[jaxwired]

Hello everyone,

I don't leave my amp on all the time.  I continue to "think" I hear a real difference in the sound quality after my 4b sst2 is warmed up.  I'd say it takes about 30 minutes before I feel like the sound is stabilized.  I'm definately open to the possibility it's all in my head. 

I'm curious for those of you that believe in this phenomenon, how do you think the sound changes after warm up?  Can you describe the cold versus the warm sound so I can see if this comports with my findings?  Thanks

[vegasdave]

To me, it's a little thin sounding right after turn-on. The sound gets more robust after leaving the amp on for at least 30 mins.

[rob80b]

Hello everyone,

I don't leave my amp on all the time.  I continue to "think" I hear a real difference in the sound quality after my 4b sst2 is warmed up.  I'd say it takes about 30 minutes before I feel like the sound is stabilized.  I'm definately open to the possibility it's all in my head. 

I'm curious for those of you that believe in this phenomenon, how do you think the sound changes after warm up?  Can you describe the cold versus the warm sound so I can see if this comports with my findings?  Thanks

Hi Tom,

The 4B may change slightly but it's a known fact Dynaudio speakers and probably most sound best after being played for a bit, Dynaudio even mention it in their manuals, I always play a few tracks through the 25's before sitting down to some serious listening.

Robert

[Mag]

Can't say that I notice any change. I usually fire everything up after I have my nap ( I need to unwind first after being all hyped up from driving). Then I surf the net, then I spin some tunes and watch silent TV.
I start with the volume around 85 db. After a few minutes my ears having adjusted, I crank 'er up to 92-95 db range and it sounds pretty darn good.

[vegasdave]

OH yeah.

[werd]

Hello

Getting your amp to warm up after initial turn on is recommended. Think of it in terms of making love to a beautiful woman.
At first she needs to be slowly worked into it. No big moves or fast action and definetely no over analyzing her emotions.

 After so many minutes it becomes obvious to her that its all going be for the good, at this point she'll open up and what comes next is always nothing short of heavenly bliss. Or in terms of audio, musical bliss.

so now we can see how letting your amp become its own in time is paramount.......

This post is ridiculous...... 

but true.... 

[doctorno]

Its solid state..never turn it off.

My Symphonic Lines are never turned off(stricly verboten)'
Try it..leave your sand amp on all the time, it really will sound better after a few days.  My tubes I save, especially my NOS  WE 300B's. Give tubes an hour and they are ready to rock!!  I know this is Earth day and all and we should be saving energy, but our politicians are stealing our money at breakneck speed, so pay the $3 more per month to keep the amps on..  Life is short..and SS amps are pretty cheap.
Try it it...you will like it!

K

[jaxwired]

I did try leaving it on and the problem is that the amp stays warm and pulls quite a few watts idle.  I feel guilty wasting the power and I worry about leaving this monster on all the time when I'm away from home.  I know it's probably completely safe, but it nagged at me.  Soooo, now I turn it off and back on when I want to listen.  When I had a 2B sst2, I did leave it on all the time as it stayed much cooler when idle...

[Napalm]

Hot water bottles will keep them warm at all times 

Nap. 

[1ZIP]

Hello

Getting your amp to warm up after initial turn on is recommended. Think of it in terms of making love to a beautiful woman.
At first she needs to be slowly worked into it. No big moves or fast action and definetely no over analyzing her emotions.

 After so many minutes it becomes obvious to her that its all going be for the good, at this point she'll open up and what comes next is always nothing short of heavenly bliss. Or in terms of audio, musical bliss.

so now we can see how letting your amp become its own in time is paramount.......

This post is ridiculous...... 

but true.... 

I'd suggest a cold shower!

[Stu Pitt]

My B60 sounds pretty good cold, but not 'just right.'  It usually takes about 45 minutes or so of constant playing until the magic happens.

When cold, its sounds thin and cold (no pun intended).  Its a bit compressed sounding, and the lows and highs are a bit ragged.

I can't possibly convey the extent of the sonics on a forum, but its not too much.  When its all warmed up and the music's flowing, everything fills out and it sounds perfect to my ears.

I leave mine off until its time to play.  Can't justify leaving it on all the time.

