My systems stay on and playing music 24/7. I reset the system every once in a while but not often. This of course is not so good for tubes but excellent for well balanced components. I've done identical systems testing with this and the system left running by far out performs the start up system in a low mass setup. Higher mass systems with dampened parts start to fade after about 9 hours. These are general cause every component is different, but for a higher mass system that has rubber touching the transformer or other parts will start to get in it's sweet spot around 2 hours into the play and as I said fade about 9 hours into playing. The same component with the rubber removed will play a lot longer.

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

But the electrical (electronics) too!
Transistors' gain varies with temperature, most resistors have a temperature coefficient (i.e. their resistance varies with temperature), electromagnetic fields stabilize after some time etc.
Generally speaking all manufacturers "voice" their gear in a steady state (warmed up), because this is how it will be used most of the time, so unless you own class-A power amps you better follow Michael's advice and keep the system always on: this way you'll only have to deal with the warm-up of your speakers!

michael green wrote:

My systems stay on and playing music 24/7. I reset the system every once in a while but not often. This of course is not so good for tubes but excellent for well balanced components. I've done identical systems testing with this and the system left running by far out performs the start up system in a low mass setup. Higher mass systems with dampened parts start to fade after about 9 hours. These are general cause every component is different, but for a higher mass system that has rubber touching the transformer or other parts will start to get in it's sweet spot around 2 hours into the play and as I said fade about 9 hours into playing. The same component with the rubber removed will play a lot longer.

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

Rubber as damping material? No wonder you have such an emphatic bias against the whole concept of damping. No offense intended. I'm not hot dogging you, I would put rubber right up there with Sonex, lead and Sorbothane. Some of the worst materials ever foisted on gullible audiophiles! Hey, now I think I see why you guys don't like springs - you're confusing springs with springy things! For EFFECTIVE damping materials you'll need to explore the big wide world of constrained layer damping and viscoelastic materials or certain types of resonators, materials and devices that convert energy to heat, as opposed to materials like rubber that STORE energy. All the harm done by stove piping over the years can eventually be corrected. - old audiophile expression

With respect to warm up, my Class A tube gear sounds more open and natural when given a 60 minute warm up although you can listen to it after five minutes. My Oppo 103 is left on most of the time, better safe than sorry. For tube longevity, given that I am using VERY expensive tubes in my headphone amp, I use an O2 Cool outboard fan. Speaking of which, if you want an example of an EFFECTIVE damper look no further than Herbies tube dampers.

Cheers,

Geoff Kait
Machina Dynamica

I'm totally with Michael on this one. Always on AND always playing. Not only is this the easiest tweak to use if you have solid state, but it benefits cabling to a substantial degree.

I'm a tube guy, so I can't leave my system playing all the time, but my disc spinner is always on and playing into a dead amp. However, back when I was using solid state, it was on and playing music 24/7 at low levels. I'm talking months at a time. In particular, the stage would expand, the focus would become more pinpoint and the transients and inner detail would all become more solid and effortless. When I would turn it off for brief periods for whatever reason, it would only take an hour or two to return to a much more effortless sound.

This is the time to experiment with new cable or gear if you want to confirm the benefits. Throw on a new cable that has been dormant for months or in a new condition and the whole thing collapses for a rather lengthy time. Hundreds of hours, even. It will make a believer out of anyone who listens at a high level.

Couldn't say, I never turn mine off, except the tube based vintage system where there's a definite smoothing out, turn it on several hours before I put my butt in the chair.

This is when your equipment reaches its nominal operating temperature.
Once once it reaches this point, the temperature varies V little.
This is the condition it is designed to operate at & deliver its best.
My pre amp/phono amp has tubes.
After 1/2 hour, I am assured of maximum performance.
I believe even speakers like to 'stretch' a bit at first.

Bill - on the Hill
Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
- just an “ON” switch, Please -

When referencing I leave the same music playing on repeat. You can hear the soundstage grow from the next room. The soundstage grows and shapes over time. If you leave it on long enough it's pretty amazing, you can walk right inside of the recorded space, pretty chilling actually. The parts "on" never really reach a stopping point. Settling is as Catch says the biggest tweak there is on a system that is somewhat set free. Energy is movement so there really is no need of it to stop advancing. Especially when you have current driving something and it is always recieving info or even natures settling effect.

pretty cool stuff to experience

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

Yep, I think the more people come up with experience on the forum the more we can see how people come to similar conclusions. I've had a lot of clients who stick to their guns for whatever reasons and then you can tell when they took the time to explore something instead of saying they been there done it ,and most of the time end up coming to the same conclusions as the studying showed. Guys may disagree on the taste side or the technical side but easy to spot the ones that are "doing" as opposed to the other side that are not quite as experienced.

Settling is a no brainer, and can also tell you alot about your system if you listen to how the settling goes pitch wise and space wise.

michael green
MGA/RoomTune

One thing I'd like to add. I've owned quite a few pairs of speakers and not only do I feel they all sounded better after warm up but running them quite loudly for several hours ( often with me out of the room ) before listening made an unmistakable improvement. There was a more natural reproduction of vocals and a smoother definition of tone. I won't try to give a technical definition of why this might be, but ask others here to give it a try and post back.

For those of you who have JA's test discs, run his series of test tones through your system every now and then. I don't know why this helps, but it does.

I don't know if it is all that important that we talk about the goings on as much as it is that this, all of this, comes down to vibrating. Parts that vibrate have always sounded better than parts that have been limited in their vibrations. Audiophiles have been fighting this concept for many years now but in every test I have ever done, been a part of or seen, never has the constricted and limited conditions out do the opening up of vibrations and tuning them back in. If they are opened up then you have them all. After this then you can tune them back in to a desired tightness. But if they are never opened up they are limited from ever reaching maturity. This is why you see me against over building and dampening. People sitting there with over built stuff, speakers, amps, players, cables, rooms or any part are never getting to full range.

I guarantee you guys, if you ever listen to a free resonant system at any true demo, you will have a hard time going back to a fixed system.

michael green
MGA/RoomTune