Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
The sound will greatly improve for tube gear.
Have you ever noticed that your audio system sounds better after it's been on for a while?
Any piece of electronic equipment has a optimum operating temperature, hence fans in computers, vent-holes in DSS receivers and heatsinks on high-quality amplifiers. When your system is at its optimum temperature best performance will be realized. Class A circuit topologies, when intelligently executed, are designed to operate best at higher temperatures. This is not neccessarily an apology for certain manufacturers who under-design certain facets of their products which neccissitates a "cooking" of the circuit to bring it into trim. The bottom line is this: Since a warmer signal path offers less resistance to current flow and therefore (provided no delicate or digital circuitry is at risk) will sound better.
semiconductors in CD players and preamplifiers, specially do not generate much heat. Therefor it may take a whole week to reach thermal equilibium. So, I never tun my components off. the situation becomes easier with tubes as they get quite hot, so thermal equilibrium comes fster. Ans at the cost of replacement output tubes which are at best good for 3000 hours. I would shut it down after a session.
You know, I'm always puzzled by my system. Sometimes, it sounds rich, expansive, every note is in the right place, the sound stage is huge, the musicians are playing in my den. Other times, there is a hardness or brittle sound to the highs and the bass sounds muddy. Is it me? Is it leaving it on for a hour before listening to anything? Is in the air conditioner? The dryer? The entire power grid? Gremlins?
Yes, my source(CD/SACD) and pre-amp are on all the time, and they sound so much better (warmer, more pellucid). My Pass Aleph 2's require one hour (per Mr. Pass) to morph from a thin and reedy sound to full, glorious bloom. Anyway, when they are too hot to touch, I know they are ready to boogie.
Actually, it is hard to answer the question. My preamp, DAC and CD transport can not be turned off (unless I pull out the plugs) so I have no experience what they sound like when they are cold. And the power amp (Krell FPB-300) is in standby mode when it is not in use. Although the power amp gets much hotter when turned on than when in standby mode, I have not been able to hear any difference between cold and warn power amp.
Actually, I have no idea if or why the system sounds better warmed up. Sometimes I think it does, other times, I'm sure it doesn't. And some days the system sounds so much better then it does on other days. This leads me to believe that the variability, for the most part, probably doesn't rest with the system warming up, but rather, on the listener, mood, was it a tough day, etc. And food for thought- ever notice that the system sounds best when you have the peace of mind just to sit back and relax?
My equipment is actually, HIGH QUALITY, as is most equipment, aside from tube based junk (sorry Cary, I don't even buy a guitar amp if it uses Sovtek crap tubes, and sorry BAT, but you can keep your tubes the hell out of my CD's signal path) that's only useful in vintage guitar amps (WHERE DISTORTION REALLY MATTERS!!!) Why I say this is that my system is kind. It charges the capacitors and makes no sound at all. Ahhh... Then ...like magic... it pours forth beautiful sound after it's little silent solid state "warm up".