On Apr 1, 5:22*am, "Mark Zacharias"
wrote:
"jc" wrote in message
...
On Mar 31, 11:35 am, Nina wrote:
On Mar 29, 1:02 pm, rhino wrote:
Hey guys
Fresh fish here, first post. I know nowt about audio stuff, but do
appreciate nice equipment. I unpacked my seperates yesterday and put
them in the stand; got such a sense of satisfaction and it feels great
to have my music again. Sad I am sure but tuning in my tuner felt
great, such a lovely smooth and perfectly weighted action.
Enough dribble...I've got a Pioneer A-717 amp and was told yesterday by
a mate who came over to look at my setup that I should leave the amp
turned on all the time. Is this right; he reckons he knows his stuff
but as I certainly do not I cannot be sure.
What do you lot reckon?
Thanks in advance for any help
Karl
--
rhino
Hi Karl! Ya Know, this issue is a perrinial audiophile question that
has answers on both sides--and I have been on both sides. Now-as far
as tube equipment, absolutely do not leave on 24-7 unless you have an
innexaustble suply of replacement tubes and very good cooling
apperatum, e.g. fans. Now, the question of transistor amps: As
someone pointed out above, leaving on can contribute to the drying out
of certain silicones--but--leaving off for LONG PERIODS--can certainly
contribute to drying out also--and to 'cooling' of solders. In short--
transistor components can 'die' if left unused.
This is pure nonsense. *Solders do not "cool". *A "cold solder
joint" is a solder joint that was never soldered properly in the
first place. *A proper solder joint will significantly outlast
the owner of the equipment - whether it is turned on
or not.
Also, transistors do not "die" if left off. *This is a myth
that likely started because things left off for long periods
are typically neglected in other ways. *Turning off
solid state equipment will not shorten its life, but
kicking it into a corner might.
-jc
Finally there is the
issue of the turning on transit--which due to servo-muting devices one
usually does not hear as a "pop" on modern day equipment, but
nevertheless places a huge burden on the chassis. The turning on of a
transistor component is the most potentially damaging phaze of
operation (excluding thermal runnaway). So...what do I do? I act in
between the extremes in a reasonable compromise. I turn my equipment
off every night---but I only turn it on once a day (unless I step
out). My electronics stay on then all day to allow maximum stable
operation with a good overnight rest for good behaviour
. My Fishers
from the early sixties are getting pretty old but they perform
seamlesly with having had the usual maintenance and re-aligniments
over the years. They love demanding digital signal and they remain
perfectly functional! I do also recomend that cooling fans be
used...and good safe ones that will not themselves overheat. It goes
without saying that if your equipment is encased in cabinet space with
doors that the doors MUST BE LEFT OPEN when the equipment is on, and I
should say for a good while after turning off. I hope these ramblings
prove edifying to a fellow travellor and enjoy enjoy enjoy your
marvelous equipment!
Robin!!!YikesandawayHeard!!!!!
Solder connections definitely do suffer from thermal expansion / contraction
issues related to heating and cooling in normal operation. I deal with this
every day as a repair tech. It can and does happen at the solder joints of
any component which generates sufficient heat, such as transistors, voltage
regulators, power resistors, etc.
Yes, but that's thermal cycling. It has nothing to do with the amount
of time it's left off. The statement was that solder and components
"die" from being left off for long periods of time. Also, it only
happens to joints that had some hidden flaw to begin with, and
it's much less common now that there's more quality control in
manufacturing.
I have an old guitar amp from the 60's. A few years ago, it developed
a bad solder joint which was a real bitch to find, but when I did
find it, you could see it had never been properly soldered 40+ years
ago. I'm sure the modern knock off of the same amp (made in
China) can be power cycled 1000 times with no problem.
I still vote for turning off the equipment when not in use, unless one is
planning on using it again in a short while. For example, I don't recommend
turning off your TV, running to the store for 20 minutes, then coming back
home and turning it on again. In this scenario, just leave it on for a
while.
Agreed.
-jc
Mark Z.