Extended power on for Pass Labs XA.5 amplifiers


Has anybody experienced significant improvement in sound as your amplifier is left on for days? I was surprised to find how much can be extracted from Pass Labs XA 60.5 if they are left on for a long time. Unlike manufacturer recommendation, the first phase of stabilization in my case requires 4-5 hours at full power. The second phase is 4 days at full power.

I finally was able to leave them fully powered for 4 days, and today is the last and 5th day. That last ounce of realism at the mid range frequencies becomes available. But what's most pleasant to hear is that deep bass. Before this time, I could not increase the volume on the powered sub-woofer for each speaker very much without clouding the mid range and upper frequencies. Yet whatever it is that the extended power on has done to the XA 60.5, that extra bass just naturally fits into the rest of the sound. Concurrently that finer texture on the remainder of the music is certainly no triviality.
spatine
Beside the energy issue, it's not safe to leave expensive equipment on for extended period of time. That sudden surge after the power outage can destroy them.
Are the advantages of extended powering up exclusive to solid state, or are tube amps equally served by leaving them on for long periods (tube wear issues aside)??
I have had many of the Pass amps and I would suggest your crossovers and speaker wiring are warming up and that is what you are experiencing. It takes a long time to warm up a dead cold crossover. I noticed this one spring when it got warmer.(Better sound earlier) I find it hard to believe any component has any chill left inside those incinerators after one or two hours.
Weebeesdad, equipment can be zapped just by being plugged in.
Off? no real help. Any surge worth its name can easily bridge a switch and get you. Now, UPLUGGED, thats a different matter, but get the ICs, too.

My ICE gear seems to warm up and sound right within an hour. The largest changes occur within about 20" of power on. I can easily hear this, even using XM as a 'warm up' source before any serious listening. Than, it take the CD spinner, a CA840, another couple disks before IT settles down.