Leaving tube amps on.
This is a question I had for a long time. I know it’s not a good idea to leave tube amps on all the time because of tube life and safety reasons. But sometimes I don’t have the opportunity to listen to my system / music for hours at time at one sitting. Sometimes I can only listen to it 45 min - a few hours at a time during the day / night. So my question is would it be better to leave the amps on all day / evening and listen when I can or turn them on / off every time I listen even if is only 45 min at a clip. But to just clarify when I don’t intend to listen that day/ night they will be off. Does turning the amps on / off throughout the day / night do more harm than leaving them on ? Tube life , wear and tear on amps etc. btw I have the Audio Research Ref 750s. Ea amp has 18 KT150 , 6550WE , 6H30.
Leave ARC 750’s on 24 hours a day? 36 power tubes total? I find it inexplicable that anyone would even consider such a foolish thing! No offense intended. ARC power amps are well known to self destruct when even a single power tube blows (ARC doesn't "believe" in fusing tubes). 36 of them? That’s living dangerously.
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@bdp24 Who said anything about leaving ARC 750s on 24/7 ? If u are referring to my OP please reread it. |
@immatthewj I generally warm up my equipment about 15 - 20 min. Then I will listen at about 15db for about 15 min before going up to my usual 28db listening level. But to tell ya the truth the amps sound dam good even from a cold start for listening. |
Ah, okay @tattooedtrackman, I see the difference. Not 24hrs/day, but all day in anticipation of listening that night. Still, I would not want to leave the 750’s on without someone in the room they are in. That is generally true of all tube amps, none moreso than those of ARC. And with the short life expectancy of tubes in ARC amps I would not want to put non-listening hours on them. The cost of maintaining ARC amps employing 36 power tubes is a daunting proposition! I never had problems with my ARC power amps, but my dealer (Brooks Berdan) had shelves full of used ARC power amps, many with scorched circuit boards.
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