[jMelvin]

Is there a definitive answer to this oft asked question for Odyssey amps/integrateds/preamps .. leave them on or power them down?

[firedog]

And if the answer is ON: heat also shortens the life of amps. So say we only turn the amp on and off once a day. How do we know this is worse for the amp than leaving it on and hot 24/7?

[ricardojoa]

I would have thought that Klauss or anyone who design an amp with an on/off switch, that should be used without worrying too much.
I would worry about the idle power consumption as turning 24/7 should have the most direct effect on my wallet.

[teetee]

I had Amp and preamp on for serveral years and no problem, of course you need to pay little more for the power usage.

[lazydays]

DO NOT turn your amps off!! It takes a good while to get the amps up to speed after the power's been off awhile. I've noticed maybe a three dollar difference in the electricity bill.
gary

[jMelvin]

It's my understanding most failures happen when turning a device ON so .. again, ON or OFF? Klaus, care to enlighten us?

[pavment]

Yes, on and off then on. It happened in my case. So I would leave them on if possible, this is the only complaint on my odyssey. Which unfortunately is catastrophic for any odyssey owners.

[OSIB16]

For a slight increase in sound quality I removed the ON/OFF Switch altogether. My Power Cord has been hardwired directly to the Torroidal Transformer in my STRATOS Monos. If I want the amp ON I simply plug it into the wall mains. If I want it OFF I pull the plug out.

Is there a definitive answer to this oft asked question for Odyssey amps/integrateds/preamps .. leave them on or power them down?

[Haoleb]

some folks leave them on all the time, some turn them on and off. I left mine on 24/7 for years straight and no problems. they are not really getting hot when they are just idling. the components you really need to worry about are the electrolytic capacitors, they are rated with an hour rating lifespan. Not sure what the rating is on the particular caps in the amps but in any case this rating goes down with heat increase from ambient temperature.

Another, and in my opinion more stressful example is when you turn something on and off all the time. This constant heating and cooling cycle, and therefore expansion and contraction...inevitably will lead to a failure of some sort. Most commonly a solder connection. You will also stress some components more with  turning on and off because once the filter capacitor bank is fully discharged it will draw an enormous amount of current upon first applying power again, and the filter banks in klaus' amps are quite expansive.

Best answer is just do what works for you, and don't let it keep you up at night 

[djbnh]

My vote = leave them on 24/7.

[mdfoy]

I leave my Khartago monos on, but all of the other equipment in the system has to stay on as well(amps off first, on last). It's nice that my transport has a standby, and that my tube preamp maker didn't have a problem with leaving the preamp on which is a blessing.  It is sooooo nice that good tubes are so cheap now

[Napalm]

My vote = leave them on 24/7.

If there's anything like 1000h@85C electrolytic capacitors inside there, expect a full recap job in 3 years or so.

[stereo5]

The manufacturer recommends leaving them on 24/7. With the extremely generous warranty it is a non issue.

[soundbitten1]

I have a Stratos that I leave on 24/7. Never had a problem.

[lazydays]

If there's anything like 1000h@85C electrolytic capacitors inside there, expect a full recap job in 3 years or so.

lets see now, I've had mine turned on steady for the last seven years now. With roughly 6000 hours in a 12 month cycle and for seven years were talking about 42,000 hours. With the SE+ monos it takes over  two days to charge the caps fully. They sound really bad for the first four to six hours after being turned off for a couple hours. Plus you can hear the difference all the way out to four days later
gary

[srb]

lets see now, I've had mine turned on steady for the last seven years now. With roughly 6000 hours in a 12 month cycle and for seven years were talking about 42,000 hours.

The correct math would probably even state your case better.  365 days X 24 hours = 8,760 hours X 7 years = 61,320 hours.  For each 10 degrees Centigrade below the rated temperature, the life of aluminum electrolytic capacitors is doubled.  I don't know what the rating of the Odyssey capacitors are, but they may very well be 105C rather than 85C.

