Leave tube amp on all day?

I just simply would turn it on and off. Unless you use cheap tubes. That's what will cost you. The rest of the amp even if you shorten it's life should last 10+ years under bad conditions.

If you're going to be using the amp for the majority of the day at various times, leave it on in standby mode. If you aren't going to use it for very long each time and / or have extended periods between use, turn it off and on as needed using your own judgment.

Tubes deteriorate with use, even in standby mode with most designs. Not only that, but some tubed amplifier designs can become hazardous / start on fire when a tube fails. As such, i would not leave tubed amplifiers on and unattended for extended periods of time. Obviously, this is my point of view, so take it for what it is worth.

I say this because most properly designed tubed circuits with reasonably strong tubes stabilize in appr 20 - 30 minutes of use. There is little to no sonic benefit in leaving a tubed power amp fired up 24/7 other than the reduction of in-rush current to the tubes.

Bare in mind that i'm talking about output level tubes here, NOT line level tubes such as found in a preamp, CD player, DAC, etc... The voltage and current levels found here are MUCH lower, hence leaving them fired up is far more benign with less potential for major problems. Sean
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Some tube equipment has a mode where only the filiaments are left energized, perhaps at slightly reduced voltage. It is always desirable to turn on filiaments before gradually bringing up plate voltage, but I don't know any audio amps that are this sophisticated.

mapleleafs3

Better to be safe than sorry. But then again that is just my opinion.

Chuck

Thanks all for your responses. Looks like turning on/off the amp 2-3 times on days I'm home won't shorten tube life more than leaving it on all day from what I gather here. At least that saves on electricity.

I wish there was a standby switch on this amp, as I would use it but unfortunately, it's just on or off.

Tube shorting? Ouch. It never occurred to me that was even a possibility. The amp has fuses, so I assume that would go before there's a fire hazard? Man, don't tell me everyone who has tube gear has a fire extinguisher next to their equipment rack. :-)