Do you leave your tube pre-amp (Basis or Bella) turned on?

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mdfoy

I have Odyssey Khartago mono amps and it is recommended to leave them on.  Is it wise to leave the tube pre-amp on as well? There is a noticable thump from the speakers at pre-amp turn on.  Also, the amp appears to cycle off/on when I turn on the pre-amp?  The amp clicks,  like when you are first tuning it on, when you turn on the pre when the amp is already on. 

Bill Baker

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Re: Do you leave your tube pre-amp (Basis or Bella) turned on?
« Reply #1 on: 3 May 2010, 06:55 pm »
You should always turn the preamp on before the amplifier. Especially with tubes. The Bella preamp is vey gentle on the tubes. In fact you can grab the tubes after the preamp has been on for hours and they will only be warm.

 I am not a fan of leaving products on 24/7 as it is not good for transformers. I know there is a lot of controversy on this but I have always followed the thought of not leaving them on all the time. The best approach is to turn the system on a while before listening to allow it to warm up.

 Here is a quote from a transformer manufacturer's web site:

If a power transformer is left on continuously it will continue to heat up and could fail. One of the other fables is, leaving an amplifier on continuously for better sound. This will only increase your electric bill, wear out your tubes faster and maybe burn your house down.

mdfoy

Re: Do you leave your tube pre-amp (Basis or Bella) turned on?
« Reply #2 on: 3 May 2010, 07:26 pm »
Bill,

Thanks, I was hoping that you would respond. I can save some money on the electric bill, .....and spend more on music.   :duh: