Switched to Class D or get left behind?

RepublicOfTexas69 said:
In standby mode for clarification.
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Yep, I always leave mine at least in standby. I had a Pass Labs amp I left full on all the time. It was like a tube amp that it didn't sound it's best until about 40 minutes of operation so I got to just leaving it on. Unless I was going to be away for more than a day.
 
I have used class A solid state in the past, and could easily tell the difference in sound after the hour warm up. I was living in Houston, so they got turned off when not in use.

I cannot tell a difference, over an hour, with my class D amps.

I’m going to leave the burn in topic alone.
 
Yea, the Class A amps I have had definitely improved after some time. I think the tubes did also. I did not really notice a difference with the Class Ds after any kind of warm up. My McIntosh I notice very little difference after some warmup time. There was definitely a break-in improvement though.
 
Randy Myers said:
Sure, Class D has always advised leaving them on. Class A/B is usually ok to leave on also. Tubes and a Class A not so much for a variety of reasons.
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Interestingly enough, Ray Leung of Von Gaylord didn’t even put a power switch on the front panel of my LAD-L2 preamp. When I asked him about it, he told me that repetitive inrush current was as detrimental to the tubes as leaving it on. Either way, the tubes have to be replaced every 5 years.

I don’t personally have the technical chops to question his statement, although I guess that it’s also possible that he deliberately runs the 6SN7 tubes on the easy side.
 
Randy Myers said:
Sure, Class D has always advised leaving them on. Class A/B is usually ok to leave on also. Tubes and a Class A not so much for a variety of reasons.
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Pass Labs
  • Pure Class A Amplifiers: If you have a true Class A model (like the XA or Aleph series), leaving them on 24/7 consumes significant electricity (often drawing hundreds of watts at idle) and generates intense heat. This continuous stress can unnecessarily dry out internal capacitors and shorten their operational lifespan. [1, 2, 3]
  • Standby Mode: For models featuring a front-panel standby switch (such as the INT-30A), use it . Standby mode keeps the critical input and voltage gain stages active while shutting down the output stage to reduce heat and power draw. [1, 2]
Randy Myers said:
Sure, Class D has always advised leaving them on. Class A/B is usually ok to leave on also. Tubes and a Class A not so much for a variety of reasons.
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Mr Peabody said:
I'm not sure in general. I know when I had auditioned Merrill Audio he said to actually leave them on. It would be interesting to see what Ralph has to say on the question.
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I have a pair of Ralph's Class D monos and they are turned off when not in use. Unfortunately no 12V trigger, but I have an alternative way to turn them off from my listening position. I don't believe there is any delay in getting them working at best sound quality when first turned on. This is another advantage of Class D - they don't need "warming up" as they run cold compared with most other technologies. However if you prefer to leave them on 24/7 your electicity bill won't be huge, but the life expectancy will be reduced somewhat I suspect - 20 years instead of 25 perhap!
 
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