Leave an amp "on" permanetly

I've got a DNA 0.5 Rev A, and my system sounds horrible when cold (I literally walk over to my speakers to check if the tweeters are working -- it's that bad). After a few hours of actively playing music it starts to open up and sing, but it probably takes a bit longer than that to really hit its stride.

I leave my system on 24/7 because I don't always get to plan when I get to do some serious listening (2 kids have brought that to a crashing end), so my system needs to "wake up" immediately when I need it. I do a lot of other things to help the environment, so I don't feel too bad about indulging in this one area. I run all relatively cool-running solid state so it could be a lot worse.

Also, a while back I read a post here that mentioned that light bulbs frequently blow out when they're turned on because that's when they experience the greatest surge/stress. I'm no electrical engineer, but this makes sense to me and I cringe every time I have to turn my amp (and other components) on and off. I've left all my equipment on for many years with no major problems, so in my experience leaving components on 24/7 has at least done no harm.

So my advice is to recycle your trash, buy a fuel efficient car, and leave your stereo on and enjoy it to the fullest with a clean conscience.

Hey there could be an upside to prematurely wearing out your amps by turning them on and off as needed: a damn good reason to go out shopping for a new one. By golly, the horror!

hi mcpody:

i don't mind a good ribbing now and then. i have a psaudio p 300 for source components, but nothing for my tube amps.
i have been dissuaded from using a conditioner with an amplifier.

have you had any experiences with one ?

Mrtennis,
The Shunyata Hydra-2 is a good conditioner that also regulates voltage anomalies...which you seem to be experiencing. Many audiophiles also use the Richard Grey RGPC 600S and pole pig.

I have a dedicated power line with hospital grade outlets for my Threshold T-200 amplifier. This Class A amplifier runs hot, and the soundstage grows dramatically within the first two hours it is turned on. Same with the Audion and EAR859 tube amps. Even the old (1975)solid state Marantz 2252 improved after a couple of hours, although less dramatically than the aforementioned amps. On the other hand, I heard little difference from the lower end NAD and Rotel products.

I tend to leave mine on, but have noticed the amps (jungson JA1/99C) sound slightly faster, but perhaps less warm if I don't leave them on overnight. My concern is the life of the capacitors may be reduced by the constant heat. Is this an issue to be considered?