Running Amp For ages

Growly Lytes · #1 05-29-2010, 03:56 AM

Say you acidently forgot to switch off your poweramp.Ive heard of D.J`s using them for 72 hours straight with S.S amps ?
Should you leave it on or to switch it off when your going to use it again in 30mins ? I really pushed my amp to see if it can heat up but NIL ! Its a Class H amp.
So the quetion is `Should you switch your S.S amp off in between sets & breaks or is it better to leave it on until your fully finished ?

**TheMutt** · #2 05-29-2010, 04:26 AM

I generally leave my amp (Markbass LM-II) on for the entire time that I need it, which is usually 3-4 hours for sound check, short run through of songs (I'm in two praise bands that do things on the fly), and the actual set. I can't say that I've left my amp on overnight before though.

silvertones · #3 05-29-2010, 04:38 AM

For tube amps leave on. Better for the tubes. I'm also was a Ham radio operator. All tube rig. 2000 watt transmitter that was tube. Same as an audio amp. I never shut it of for 2 years.

lbwdog · #4 05-29-2010, 07:02 AM

Most high quality SS amps would receive no benefit from switching off during breaks unless you're playing in a very hot environment. Most studios leave their power amps on 24/7, and since my home theater remote doesn't switch my Onkyo receiver, I've left it on for the last six years.

megadan · #5 05-29-2010, 08:17 AM

Well, uh, electric bill I guess. But if it's on a club's dime I guess there's no problem really.

rbonner · #6 05-29-2010, 08:54 AM

Class H eh? Once you've had an amp blow a fuse when turning it on, you'll get really afraid of the on - off switch while on a gig unless you have a spare.

BOB

Bassamatic · #7 05-29-2010, 09:53 AM

SS amps are drawing very little power when not producing sound, so don't worry about the power bill.

It is actually better for all SS electronic gear - audio and computers - to be left on. The most strain occurs when turning them on. The tiny wires inside ICs that connect the chip to the frame are cool, powering them up causes them to heat and expand slightly. You bend a wire back and forth enough times and what happens? It breaks.

The same is for light bulbs - when do they blow? USUALLY when turning them on and the filament is cold.

When I turn my MB amp on during the day for practice, it stays on until I go to bed, and sometimes I forget so it stays on for a couple of days.

somegeezer · #8 05-29-2010, 10:02 AM

I'd never leave my amp on if leaving it. I don't even like leaving it on if I'm going for a cup of coffee. I don't know if it's good or bad for it. I honestly can't see it exploding because I turn it on and off more than usual though.

Rick Auricchio · #9 05-29-2010, 10:08 AM

I leave my SS amp on for the entire gig.

BassmanPaul · #10 05-29-2010, 10:22 AM

Same here. The down time between sets gives the cooling fans time to clear any heat left from the previous set.

Paul

Growly Lytes · #11 05-29-2010, 10:52 PM

Hi Bob,
can i ask what would cause the fuse to blow on start-up ? I dont really push the amp that hard & if & when i do it barely gets warm.It actaully feels like a fridge when i touch it. Thats why i asked about leaving it on. My amp really doesnt even warm up so turning it off to cool down wouldnt do anything.

Bass_Pounder · #12 05-29-2010, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Growly Lytes

Hi Bob,
can i ask what would cause the fuse to blow on start-up ? I dont really push the amp that hard & if & when i do it barely gets warm.It actaully feels like a fridge when i touch it. Thats why i asked about leaving it on. My amp really doesnt even warm up so turning it off to cool down wouldnt do anything.

The power surges when turning an amp on.

There is absolutely no problem with leaving it on for the night.

I just use my mute switch if I am away from the amp for any period of time.

Pilgrim · #13 05-29-2010, 11:23 PM

It's better for all electronic equipment to be left on. The gear in commercial broadcast installations is never turned off...and it lasts practically forever.

When amps aren't being used to generate sound, they don't make much heat...so your fans should cool things off just fine. For that matter, if your fans can't keep your amp in an acceptable temperature range, you have a problem anyway. Current surges which occur when turning gear on and off are harder on gear than leaving it on.

My own preference is not to turn an amp off until I'm done for the day. In most cases I usually leave the amp on and just hit the tuning mute on my TU-2 tuner to make sure everything is quiet.

That's what 40+ years of working with tube and solid state gear has taught me.

Growly Lytes · #14 05-30-2010, 12:18 AM

Thanks guys its always good to know if what your doing is o.k .
Keep pluckin that E as hard as possible !!
G.L

Sundogue · #15 05-30-2010, 05:40 AM

Depends on how energy conscious you are. While most amps left on and doing nothing draw so little current as to be barely noticeable on your bill, if everyone left everything like that on at the same time, the cumulative effect of energy consumption and waste is staggering.

Sorry, but the old selfish, "I'm in this for me" attitude just doesn't cut it anymore. The demand for energy is so high that polluting power plants are sprouting up like weeds, and the spill in the Gulf by BP is in no small way, everyone's fault.

Turn off everything when you aren't using it. But if you don't care, nothing I say is going to change that.

Bob Lee (QSC) · #16 05-31-2010, 04:16 AM

I would leave the amp (assuming it's solid state) on for the duration of the gig just for the convenience of not reaching to switch it on after a break--there isn't any performance or reliability benefit otherwise except for a little wear and tear on the power switch.

For a long break, though--like if I were having a lunch or dinner break in the middle of the gig--I'd just shut it off.

phatbass · #17 05-31-2010, 04:31 AM

Leave it on.

Jack · #18 05-31-2010, 06:20 AM

If it's at a gig and it's critical that my amp works I'll turn in on asap and will leave it on till late at night. The most I've ever 'broken' an amp has been a fuse, but even that's a bugger to change at the start of a set.

At home or somewhere else, turn it off. No sense wasting power now is there?