Is this gospel?

[DavidJPettifor]

 

"Optimizing Digital Components

 

IMPORTANT ADVICE: Never* turn off any digital equipment. It usually takes around 2 days of playing for it to "break in" and sound optimum. Once turned off, you have to go through the entire cycle all over again. Accordingly, do not judge digital equipment unless it has been on and operating for at least 48 hours. This is true for even "budget" players.

 

*Digital components with tubes inside may have to ignore this rule. The rarity of some tubes and the high cost of replacements may offset any sonic benefits."

 

 

So from the above, should I deduce that I must leave my DAC on 24/7 (which I have done since discovering Arthur's web site), otherwise I will have to burn it in all over again?

 

In respect of the "digital components with tubes", I presume I shouldn't apply the same principle to my soon-to-arrive, Little Dot MK III amplifier unless I want to spend a fortune on tubes/valves?

 

--

djp

 

[tfarney]

That's a new one. My Mac runs all the time. My DAC runs all the time. But people turn off equipment that contains digital to analog processors -- CD players, DVD players, A/V receivers, TVs, etc, etc, all the time and don't report changes in performance. It sounds like voodoo to me, but I have no data to back up that assumption.

 

Tim

 

[Phil Bishop]

Sounds a bit voodoo-ish to me too and not very good for the planet - leaving stuff on all the time. I once put this to a chap who serviced amps and he showed me the damage that was caused to amp circuit boards left powered up continually. Of course, digital components may be different.

 

Phil

 

[rom661]

I usually leave my equipment on all the time with the exception of tube gear. I would have to question damage caused to circuit boards by merely being left powered up. I suppose it could happen but in 20 years of seeing equipment come in and out I have never seen that kind of thing without there being some kind of external issue like a surge, lightning damage, etc. being involved.

 

I have encountered equipment that seems to not like being turned off. It is not limited to digital and is not something I could swear to. Purely anecdotal but it in a couple of instances others have remarked on it with the same gear. If the current draw is low, I leave it on. If it is high or uses tubes I turn it off.

 

Gordon of Wavelength may be willing to give us his take. I know he has some specific recommendations on his tube DACs.

 

One of the issues for me is that my response to music seems to vary from time to time independent of equipment issues. Although I may have opinions about some of these things I can't state them as fact.

 

[Innertuber]

I turn mine off and unplug half of it. Power in Florida is too quirky. Call me paraniod!

 

[Daphne]

I recall reading an article once, years ago, which explained that the life of a power transistor was effected by the amount of times it was heated and cooled. Leaving them on, even in a standby mode, would extend their life. Now that was a good 18 to 20 years ago, I'm not sure if that applies today.

 

Innertuber:

 

"I turn mine off and unplug half of it. Power in Florida is too quirky. Call me paraniod!"

 

Tell me about Innertuber. I also live in Florida. On the barrier island where power to my community is supplied by cables run below the Intracoastal Waterway. It is common place for the current to go on and off five times in just ten minutes, not to mention all the surges, spikes, and brownouts - and that is on a clear sunny day! The current actually improves when it rains. Even though I have a whole house GFI and surge proctector, an APC whole house battery backup system, and a backup generator, I still turn off the circuit breaker to my audio and computer equipment whenever I'm away. Call me paranoid also, but there are just far too many sad electrical power stories here in Florida to ignore taking precautions.

 

Daphne

 

[Innertuber]

I agree Daph

 

Don't want to even try and test the warranties on my protectors.

 

I'll tell a quick barely related story. New Year's eve (a couple ago), we were out with friends and came home to a pitch black house. No alarm horn. It was about 1 am. OK, so I was a bit snookered. Well, even I could tell the power was off ... again. Everywhere. I grabbed a flashlight and went out back to check the breakers. (1939 house, they are outside.) About 10 steps and I get a facefull of ....... oak tree. We had a HUGE oak in the back. About 1/3 of it came down and ripped all the wires to my and the next door neighbors house. When the wire ripped it melted the metal "tube" thing where the power comes into the house. Naturally it was pouring buckets. About $8,000 later we had no more tree. We have pics of the trimmers laying sideways in the trunk after a couple cuts. This thing was big. Aborist, permits, blah, blah, blah to even cut the thing down. Cutting Grandfather trees w/o a permit now carries about a $35,000 fine.

 

Long story short, there was no hurricane or tornado. Florida is just ... crazy when it comes to power. We hear transformers pop a lot - zapped squirrels I guess, not sure. Couple year's later I almost have all the dents out of my yard from them taking that thing out and I just unplug anything I care much about.