Leave an amp "on" permanetly


I understand that tube amps need to warm up sufficently before they can reach their potential. Is this also true with SS amps? I own a McCormack DNA-1 deluxe, and I hear a discernable difference when listening to my system "cold" versus "warmed-up". Do you also find this to be true?

If so, would people recommend leaving a SS amp on permanently? Could I damage my amp by doing this?
drewyou

Showing 1 response by soix

I've got a DNA 0.5 Rev A, and my system sounds horrible when cold (I literally walk over to my speakers to check if the tweeters are working -- it's that bad). After a few hours of actively playing music it starts to open up and sing, but it probably takes a bit longer than that to really hit its stride.

I leave my system on 24/7 because I don't always get to plan when I get to do some serious listening (2 kids have brought that to a crashing end), so my system needs to "wake up" immediately when I need it. I do a lot of other things to help the environment, so I don't feel too bad about indulging in this one area. I run all relatively cool-running solid state so it could be a lot worse.

Also, a while back I read a post here that mentioned that light bulbs frequently blow out when they're turned on because that's when they experience the greatest surge/stress. I'm no electrical engineer, but this makes sense to me and I cringe every time I have to turn my amp (and other components) on and off. I've left all my equipment on for many years with no major problems, so in my experience leaving components on 24/7 has at least done no harm.

So my advice is to recycle your trash, buy a fuel efficient car, and leave your stereo on and enjoy it to the fullest with a clean conscience.