2. amps-preamps
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Tube amp on/off: best practice?

My main system, with a tube integrated, is in my studio where I work 10-12 hours a day, interrupted by the occasional offsite meeting or errand.

What's the best practice/rule of thumb for powering it up and down as I duck in and out of the studio? Just leave it on all day?
How long do I need to be away for it to be better to power it down?

Right now I'm firing it up and cooling it down about 3x a day, running it a total of 6-8 hours a day.
soundgasm

Showing 1 response by afc

afc
141 posts
 
Turn tube amps of when not using them in general. If you're going to space listening sessions by 30 minutes or so, best to leave the amp on. Tubes have a finite life. In a perfect world, you'd leave them on all the time...but it's not a perfect world.

Sequence- in "Get Better Sound," Jim Smith is pretty emphatic about "amplifer ON last, OFF first." Something about getting any junk out of the system by turning tube components other than amps on first and off last.....
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