Do solid state amps produce audible differences as they warm up?

3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I see two fundamental flaws with SS amp warmup and the audible differences people claim they hear. 1) The warmer the transistor becomes, the more thermal or Johnson noise is generated at the junctions of the transistor. It may or may not be audible but the point is that noise generation is increased at the junctions. 2) The warm up time claimed by people is many magnitudes greater than the time required to accurately recall the sound they were hearing when the amp was first powered on.
 
J

Jeepers

Full Audioholic
I remember that Gene mentioned in a review months/years ago that he performs the measurements after a certain warm-up time. I would therefore assume the warm-up time has an impact.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
And this is part of the reasoning behind recommending adequate clearance for AVRs, etc- values drift with temperature and noise can be a result. How much noise depends on the equipment in question.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I remember that Gene mentioned in a review months/years ago that he performs the measurements after a certain warm-up time. I would therefore assume the warm-up time has an impact.
Not audible because warm time exceeds the time by a huge factor for humans to accurately recall what the amp sounded like when cold.
 
J

Jeepers

Full Audioholic
Not audible because warm time exceeds the time by a huge factor for humans to accurately recall what the amp sounded like when cold.
I am sure some people will hear the difference.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
I would say that the differences might not be audible but that would depend on the devices in question. There's a thing called 'quiescent state analysis' that needs to be done if the performance of a circuit must remain stable when environmental changes will occur and temperature is one of the main changes that could affect the circuit. If the designers do this analysis, the equipment should be stable within a narrow range of parameters.

 
J

Jeepers

Full Audioholic
If its not conducted under blind listening tests, then it didnt happen. Subjective claims are unreproduceable opinions.
And if it is conducted under blind listening tests ?

Furthermore in your first post.... 'It may or may not be audible'
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Not audible because warm time exceeds the time by a huge factor for humans to accurately recall what the amp sounded like when cold.
Even if it were audible or measureable, I would suspect that the difference would be within sample to sample variation (i.e. completely negligible)
 

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