On the other side of the coin, I had a power amplifier that I turned off and on daily for 20 years with no problems.

However, I really have to question a power supply circuit that takes 48 hours to fully charge the capacitors?  Maybe in that respect, this is a good argument for a capacitor bank of many smaller low ESR capacitors versus several large ones?

Steve

[Ed_Zachary]

At the risk of just spraying gasoline all over the place, I will state that my Cyclops sounded quite bombastic from the first moment it turned on. I never noticed any harshness, leanness, awfulness, or other annoying sonic artifacts. Also, my crops did not wither and die.

Two years on, it sounds just as bombastic, full-throated and scrumtrulescent as it did on day one.  And for the record, it's on as long as the power company keeps the A/C on (don't even ask).

The subject of component break in is possibly secondary in contentiousness only to the hidden magical super powers of expensive cables, be they interconnects or speaker wire.

I know that Klaus has stated that his products benefit from a prolonged burn in period, I know Frank V.A. doesn't seem to have any use for burn in periods other than to bring his tube models up to proper operating temperature. I know that Jim Winey, the inventor of Magneplanars stated that you knew something was "right" the moment you first cut it on.

So what's a poor lad to believe, eh? I own something from all of the above individuals and I will be .... darned if I am going to argue with any of them. All three have excelled in their field and I pretty much am going to respect any opinions they hold, even if said opinions appear at first glance to directly contradict one another.

Based on my own personal experience, I observed the following:

Magneplanars - Absolutely perfect the moment they fired up for the first time (pretty much in accordance with what Mr Winey said).

Odyessey - Once again, perfection right out of the box, no detectable change in sound at 24, 48, or 2400 listening hours (not in accordance with Klaus's position).

Audio by Van Alstine - Not at all good (verging on awful) when it came out of the box, so I left the room and let the amp run with a CD on repeat for 3 or 4 hours. When I came back, it was all better and has been a perfect beast ever since, although I do give it about 20 minutes to come up to temperature before I do any "serious" listening (not in accordance with Frank's estimation of how things should work, and I will note that whereas I leave my Odyssey running 24/7, the AVA is powered off except when in use).

So make of that what you will. The above experiences apply to myself exclusively, your mileage may (and almost certainly will) vary.

[lazydays]

first of all, I'm not turning my amps off to prove this point to any of you. I know it, and also know that if they have been down for several hours, there's little use in listening to them for awhile. (we've lost power here more than once). Break in wise I was skeptical as well, but you could heard differences all thru the four hundred or so hours. But on the otherhand, I never really noticed the change in sound with my glass ceiling amps like I did with the SE's. Yet a little, but nothing like the others were. Heat wise the amps at idol are maybe 110 degrees max (cats like to sleep ontop of them!) Playing them hard, they might get upto 120 degrees (I mean playing them real hard) in the summer or winter months.

I don't buy into breaking in speakers like others do. Maybe a little, but very little difference. I can't say much about Maggies as I've never listened to a brand new pair right out of the box.
gary

[jMelvin]

The manufacturer recommends leaving them on 24/7. With the extremely generous warranty it is a non issue.

I decided to check the manual ..

"Even after the initial break-in period, the internal components lose their charge each time the unit is
turned off. The full re-charging can take hours (and sometimes days!). Therefore, the best sonic
performance is achieved when the components are kept fully charged at all times. This essentially
means leaving your equipment on at all times--if you are comfortable with that arrangement. If not,
at least be aware that it will take some time for your unit to warm up and fully charge each time you
power up. These charged-based performance issues are applicable to most electronic equipment,
and are especially critical in high-end solid-state gear such as Odyssey amplifiers and
preamplifiers. "

[djbnh]

I don't buy into breaking in speakers like others do. Maybe a little, but very little difference. I can't say much about Maggies as I've never listened to a brand new pair right out of the box.
gary

YMMV, but my Zu Omen Defs definitely profited from over 200 hours with the Isotek System Enhance cd. My Odyssey mono Extremes just had too much gain for the Zus, fantastic amps.