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Is it bad to turn your amp on/off frequently? (Read 635 times)

jakemidd

Verified Member

Posts: 5

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?

Main system
Yaqin MC13S
Cambridge Audio CNv2
Pro-Ject T1 (Ortofon 2M Blue)
Vincent Audio PHO-701 MM/MC Phonostage
Klipsch Heresy IV

Office System
Decware ZKIT1
HiFi Berry RPi streamer
Wharfdale Diamond 12.0

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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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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.

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.

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: 1642

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.

[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.
Back to top	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. IP Logged

CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 1642	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.
Back to top	[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 IP Logged

jakemidd Verified Member Posts: 5	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.
Back to top	Main system Yaqin MC13S Cambridge Audio CNv2 Pro-Ject T1 (Ortofon 2M Blue) Vincent Audio PHO-701 MM/MC Phonostage Klipsch Heresy IV Office System Decware ZKIT1 HiFi Berry RPi streamer Wharfdale Diamond 12.0 IP Logged

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