Do you leave your SS amp on all the time?


I never turn off my solid state amp. I read that power cycle a SS amp can incure "stress" on the components. Any protential problems for leaving it on all the time? If you leave your SS amp on, do you turn the volume down to zero?
yhlbb

Showing 3 responses by jmcgrogan2

I turn mine off. If I had a Class A/AB amp I may leave it on, however my amp (Threshold T400) is Class A. Too much money, too much heat. It seems to 'warm up' faster being a class A amp though.
Sean, maybe I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that leaving class A amps on all the time would significantly lower their lifespan. I've seen many used Threshold/Coda and other class A amps on the used marketplace where the heatsinks have discolored from black to like a bronze or purple. I don't know if this is from abuse or leaving powered up all the time. Since the IGBT's in my T400 are irreplaceable, I don't want to risk wearing them out. I also believe that it sounds better quicker than other SS A/AB amps that I've owned (Classe, Coda, Aragon). It sounds as good 1 hour after power up as it does after 8-10 hours, IMHO. The other amps (A/AB), I used to leave powered up, but they didn't run so damn hot and they also would take 2-4 hours for the sound to warm up.

Regards,
John
Sean, thanks for the post. You make some valid points. I may try leaving it on. Ventilation is not a problem. My system sits on Lovan Sovereign AVR rack, which is 43" wide. The Threshold shares the top shelf with my turntable. So there is about 4+ feet of clearance between it and the ceiling. I always wondered what could cause those amp heatsinks to discolor so much. I thought it was being left on all the time or being run beyond their capabilities. I hadn't thought of poor ventilation, although that very well could have caused it.

Regards,
John