Based on my experience, my recipe for the best:
You don't need the amp on but you want a source playing music going thru the pre. I also believe in cycling the pre (during this time), ie, on all morning/off for a few hours/on late afternoon-evening/off all night til the next morning.
Two of my CJ preamps have teflon caps (ART 3 and ACT 2.2). I liked them out of the box, really liked them after a few hundred hrs, loved them around 6 months (have no idea the hrs at this point), and have been "in love" with them from a year on. They just seem to get better with time.
Enjoy the trip.
You don't need the amp on but you want a source playing music going thru the pre. I also believe in cycling the pre (during this time), ie, on all morning/off for a few hours/on late afternoon-evening/off all night til the next morning.
Two of my CJ preamps have teflon caps (ART 3 and ACT 2.2). I liked them out of the box, really liked them after a few hundred hrs, loved them around 6 months (have no idea the hrs at this point), and have been "in love" with them from a year on. They just seem to get better with time.
Enjoy the trip.