2. analog
  3. 1376858078

Why No Power Button on Some Phono Stages?

I am upgrading my phono stage, and several of the ones I have shortlisted do not have a power switch/on-off button.

Why is this? Is the user supposed to keep it powered up all the time, or manually unplug the power each time?

I know certain electronics are supposed to have better sound once they have reached thermal equilibrium, but that doesn't mean I want to keep it powered up 24/7.

Switching the phono stage power off from the power strip is a PIA, as it would switch all of my other components off, and I'd lose by tuner settings.

I want to choose the phono stage by sound quality, but an on/off switch is a major convenience factor for me. Why do some manufacturers leave it off?
kixo
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
At last we discovered some advantage of the tube amps:
one can turn them off.
dover
2,243 posts
 
My tube preamps are on permanently. No issues. Every now and then I turn them off for a day or 2 to discharge the power supply caps and ensure there is no behavioural memory imprinted into the power supply caps.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
Power supply caps with behavioural memory...
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
I turn my doorbell off when I leave the house. It doesn't seem to have any effect on the sound.
rrog
1,958 posts
 
"While I do agree that it's optimal to listen to components when they are at operating temperature, I would like the option of turning off a device easily when I choose to..."

Plan on several days for optimal sound with solid state devices.
More to discover