Leaving power on 24-7 for home reciever pros and cons?

[Dave M Calgary]

Im not to new to the home audio world, I started building my setup 6 years ago, I wont write out a huge list of what I run, however my Pioneer Elite Receiver just died after 3 years of use. I recently Upgraded to an Onkyo receiver. My question being is there a benefit to leaving the receiver turned on all the time, a co-worker of mine who is also a big time audio buff told me he never turns his receiver off and leaves it turned on all the time. Is it beneficial to leave the Unit turned on and never turn it off unless absolutely needed? are there any negatives to this? please advise

 

[Swerd]

My question being is there a benefit to leaving the receiver turned on all the time, a co-worker of mine who is also a big time audio buff told me he never turns his receiver off and leaves it turned on all the time. Is it beneficial to leave the Unit turned on and never turn it off unless absolutely needed?

This is absolutely not needed. It is yet another myth left over from the days when audio was run with vacuum tube gear. Because tubes took a minute or so to warm up, compulsive audiophiles decided they would leave them on all the time.

With solid state electronics, there is no reason to leave it on when not in use.

 

[Irvrobinson]

With receivers, which typically have poor cooling, I think there's a significant chance that the heat generated by idling all the time will shorten the service life of various components, like capacitors.

 

[Swerd]

With receivers, which typically have poor cooling, I think there's a significant chance that the heat generated by idling all the time will shorten the service life of various components, like capacitors.

What he said.

By the way Dave, welcome to Audioholics .

 

[Good4it]

Wasted power.

 

[lovinthehd]

Well, most modern receivers are in some sort of standby mode just being plugged in. There are different levels of standby that can increase power consumption as well, such as hdmi control or network control standby modes. Leaving it on otherwise when not in use wouldn't be necessary.

 

[M Code]

Well, most modern receivers are in some sort of standby mode just being plugged in. There are different levels of standby that can increase power consumption as well, such as hdmi control or network control standby modes. Leaving it on otherwise when not in use wouldn't be necessary.

In the later Denon AVRs they include an Econ-Mode which uses a smart processor to adjust the power supply voltage/current depending upon volume output level. Note this is now a mandatory requirement for certain CE products such as AVRs sold in Western Europe, and will eventually work its way into CE products for the North America market as well. Additionally if the AVR is ON and goes 4 hours without any processing, the AVR shuts down..

Just my $0.02...

 

[vmax84]

I run small (very quiet) variable speed cooling fans on my amps, to help pull the heat up and out of the enclosure.

I generally only run my equipment on the weekends and to watch a movie. Other than that it doesn't get turned on, BUT, once I do turn the equipment on I will usually leave it on for the evening. But I wld say 24/7 is a waste of power.

 

[DD66000]

I don't use an AVR anymore, but all my gear is in standby mode, when not being used. With the two Parasound power amps being triggered by the Parasound P7 pre-amp....Oppo 105D being the pro in the pre/pro combo.
Absolutely no reason to keep amps, pre, AVR's left on.
Even where I live, with cheap electricity.

 

[Speedskater]

While there are some units (my TV Set Top Box is one of them) that use almost as much power in stand-by as when turned on, there are now more government rules about reducing stand-by power.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

Perhaps some are worried the sudden 'jolt' of current when turning a unit on will damage the circuits inside. I'm sure most good manufacturers have compensated for that by including some sort of electrical 'baffle' to lessen or eliminate the possibility of damage. And if one has invested a lot in their AV system they'd have it plugged into some kind of power management unit (UPS, Furman, Panamax, etc) to filter out power spikes and line noise.

 

[jimmeq57]

The consensus seems to be to leave the gear powered off when not in use. A rule-of-thumb I once read is to leave the gear in the state it is in most often. So, my gear is off about 18 hours a day. I do tend to leave the units on all weekend because they are in use except when I'm sleeping. I have a UMC-200 for my Pre-Pro and use the power amp section of a Sony STR-DA777ES. Since both are solid state and are long past breaking-in I feel comfortable they "warm-up" in a few minutes.

 

[slipperybidness]

Perhaps some are worried the sudden 'jolt' of current when turning a unit on will damage the circuits inside. I'm sure most good manufacturers have compensated for that by including some sort of electrical 'baffle' to lessen or eliminate the possibility of damage. And if one has invested a lot in their AV system they'd have it plugged into some kind of power management unit (UPS, Furman, Panamax, etc) to filter out power spikes and line noise.

Yeah, that sudden jolt of current is simply capacitors getting the initial charge up cycle. Not really a concern unless you get an audible "thump". And like you mentioned, any good device should be able to work around that.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I have a UMC-200 for my Pre-Pro and use the power amp section of a Sony STR-DA777ES. Since both are solid state and are long past breaking-in I feel comfortable they "warm-up" in a few minutes.

There is no such thing as "breaking-in" for electronics. The audiophile magazines that say this are full of baloney. Even warm-up is irrelevant *in practice* for solid-state electronics (though distortion may decrease measurably as thermal stasis is achieved), but if a few minutes makes you feel better, whatever. I just start listening.

 

[j_garcia]

These devices are DESIGNED for that sort of use.

I have a UMC-200 and there is NO reason to "warm it up". There's no carburetor

 

[mtrycrafts]

... There's no carburetor

Even today's cars don't need that. A Prius starts on batteries and after about 15sec-20sec the engine starts. Many such cars with 100,000s of miles on them

 

[walter duque]

I had a Belles power amp which was on for at least 15 years and never a problem.

 

[Audiosaur]

I want to resurrect this thread for my situation. I use a Harmony elite or Heos to control my gear in a closed closet. A Denon 4300 is the heart, running 5.2.4. I recently added a used Crown X2000 for my mains. The Crown doesn't have a 12v trigger so at first I was opening the closet to turn it on each time I'd use the system. It's inconvenient, though, so I've just taken to leaving the amp on continuously but putting the AVR in standby as per usual. Other than power usage, any safety or reliability issues?

 

[TLS Guy]

I want to resurrect this thread for my situation. I use a Harmony elite or Heos to control my gear in a closed closet. A Denon 4300 is the heart, running 5.2.4. I recently added a used Crown X2000 for my mains. The Crown doesn't have a 12v trigger so at first I was opening the closet to turn it on each time I'd use the system. It's inconvenient, though, so I've just taken to leaving the amp on continuously but putting the AVR in standby as per usual. Other than power usage, any safety or reliability issues?

I would not leave it on. See if you can buy a discontinued Niles unit that will make a trigger. Failing that get a 12 volt relay with enough current capability to power your Crown. You can build your won trigger for the Crown.

 

[lovinthehd]

I want to resurrect this thread for my situation. I use a Harmony elite or Heos to control my gear in a closed closet. A Denon 4300 is the heart, running 5.2.4. I recently added a used Crown X2000 for my mains. The Crown doesn't have a 12v trigger so at first I was opening the closet to turn it on each time I'd use the system. It's inconvenient, though, so I've just taken to leaving the amp on continuously but putting the AVR in standby as per usual. Other than power usage, any safety or reliability issues?

You could use a smart power strip....