[srb]

How do you demag a system?

Crystals?

[Phil A]

Thanks for the info. I have just started to investigate solar. I plan on it being my only source of energy besides a generator, as I am looking at properties off the grid. The biggest load will be a well pump, but depending on the depth of the well which can be substantial in the high desert, it will draw a lot of current.  Greg

Yes - it still needs juice from the power company (and of course a bi-directional meter so they can measure how much you produce for a credit) so I have a generator panel (essential circuits) on the house (with 300 amp service - 50 of that is for 3 circuits for the main system).  I moved in not that long ago and have a concrete pad outside where the plug is that hooks to the generator panel for a portable generator).  So I'll be looking at that in a few months.

[runs10k]

I leave everything on , except the BC-1, as when I did the display burnt out. It was covered and Bryston fixed it. In the summer I unplug every thing and use DUST OFF which is compressed gas.  I don't take the top cover off like you would with a computer. I telephoned Bryston and they gave the OK.
          Another reason to be loyal to Bryston
  .

[Elizabeth]

I leave everything on , except the BC-1, as when I did the display burnt out.   .

It would be nice if the display could be turned off. Many Cd/media players allow the display to be turned off whenthe disc is beingread, but NOT if the media is stationary or not present.
Bryston should have an option to have the display off at all times. Only briefly popping 'on' for say five seconds if a button is pushed remote or on face. Would be way better.
Then the item could be left powered on and NOT wear out the display.

[Rocket]

Hi,

I leave my hifi equipment off all the time.  It generally only takes a few minutes to warm up and I'm happy with the sound from my system.  I'd be too worried if I was away from home if the equipment failed and caused problems at my home.

Cheers Rod

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
For me all the tubes devices are on only when needed,
I trust their reliability,
when I am beside them.
As for the solid state devices,
I don't see why I should leave them on all the time,
I don't see any advantages to that.
The warm up time is very fast.
But, that's me, as for the other persons,
they do what they want
and I will not comments on what they do
or what they don't do.

Guy 13
 

[rollo]

How do you demag a system?

   Either a Gryphon Exorcist, Ayre/Cardas Cd, Esoteric demag disc. Very affective.  Crystals ? Magic crystals of course. 


charles

[GT Audio Works]

   Either a Gryphon Exorcist, Ayre/Cardas Cd, Esoteric demag disc. Very affective.  Crystals ? Magic crystals of course. 


charles

Yeah, what's the deal with that Ayre CD..it sure seems to give the system greater focus...the difference after using it is not subtle.
Definitely some voodoo going on there.

[rollo]

  Si senor. The Esoteric CD is the best yet IMO. I'll make you a copy. No Voodoo here.


charles

[Blackmore]

Only thing that's left on is the digital section of my Neko DAC.  With so many tubes.......if there was a failure while I was gone.........and it would make the front room too hot.......

On the bright side, my Ameren daily usage was only $3.48 this year.  Up a percentage point over last year, but we had a miserable December which killed off my good work for the rest of the year. 

[redbook]

It would be nice if the display could be turned off. Many Cd/media players allow the display to be turned off whenthe disc is beingread, but NOT if the media is stationary or not present.
Bryston should have an option to have the display off at all times. Only briefly popping 'on' for say five seconds if a button is pushed remote or on face. Would be way better.
Then the item could be left powered on and NOT wear out the display.

   What year is your BCD1? Mine has the turn off  feature but it is a 2011 model

[runs10k]

no worries about leaving the Brystons on because EVERYTHING is plugged into a torus RM20

however, when i leave my apartment I do unplug the toaster , coffee grinder and my Russell Hobbs kettle

now if I could afford another RM 20......   well the fridge ... and rice cooker i guess>>>>+++ the 3 items above

again gotta love the BBBBBB'sssss

[runs10k]

as far as an option,
                              for Bryston to have made the display able to turn off.... well it is D I G I T A L    and the BCD-1  was an incredible machine .... able to best many '''''HIGH + MIGHTY" machines that are the dreams of LOTTO winners or people that sacrifice things such as not  going to live concerts .. or.... its endless..

Like James said many times '' we ain't building tubes..period.....    and why should Bryston be ?? responsible for a display?
'' so just how far back can this Canadian manufacturer go?  cos do ANY other manufactures of audio equipment have a 20 year warranty.'
Maybe you should try SIM audio ...
                                                     I don't know , your call and your $$$$$

[Phoenix]

Leaving it on all the time simply doesn't make sense (IMO it's an urban myth originating from times where transistors replaced tubes).
Maybe there is a slight difference within the first half of an hour - anything worse would be really bad designed electronics.

The best electronic devices (e.g. measurement devices from Rohde & Schwarz) have recommended warm-up times of 30 min. These are really, really precise and sophisticated devices. Not to compare with something trivial (sorry James) like an amp or preamp.

I'm confident that no one in this forum could hear any difference in a double blind test (24/7 on or 1 hour on). Of course that can't be proven or disproven because no one has two identical setups at hand.

Anyway, I think Bryston is good designed electronics that operates perfectly stable after a short warm up time (James, please correct me if I'm wrong  ).
Besides, leaving your gear on 24/7 is going to accelerate aging of components (rule of thumb: aging speed is doubled with every 10 degrees).
THIS will have an verifiable impact on original specifications.

