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Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently? (Read 659 times)
jakemidd
Verified Member
Posts: 7
Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
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?
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Main system
Decware ZKIT1
**(Decware SE34I.6 on order)**
Cambridge Audio CNv2
Pro-Ject T1 (Ortofon 2M Blue)
Vincent Audio PHO-701 MM/MC Phonostage
**(Decware ZP3 on order)**
Klipsch Heresy IV
Office System
Pyle Amp
HiFi Berry RPi streamer
Wharfdale D
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Tommy Freefall
Seasoned Member
Posts: 400
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #1 -
02/19/22 at 23:48:28
IIRC, it doesn't hurt the amp, but it does shorten tube life.
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Torii MkIV w/ 25th ann mods
Rachael SE34I.5
Benchmark AHB2
ERRx
ZStage, ZRock2
Tascam CD-240
Border Patrol DAC
Benchmark DAC3 HGC
Bluesound Node
Zu Audio Mission speaker cables
Decware I/Cs
PI Audio MiniBUSS
Zenhead, Grado 325e
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Archie
Seasoned Member
Posts: 2731
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #2 -
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.
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ZLC
Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart
ZMC1
ZP3 (25th A Mods)
ZR2 (25th A Mods)
CSP3 (25th A mods)
ZMA (25th A mods)
Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s)
Silver Cabling
DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT.
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flargosa
Senior Member
Posts: 83
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #3 -
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.
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Sources: 2Qute, Hugo 2, Rega P5, Marantz SACD 8005.
Amps: Decware SE84UFO2, Torii, Nelson Pass Aleph, Elekit 8600s
Speakers: Tekton, Golden Ear Triton Two, HD800S.
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CAJames
Seasoned Member
"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."
Posts: 1688
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #4 -
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.
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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650
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Archie
Seasoned Member
Posts: 2731
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #5 -
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.
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ZLC
Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart
ZMC1
ZP3 (25th A Mods)
ZR2 (25th A Mods)
CSP3 (25th A mods)
ZMA (25th A mods)
Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s)
Silver Cabling
DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT.
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CAJames
Seasoned Member
"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."
Posts: 1688
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #6 -
02/20/22 at 02:05:26
Capacitor lifespan is based (mostly) on calendar time, not listening time.
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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650
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jakemidd
Verified Member
Posts: 7
Re: Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently?
Reply #7 -
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.
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Main system
Decware ZKIT1
**(Decware SE34I.6 on order)**
Cambridge Audio CNv2
Pro-Ject T1 (Ortofon 2M Blue)
Vincent Audio PHO-701 MM/MC Phonostage
**(Decware ZP3 on order)**
Klipsch Heresy IV
Office System
Pyle Amp
HiFi Berry RPi streamer
Wharfdale D
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