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Tube amp on/off: best practice?

My main system, with a tube integrated, is in my studio where I work 10-12 hours a day, interrupted by the occasional offsite meeting or errand.

What's the best practice/rule of thumb for powering it up and down as I duck in and out of the studio? Just leave it on all day?
How long do I need to be away for it to be better to power it down?

Right now I'm firing it up and cooling it down about 3x a day, running it a total of 6-8 hours a day.
soundgasm
samhar
1,048 posts
 
WhenI leave I shut the amps off!!! The preamp is also shut down. Two weeks ago I had a tube start going bad, if I wouldn't have been there.........?????!!!!!! Now I don't like to leave the room for an extended time, I'm a little paranoid!! If I have to turn everything on and off two or even three times in a day I'll do it, no more running down the street to the post office etc......
polk432
1,142 posts
 
Samhar, turn the preamp ON first then the amp. When shutting down turn the amp OFF first then the sources and preamp.
tpreaves's avatar
tpreaves
2,687 posts
 
Why put extra hours of usage on your tubes? My amp sounds fine on start up and gets optimal after 10-15 minutes.Just my thoughts.
soundgasm OP
152 posts
 
I was under the misconception (?) that the power cycle was hard on the tubes, shortening their lifespan.

Also, Samhar, I thought tubes just went quietly into the night...at least that's how they've failed for me so far. But yikes - is there a fire-hazard variety of tube death I don't know about too?

Thanks for your thoughts and expertise.
jarobertson
14 posts
 
I had a Winged C EL34 go bad on a power amp and it looked like it was shooting sparks inside the tube. It was crazy. I'm glad I was there to cut it off immediately.
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