solid state gear- leave on?


Is it good idea to leave solid state power amps on during the day if they don't make much heat?
samuellaudio
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Any amplifier that has a slow start circuit effectively removes the problem of large inrush current cycling.  That is why the slow start circuits were developed.

This eliminates the argument about turning the amp on and off and inrush current issues.

Most modern amps have not only a slow start circuit but standby circuits also.

But, as a person knowledgeable in electronics and electricity, I wouldn't recommend anyone to leave their equipment on all the time.  Heat is the long term problem with electronics.  I have seen many times electronics fry from being on.  I have never seen electronics have issues because of on/off cycling. 

For example, I have a Krell KBX electronic crossover, configured for my Martin Logan Monolith III speakers.  That crossover is built like a tank with a separate outboard power supply, but no on/off switch. Once plugged in, it is always on.  Good Idea right?  wrong!  I started smelling the tell tale smell of burning electronics and lo and behold, some components began smoking.  I reversed engineered the crossover and found the problem, repaired it and from that day on, I leave the crossover unplugged/turned off until I need it.

All my equipment is turned off until about an hour or so before I start listening.

Also, I unplug everything when I leave my home for a few days or more.

But, if some people claim that they hear a distinct difference in sound quality by leaving their equipment on all the time.  More power to them.  I have experimented with this with my stuff and I don't hear any difference if my equipment is turned on an hour before listening vs leaving them on all the time.

A glass of good wine, a good book, and good music and I am good to go after an hour of warm up.

enjoy

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I've left my SS Coda amps on 24/7 for years. The only time I turn them off is if I'm monkeying around with the system in some way or if I go out of town. In my experience, SS amps sound best when left on all the time. I sometimes put the Codas into Standby overnight, but even then, it takes about 30 minutes or so for them to come on full song out of Standby, so I like to leave them fully powered up generally.
I never leave my Belles SA-30 Class-A poweramp left on 24/7. Non-weekends I turn it on late afternoon or early evenings, and often leave it running till bedtime (sometimes late; I'm a night owl, for as long as it allows). Weekends it can run for even longer stretches, but never into the next morning. I guess the rationale behind the switching on/off instead of leaving it on 24/7 is a combination of trying to diminish the ultimate heat toll on the capacitors in particular, guessing that it weighs more than the possible effect of cycles (not even sure Mr. Belles in his minimalism has incorporated soft-start in this amp); but also the consideration of the power bill comes into play, so to speak. I have sometimes noticed a sonic boost having had the SA-30 powered up 4-5 hours, but usually find it settles after about an hour or so.  
I go with builders like Ralph Karsten.  Electrical current going through capacitors, semiconductors etc. wears them out.  I heard Nelson Pass and Jeff Roland say the same.  They are only good for so much time. There are sonic advantages to leaving your solid state equipment on if you listen every few days, because of warm up time on some low power circuits like solid state phonos and preamps that take little power and forever to come up to speed.  But let;s not kid ourselves into thinking they are not degrading.  Leaving power amps on anything more than standby or on for more than an hour before listening is wasteful and just another reason to make fun of audiophiles. IMHO.  We burn 12% of our gas sitting in parked cars talking on our phones.  I regularly spit at or on those people so............there.......
After reading some of these posts, I think I'm going to start putting my amps into Standby even more often. 
I leave my ss amp on in stand by 24/7 unless i go way for more than 24 hours then its unplugged from the wall. My preamp and disc player are on 24/ 7 with their screens turned off unless i am gone again for more than 24 hours.

I have always left SS amps on 24/7 and they have lasted 20 years or more!

I listen 3 or more hours each day, and do not want to listen to poor sound quality throughout the warmup phase.

YMMV
I was perhaps too harsh when I posted previously that leaving your amps on all of the time is simply wasteful…I do have my RELs in standby so that’s a watt or two down the drain, but since I actually feel that saving the weather systems on this planet is utterly a lost cause, and the perceived benefits of warmed up items is important to many, I say leave everything on. Seriously…it no longer matters…your car engine suffers most of wear during the warmup so hey….let it run…why not?..you can afford it…leave the refrigerator open while cooking to help cool the kitchen as the ambient light provided is adorable. Nobody wants poor sound quality, and if your children get their ankles wet visiting Venice, tell ’em to quit whining. 20 years of wasted electricity maybe could power a small third world village but so what? They likely hate us anyway. Turn it on, leave it on, it doesn’t matter.
Many years ago I worked at a professional recording studio where they left their (all solid state) equipment on 24/7.  When I asked the most senior engineer about that, he said it was because there were way too many things to power "on" in the morning and to him, the extra electricity didn't cost him enough to sweat it.

I do not leave my equipment "on" all the time, all digital/solid state.  Yes, I do hear it sound a little better as it's on for a while, but after 20-30 minutes, it seems to sound as good as it will get.  My equipment doesn't get hot at all, it's all barely warm to the touch (except for my DAC).