So, turn your gear off and do something else with your money (e. g. buy a bigger Bryston amp ).

[srb]

Besides, leaving your gear on 24/7 is going to accelerate aging of components (rule of thumb: aging speed is doubled with every 10 degrees).

I tend to agree that relatively shorter warmup times are needed for solid state, and no reason to senselessly waste electricity.

Just to clarify though, (a) leaving components on will not necessarily cause them to run hotter; they will find their own mean operating temperature relative to ambient temperature and (b) the "half the hours of specified life for each ten degree temperature increase" rule applies to electrolytic capacitors (and that temperature change is 10 degrees Centigrade or ~ 18 degrees Fahrenheit).

Steve

[GT Audio Works]

Phoenix ,
 I definitely disagree...I can most decidedly hear the difference between cold and warmed up electronics.
What I hear when I first turn everything on, I would describe as a loss of transparency or thickness of the air in the soundstage,
a blurring of the edges of the sonic landscape. After an hour or two it gets better, but does not develop fully to a clear concise sonic picture
with full separation of instruments within the sonic landscape till a good 5 or 6 hours.
I have also heard changes in other systems as they warm up , most notably,  a tubed pre amp that was quite unimpressive in the first 30 minutes to wonderful after an hour or so.
Unfortunately there is no quantifiable way to measure this, as Julian Hirsch would have liked you to believe. The electronic measuring device is a tool and no doubt has contributed to the advancement of Hi Fi over the years. But in the end its our ear/brain interface that is the ultimate tool in the arsenal of an audiophile.
                                                                             Greg

[Phoenix]

Hi GT,

Your're right with the tube amplifier. Everything needs a warm up phase and will most likely sound better after 1 hour.
But we're talking about 24/7 here and that makes no sense.

I further believe that you can hear a difference in your setup - when in fact there is none.
The human ear (or brain) is not able to tell subtle differences in sound without direct comparison. Everyone who did a blind testing can confirm this - especially if there are only subtle differences between components.

Another important thing is imagination capability of the brain. Change a speaker cable from a thin and cheap to a thick and good looking cable: Everyone is going to hear an improvement despite the fact that you didn't change cables at all (because music runs over a third, hidden cable). That's why it is so important to do a (double) blind test.

[GT Audio Works]

Phoenix,
 We all have our own beliefs and opinions...its what makes this hobby so interesting.
I will not change the opinions I have come to thru observations any more than you will change yours.

I actually only leave the gear on continuously when I am doing critical listening related to R&D, or in advance of a scheduled demo.
Otherwise I warm it up only an hour or so.

In the future, if you decide to debate other audiophile practices. May I suggest not questioning the validity of  changes wrought by fervent audiophiles placing little pieces of wood or metal in and around the listening room or under their equipment..you might have a real fight on your hands !! 
                                                                                                               Greg

[*Scotty*]

I too have noticed an obvious difference when certain transistor based electronic circuits are left on 24/7 vs. being turned off every night.
Not all transistor based electronics exhibit this phenomena. It appears to be a function of the audio circuits transparency and the power supply's capacitor design. When the circuit isn't very transparent and the power supply capacitors have a high impedance at high frequencies the effect may be completely unnoticeable.
 Conversely when the circuit is very transparent and the power supply has Jensen
4 pole electrolytic capacitors for filtration/storage, one can hear that the capacitor has partially unformed or that its high frequency impedance characteristics have changed for the worse compared to one that has been on 24/7. The Jensen 4pole capacitors seem to show greatest audible difference between having voltage continuously applied 24/7 and being turned off over-night.
 One would ask why use expensive Jensen 4-pole electrolytic capacitors when they don't sound good when they are power cycled. The answer is simple, the circuits that they are used with sound substantially better than any other alternative capacitor.
With the variations in circuit design and the differing components found in consumer audio as well the differences in perception found among audiophiles, its no great surprise that there is some debate about whether this is an urban myth or an empirically determined phenomenon that must be dealt with when it is encountered.
Scotty

[GT Audio Works]

I too have noticed an obvious difference when certain transistor based electronic circuits are left on 24/7 vs. being turned off every night.
Not all transistor based electronics exhibit this phenomena. It appears to be a function of the audio circuits transparency and the power supply's capacitor design. When the circuit isn't very transparent and the power supply capacitors have a high impedance at high frequencies the effect may be completely unnoticeable.
 Conversely when the circuit is very transparent and the power supply has Jensen
4 pole electrolytic capacitors for filtration/storage, one can hear that the capacitor has partially unformed or that its high frequency impedance characteristics have changed for the worse compared to one that has been on 24/7. The Jensen 4pole capacitors seem to show greatest audible difference between having voltage continuously applied 24/7 and being turned off over-night.
 One would ask why use expensive Jensen 4-pole electrolytic capacitors when they don't sound good when they are power cycled. The answer is simple, the circuits that they used with sound substantially better than any other alternative capacitor.
With the variations in circuit design and the differing components found consumer audio as well the differences in perception found among audiophiles, its no great surprise that there is some debate about whether this is an urban myth or an empirically determined phenomenon that must be dealt with when it is encountered.
Scotty

Good point...I may be wrong but I have heard of manufacturers applying standby voltage to their electronics for just this purpose of keeping the capacitors formed. I cant think of anyone off hand but I thought I read it somewhere.  Greg