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Amps and Preamps has standby, but should I turn them completely off?

Hi guys, I know there has been discussions of this and the overall consensus seems to be leaving the Solid State amps / preamps on (or standby). I have a Parasound A51 that runs pretty hot. The heat sinks are hot to touch after running them for 2 hours. Ever since I move them to the 2nd floor (gets hot in the summer), I worry that they'd run too hot so I turn them completely off (by switching off the surge protector) after each use. Note that standby mode doesn't solve the heat issue -- it still generates a significant amount of excess heat. 

My question is:
1. Does turning them off after each use shorten their life?
2. Does turning them off increase the probability of failure?
3. Does the excessive heat damage them in the long run by leaving them on?

I am not too worried about warm up time because I use them 2-3 times a week tops. I just don't want the excess heat on the 2nd floor since it's already much warmer than the 1st floor. 

Thanks!!
angelgz2
salevick
67 posts
 
I have another slant on this issue.  I pull the plugs on all my equipment when I leave for an extended period of time.  I live in an area that is prone to severe lightning strikes and no surge protector is sufficient to prevent the dreaded blue smoke.  I imagine I am shortening the life of some components of my gear but I think the trade off is worth it. 
angelgz2 OP
37 posts
 
Got some good answers here. Thanks guys. Yeah, I agree it's all about the trade off. Since I almost exclusively using the units over the weekend, I believe you'll probably agree it's a good idea to turn them off over the 5 week days and turn them on Saturday morning, then, shut them off Sunday night. What I meant by "completely turning them off" is switching off the power conditioner, thus equivalent to pulling the plug. We do get thunder storms here often too in central Illinois. I think this way I minimize the heat problem, chance of electric shock, while also minimizing having to turn them off and on during the weekend. 

Thanks again guys, appreciate the help. 
czarivey
4,494 posts
 
don’t sweat, don’t worry, turn off, than turn on than wait or have meal, than play some music. what’s the bigdealabout?
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
Life of electrolytic caps is shorten by the factor of 2 for each 10degC temperature increase.  It is simply drying out of electrolyte.  Turning amplifier on often produces rush current, but heat amount from that is negligible.  Simply, your amp will last longer when you turn it off.  Also, life of semiconductors does not depend on how often you switch.  The only case I know where semiconductors are getting "tired" are big SCRs (Thyristors) in welding machines.  They go thru some structural changes caused by huge temperature gradients.  It does not apply to small current devices.  In class D amps power Mosfets are switched ON and OFF 500,000 times a second.  The only drawbacks of switching on and off is shorter life of the switch (not important with a few cycles a day) and warm-up time to get the best sound.
timlub
1,649 posts
 

Hi kijanki,

     As much as what you quote overall is true.  I have found that when large filter caps are getting old,  that switching them on and off very much affect their life span.  When they get old,  keeping them charged helps keep electrolyte from leaking and they maintain their spec very closely.  Once a cap degrades to a certain condition,  it is then that cycling them can damage them.  I hope this makes sense.  Tim

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