on all the time?

Ag insider logo xs@2xhighend64

All components have a rated life that includes the life at different operating temperatures.  It is always the case that higher heat means shorter life.  If an amp is run constantly, mostly at idle, I would hope that it is designed such that heat would not be excessive, but, in any case, that heat and constant use would not increase the remaining life.  It is particularly the case that heat as well as constant operation would not be good for transistors.  As for thermal shock affecting PCBs, I have my doubts that normal turn on and off operation would not have a meaningful impact on life of boards, and would be interested in information demonstrating otherwise.  PCBs are tested for thermal shock vulnerability, but testing conditions are quite extreme (like -40 centigrade to 100 centigrade), not the kind of conditions found in home operation.  Boards are expected to last for at least 50 years.

Electrolytic caps do sound their best and are well preserved by being kept charged, so there may be some benefit there to keeping an amp on all of the time.  But, they too are subject to shorter life from higher temperatures, so, some sort of tradeoff/balancing is involved there.  The big issue with leaving electrolytic caps in a discharged state involves many years of storage in such state--it is not really an issue as far as a few days or even months of non-use.  But, sound quality is another matter.  Some gear takes a long time to sound its best even when warmed to full operating temperature because the caps are not fully charged/formed.  For example, NAIM recommends leaving their streamer on all of the time because it takes the caps almost a whole day to be at their best from a cold start.

The other safety/reliability issue has to do with power surges from electrical storms and brownouts that may occur while one is not at home and able to turn off gear.  I have not heard of many instances where gear has failed and caused a fire, but, that too is a (remote) possibility.  

When I ran solid state amps, I kept them on all of the time, except when I left town.  I knew this involved some risk and shortening of the life of the amps, but, I accepted that to avoid a warm up period.  I now run tube gear, which MUST be shut down when not in use to preserve tube life, but then again, tube gear tends to sound quite decent after a relatively short warm up period.  I can enjoy the sound, even if it might not be at its very best, within five minutes of turning on the amp and linestage.

@bigtwin

Maybe dumb question but do you mean "on" as in ready to operate or in "stand by" mode?

I ask because I typically leave my H390 in stand by mode. If this not recommended, I’d like to know.  

 

 

My PS Audio amps are designed to be turned off using the front buttons while keeping the circuit warm as long as the back buttons are not turned off. After turning on the front buttons warmup time only takes about 20 minutes.

True components that produce a lot of heat are subjected to greater stress on their components but a well engineered component will be designed to handle the amount of heat it generates. It’s the constant stress of on and off cycles cause the most stress on a component leading to failure. 

After reading so many differing opinions on this subject, I asked the manufacturer, in my case Hegel, if there was any harm caused by leaving my H30 Mono amps powered on 24/7, and is the rush of current at startup more harmful than constant power. Their answer was this. The amps are not damaged by the on/off cycle. They recommend waiting 60 seconds between turning on, if you have turned off. They did advise against leaving powered on 24/7 citing a waste of electricity and shortened life span due to constant heat. Therefore in my own case, I turn off after listening and turn on a couple hours in advance of my next session.

Maybe someone could answer this question for me. Define "shortened" lifespan. My previous Parasound power amp lasted 20 years without any issues and then I sold it. If shortened lifespan means lasting 25 years instead of 30, then I’m now too old to care as either one will out live me.