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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
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Message started by jakemidd on 02/19/22 at 22:59:32

Title: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by jakemidd on 02/19/22 at 22:59:32

Apologies if this has been addressed before (I searched but didn't find anything).

I Built a ZKIT1 and have another tube amp (Yaquin) in my set up and I find that I resist turning the amp on unless I plan on listening for long stretches. Without any real evidence, for some reason I feel like turning it on/off several times a day does damage to the amp and/or tubes.

The best analogy I have is that it's like car that does city driving (lots of start/stop - short trips) vs. a car that is mostly highway. The highway car tends to perform better and require less maintenance over the same milage.

Am I crazy?

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by Tommy Freefall on 02/19/22 at 23:48:28

IIRC, it doesn't hurt the amp, but it does shorten tube life.

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by Archie on 02/19/22 at 23:58:05

I think Tommy is correct but you'll have to factor in the cost of the electricity. If I left all my tubed equipment on 24/7 my electric bill might exceed tube cost. I've never seen anything like actual tube-life loss measurements so I don't know if tube life goes down 1% or 99%. My suspicion is that it's not enough to justify the electricity cost though -- unless you buy some pretty exotic tubes, which I don't.

I typically turn my equipment on/off once per day.

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by flargosa on 02/20/22 at 00:47:14

I turn my amp on when I want to listen. It stays on until the end of the day. On weekends the amp is usually on morning to evening. On weekdays 6pm to 10pm. I don’t buy expensive tubes so I don’t worry about tube life or electricity. My last tubes was still running well a year and a half after it was installed before it was replaced.

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by CAJames on 02/20/22 at 01:06:05

Quote:

IIRC, it doesn't hurt the amp, but it does shorten tube life.

Lots of people say that, and I don't think they are crazy. But what I know for sure is every minute the amp is on you're burning up the chemicals on the cathode and that shortens tube life for sure. What shortens tube life more I don't know. But if I'm not going to listen for an hour or more I turn off my system.

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by Archie on 02/20/22 at 01:54:20

Capacitors have a lifespan don't they? They are certainly hard to replace. And Steve is really packing a lot of them in his amps these days.

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by CAJames on 02/20/22 at 02:05:26

Capacitor lifespan is based (mostly) on calendar time, not listening time.

Title: Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Post by jakemidd on 02/20/22 at 15:04:40

Appreciate the sanity check and the quick responses - this s great forum! Good to know that it doesn't directly hurt the amp - and sounds more like a need to balance electricity and tube costs if I choose too leave it on for long stretches.