stand by... or... switch off?

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When not using, is it better to keep Hi-Fi components:
a) on stand by
b) switched off
c) doesn't matter (all the same)
Could you please explain your reasons why?
I've just purchased a beautiful components and would like to know what would be better for my Hi-Fi.
Any comment, explanation, suggestion... are welcome and much appreciated. Thank you in anticipation!!!
 
Leave 'em on. Less buttons to press, you keep the calories longer and we can make the planet a cosier place.
 
some manufactrurers recommend standby for daily use and switch them off if your leaving them for a while, i think its cos the circuit boards are at an optimum temperature if left on standby and need warmimg up if switched on from being off. normally the manuals you have will recommend one or t'other
 
I leave the amps on all the time, but switch the cd player and tuner off at night. Only switch the tuner off, as it glows bright and lights the room up haha!
 
I normally leave everything on standby, feeling smug that where I live in Scotland all of the electricity is hydro-electric and therefore "green" anyway. Keeping the electronics "warm" prevents the fatigue that comes from repeated thermal cycling, which is why "standby" was first introduced on CRT televisions (remember them?) in the first place. Valve afficianados (big word for a Sunday) will sympathise, no doubt. DLP TV owners (aka "mugs") like me would do well to remember to switch these fully off at night, on the other hand.

If I'm going away for any length of time, I unplug everything in my home at the wall, in case of lightning strikes (unusual where I live admittedly), short circuits or burnouts causing a house fire, etc.
 
We used to recommend leaving hi-fi components in standby so they'd be warmed up and ready to go whenever you wanted to listen. Amps and CD players won't initially sound their best if switched on from cold.

However, we recognise that this isn't necessarily 'eco-friendly', although an increasing number of manufacturers are designing products with much lower power consumption in standby mode.
 
Personally i switch everything off at the plug and switch on when i'm going to listen or watch tv.
 
In terms of the current set-up, I can either leave it switched on or off, with the exception of the DVD player (Samsung DVD-HD950) which has a standby facility. The kit's on all day when I'm in, switched off at night time or when we're out.
 
darren - where in scotland do u live? i wasnt aware of anywhere in the world that uses only green electricity. i'm guessing it's off the beaten track a bit and not part of the national grid?

to everyone - anyone who leaves electrical devices on all the time as they MAY perform slightly better should be ashamed of themselves. turn anything that isntt in use completely off, save yourself money, save electricity and do your bit towards stopping global warming!!!!
 
I leave my amp's in standby. Thats what the manufacturer recommends.

My Cd player is left on all the time as the standby function never worked.

Leaving some components on all the time is recommended for better sound as its always at optimum temperature and switching anything electrical on and off causes wear and tear on components.

But, remember that some equipment, especially big amplifiers, can consume a lot of electricity even in standby.
 
Depending on your equipment, if they all the same it would be nice and simple eh?

My ASR amp will take 2 days (YES...2 DAYS!) to sound 100% from cold. I had a Mcintosh 2275 which always need at least 20 mins before a good listening session. Krell and Vitus (both class A) took a bit longer, an hour or so. nuforce amp didn't care if it was hot or cold, always sound the same.
 
basshead:

darren - where in scotland do u live? i wasnt aware of anywhere in the world that uses only green electricity. i'm guessing it's off the beaten track a bit and not part of the national grid?

to everyone - anyone who leaves electrical devices on all the time as they MAY perform slightly better should be ashamed of themselves. turn anything that isntt in use completely off, save yourself money, save electricity and do your bit towards stopping global warming!!!!

I hope you are going to send this same message to the likes of John Travolta, Al Gore etc, with their private planes and giant homes which cost the earth to heat (no pun intended)
 
in theory we would all like to do that basshead however my tuner and cd player have no off switch and can either be on or on standby, in the specs i think the tuner uses 10w on and 9w in standby so not designed as particulary green, my amp can be switched off from a badly accessible switch at the rear. Hence I do the same as the others, leave on standby for daily use and unplug if im away for a few days. I dont know how relevant the point about thermal cycling is but i can see the logic there and my system does sound a bit ropey when switched on after a break
 
Also, standby is not always 'greener' than leaving kit switched on. It all depends on the equipment.

