Register to hide this ad
Some preamps are meant to stay on 24/7, and I think it's safe to do so as long as you replace capacitors in the power supply and whatnot if it's an older unit. If you go away for long periods of time, it's a good idea to unplug it, but otherwise, it's probably OK to just let it be. My Superphon Revelation preamp had no power switch (just one marked MUTE/PLAY), and it had no problem being left plugged in all the time, and while the filter capacitors did eventually fail, nothing ever actually blew up inside it or anything like that.
-Adam
-Adam
Last edited:
AudioFeline
Super Member
What's the preamp? If it's valve, the tubes will have a much shorter life.
My (solid state) power amp didn't come with a power button, but with the exorbitant increases in electricity over here I had a power button installed. I now have to plan my listening in advance, as it takes about an hour to warm up so the audio's stable and musical.
My (solid state) power amp didn't come with a power button, but with the exorbitant increases in electricity over here I had a power button installed. I now have to plan my listening in advance, as it takes about an hour to warm up so the audio's stable and musical.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
I don't think 10 to `15 watts is going to break the bank, its like leaving a single LED 8 watt, 60 watt equivalent lamp on all night on the porch. As for tube pre-amps Ampex did studies back in the 60's and 12 AX& could easily go 100,000 hours if l;ect on continuously. It was the cycling on and off they really shorted their lives. Thats why Mcintosh and others use to install thermistors on their pre=amps and smaller amps to prevent the initial surge of electricity from shocking the tube shortening the life of the tube. More advanced SS designs most certainly have a longer life span.
Similar threads