I've noticed digital gear takes far longer to warm up than amplification.  My DAC gets left on, but it hardly draws any electricity when idle.  That thing takes a good 3-4 days to sound right.  The highs are actually distorted when its cold, and the bass is muddy.  I turned it off while my B60 was being updated (about 3 weeks), and the DAC sounded awful for about 3 days.  It wasn't the B60 - everything else sound how it should, including my Rega Apollo.

[HsvHeelFan]

I've also noticed that my system sounds better after it's been run for 45 minutes or so.

Typically, I'll power up the Bryston and my Parasound pre-amp and leave them on for 45 minutes to an hour before serious listening.

When my system is up and running, I typically listen for 3 - 4 hours at a time.

HsvHeelFan

[vegasdave]

I leave everything on except the turntable.

[1ZIP]

The 4B SST2, 26, BCD1, B&W 805N combo takes about 45 minutes before it really opens up.  The harshness of the highs calms down and the bass is more extended.  After that it's 3-4 hours of pure joy!

The B-60 (preamp), 4B ST, Arcam 36 and Paradigm combo takes about the same time.  It gets more detailed.

My restored and much loved Marantz 2270 takes about 30 minutes before that fabled Marantz sound develops.

[srb]

I know this is Earth day and all and we should be saving energy, but our politicians are stealing our money at breakneck speed, so pay the $3 more per month to keep the amps on...

For those who do not leave their amplifiers on, I thought you might find it interesting to know what you are actually saving per month.  Some specs and prices:
 
Power consumption at idle
1 X Bryston 4BSST2 - 170W
2 X Bryston 7BSST2 - 430W
 
Cost of Electricity 2010
Average in U.S. - $.105 per kwh
New York - $.171 per kwh
California - $.157 per kwh
Kansas -    $.087 per kwh
 
If you calculate 8 hours listening time / 16 hours idle time per day, the cost of the idle time would be:
 
1 X 4BSST2 - $13.95/month in NY, $12.81/month in CA, $ 7.10/month in KN
2 X 7BSST2 - $35.30/month in NY, $32.40/month in CA, $17.96/month in KN
 
Steve

[1oldguy]

All very interesting.Given the nature of the 7B's and higher with the huge transformers this would seem to make sense.Everyone here is on the same page as to warm up.There must be a logic to this.Makes me want to fire it all up and give it a whirl.But I need a pre amp before that can happen.

[95Dyna]

My 7BSST2's take about 30 min. or so depending on the material playing.  At first the soundstage is compressed, bass is not tight and clean and highs are a bit brittle.  After the warmup its like tulip opening up after being hit by the sunlight.  Imaging becomes pinpoint, soundstage expands and the highs become sweet and the bass becomes Bryston (we all know what that means).  I do not and will not leave the amps on 24/7 thinking it to be a complete waste of energy for absolutely no benefit.  I'll take the $35.00 I'll save each month (thanks for the analysis, Steve) and buy a new SACD or LP.

[srb]

I do not and will not leave the amps on 24/7 thinking it to be a complete waste of energy for absolutely no benefit.  I'll take the $35.00 I'll save each month (thanks for the analysis, Steve) and buy a new SACD or LP.

My calculations could be off a little, as I found some different sources for electrical costs, and different electrical companies in different locales may vary.  If you really want to know exactly what it is costing (or saving) you, you can look at your electrical bill for your actual cost per kwh.
 
(W at idle  X  # hours  X  30 days)/1000 = kwh per month
 
I do believe that solid state electrical circuits take time to reach thermal stability, but I would think that would be measured in seconds, not minutes.  On the other hand, some "audiophile" vendors say that some solid state components take longer to stabilize than tube components!
 
Go figure.  Most of us will go by what we hear or think we hear, and that's good enough.  For those with big guns, you may be pleased to know that the 28BSST2 consumes the same power at idle as the 7BSST2, 215W!

[jaxwired]

Steve, great post.  I was in fact wondering if it was dollars or pennies I was saving by turing it off.  I'll definately stick with turning it off.  I'll just have to live with the first 30 minutes.  Plus, I can usually fire it up before I'm ready to sit down anyway...

[95Dyna]

Expanding our thought precesses on this matter by thinking beyond our individual calculations, how much energy is going up and out the stack when every amp in the world 250 wpc and greater is turned on 24/7.  Steve, can you get me a number quickly .