For example, the Rega Brio 3 is a 49W amp and the Naim NAIT 5i a 50W amp. The Rega consumes 11.5W* in standby whereas the Naim consumes 10VA* (7W) when left switched on and idle (or "quiescent").

Just check the product manual to see what impact it makes on your wallet and the planet.

*manufacturer stated figures
 
I turn mine on when i want to listen. Takes about an hour to warm up so to speak. But i am intregued as i only have a on off switch no standby - so is leaving mine on all the time even an option?? Besides i reckon my amp would use a lot of electricity if i left it on all the time...
 
basshead:

darren - where in scotland do u live? i wasnt aware of anywhere in the world that uses only green electricity. i'm guessing it's off the beaten track a bit and not part of the national grid?

to everyone - anyone who leaves electrical devices on all the time as they MAY perform slightly better should be ashamed of themselves. turn anything that isntt in use completely off, save yourself money, save electricity and do your bit towards stopping global warming!!!!

Rural Aberdeenshire.

Virtually all of the electricity fed into the grid in North and Northeast Scotland comes from hydro-electric dams originally built in the 1930s to generate the huge amounts of electricity needed for aluminium smelting, which is no longer done in Scotland. Peterhead has a gas fired (I think) power station, but that only kicks in when demand peaks.

As for "saving the planet", if you think leaving your TV on standby or not is going to make a difference, you are very sadly mistaken. It's a mere drop in the ocean as far as the average domestic enenrgy bill is concerned, and domestic energy consumption is still small compared to industrial use, street lighting, office lighting, air conditioning, etc. etc. And we haven't even started on the gaseous emissions (from both ends) of cattle reared for grinding up to make your Big Mac.
 
I'm not ashamed of myself at all.

The likes of TVs and audio equipment drain miniscule amounts of electricity even when powered up.

If anyone should be ashamed of themselves it is those that use a dishwasher instead of hand washing the dishes. White good items such as dishwashers, washing machines, fridge-freezers etc. have big motors in them which do drain electricity. The latter two we can't avoid using but washing the dishes in the sink really isn't that difficult.
 
Just to make you feel all better, I use heavy duty kitchen equipment in my cafe which is on all day, commercial fridges/freezers and a big coffee machine which are on all the time.

See, it's all relative as thaiman can probably confirm.

I reckon this global warming thing is a big conspiracy anyway
emotion-13.gif
 
chebby:

drummerman:I reckon this global warming thing is a big conspiracy anyway
emotion-13.gif


By whom?

It's a big industry, not unlike some recent and no doubt soon to happen wars.
 
Only leave my amps on, as am to lazy to get out of bed in the morning to switch them on, as the rack is at least 8 ft away haha!

It doesn't use up that much energy, and anyway, it is always nice to have hotter weather so bring on global warming....
 
drummerman:It's a big industry, not unlike some recent and no doubt soon to happen wars.

Wars on whom and to what purpose?

Oil?

If so, then I guess the next wars should be against Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (especially Canada)....

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

...these are all countries that export significantly more oil to the US than Iraq (and Canada exports 30 times more oil to the US than Kuwait).
 
Having a 'green' economy and the defence (offence ... ?) industry itself creates a huge number of jobs. Thats before we go into war or scare monger about the dangers of 'global warming' or any of the new, fashionable, politically correct expressions such as reducing 'carbon footprints' ... but somehow, this seems to make it a little easier to justify everything.

I'd hazard a cautios guess that a not insignificant amount of our carefully recycled industrial or otherwise waste ends up somewhere in china or india as some previous owners of computers with a hard drive full of personal info can probably attest to.

Hey, I'm not for wasting energy per se but I have a somewhat cynical view of these things. This very server at WHS&V is on all the time so that you, me and others can enjoy our hobby ... a hobby, not a necessecity, yet still, we take part in it.

More than ever, my opinion only and would'nt claim to be right in all these matters nor expect everyone to agree with me.
 
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