...the best. My system sounds the best after 12 hours of playing. I didn't realize this until I inadvertently left my system on overnight. I was surprised how much better it sounded compared having the system on for an hour or two. I have tube DAC and amps, which probably are the reason for long warm up. His really surprised me.
I have mostly Solid State and leave it on 24/7/365 as well. My Unison Research Unico SE hybrid tube integrated gets better with each hour it is on if I shut it down due to travel or inclement weather.
For me between 6 min and 1 hr. I have a tube integrated and it takes about 6 min for the tubes to get the bias up. After an hour they are fully warmed up. The difference between the 6 min mark and 1 hr is hardly noticeable.
My amps run Class A so leaving them on 24/7 is out of the question and a waste of electricity. 2 hours on and they are at their best. Still sound good after only 1/2 hr. Pass Labs XA series.
I turn my tube integrated and CDP/DAC on and set the kitchen timer for 25 minutes and that's when I begin listening. It sounds best after an hour. My CDP requires this warm up, not just the tube amp. I think leaving your gear on 24/7/365 is nuts but that's probably because I can't do it with my amp. I would never purchase used gear from someone if I found out it was on 24/7/365.
All the nine pin tubes in the amp and preamp are on 24/7 in heater mode. It takes one hour to get everything warmed up and to start sounding OK and three hours to become very smooth and at it's best. Even though I use the CDP very rarely I leave it on 24/7 for best results.
I think this varies too much to reach generalities. I generally leave all solid state stuff on 24/7. Given the cost of tubes and my uncertainty whether turning them on and off harms them more than being left on, I generally leave all but amps on 24/7. In Texas leaving big tube amps on is cost electric heating and cooling to undo it.
Interesting...such varying responses. I would not leave my amps and DAC on 24/7 because it sucks up a lot of electricity and shorten tube life. But it's a shame I have to wait so long to have my system sound so effortless, open, and natural. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it.
Tube equipment worms up substantially faster than solid state so it's not a reason of longetivity. The solid states may require upto hours of worm-up and playing. After 12 hours you simply get used to it vs. actual worm-up results.
24/7 is best sound,but personally I feel guilty using any more power that absolutely necessary for eco reasons. Not to mention that power companies are evil.
Dracule1, I don't believe a tube DAC is going to suck up a lot of electricity, and as Tbg pointed out, turning the tubes off and on may actually shorten tube life. Tube power amps are a totally different matter.
My preamp doesn't have a power button so it is on all the time (as it was intended to be) unless it is unplugged from the wall. Intially leaving a system on overnight brings out the best sonics.
In all seriousness...or maybe a little seriousness...my old Forte' 55 takes about a half hour to get the mojo. Leaving everything on all the time is simply a shameful waste about which anybody who does that should be ashamed...or at least not admit to it in public to avoid the "wasteful douchebag" moniker. Really...really? Many modern high end amp designers (Krell, D'Agostino, etc.) are taking this into account (and being forced to by new EU standards) and have some pretty hip energy saving stuff emerging, and nobody suggests leaving tube gear on.
One hour for sure, perhaps even longer. Seems to sound awesome after a few hours, but by that time my judgement has usually been impaired by a few beverages.
Ami, I get your point about my DAC. My DAC has a inrush current problem at turn on that has been destroying rectifier tubes, so it may be better just to leave it on.
I have Atma-Sphere M60s in a medium sized room. In the summer, I can not leave them on for more than 45 minutes before the room gets too hot. The AC will kick in and the AC noise pretty much destroys my listening enjoyment. The M60 consumes 600 watts total at idle and don't know how much my AC consumes. I would be wasting energy leaving them on all the time. But I can't forget the little glimps of heaven I had after 12 hours of leaving them on. It's winter now, so don't have to worry about the AC
After two hours of warm up. SS equipment.And time of actual playing...not sure, probably an hour or a little longer. I did try a few times to leave it on for couple of days and heard no difference.
Fiddler, I have a dedicated 2 channel audio room that has been extensively treated. The room is dead quiet...the noise floor is almost nonexistent...no traffic noise, no noise from household appliances, no electrical noise, etc. Listening at around average of 80 to 85 dB in a room like this is plenty loud. 90 dB would give me a headache. So when the AC kicks in, the sound can be very annoying.
mcintosh told me on my mc-402,one hour,only piece in soild state,running all tube gear with this system,can tell after 40 minute's sounds real nice,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I noticed a nice improvement after leaving my equipment on all night, so now thats what I do all the time. More of an improvement than just having the stuff on for an hour or 2. All SS equipment, I would not do this with tubes.
My equipment is fairly efficient at idle power draw, but my concern is for the lighted displays? Any reason to worry they'll fade over time if left on 24/7?
The lighted displays on everything else (coffee maker, stove, microwave) seem to go on forever so I can assume hifi stuff can also. That doesn't mean it will, but it's a comforting thought.
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