Should I leave my receiver on all the time?

[raphaeladidas]

So I understand that leaving a receiver on is better than constantly turning it on and off.

But should I be leaving it "on" on or "standby" on?

What do you think?

[shokhead]

Standby

[emorphien]

Standby is fine, I wouldn't leave it on all the time and have it cooking away all day.

[shokhead]

It seems like that was more ok years ago with 2ch receivers{well thats all they had then}

[JoeE SP9]

Why do you think it's bad to leave a receiver on all the time? The only gear I ever turn off is my tube amps. If the volume is off or muted you're not working the power amps unless they're Class A. Heat shouldn't be a problem and with the output stage idling there shouldn't be much of a current drain at the wall. I'm just curious. I'm looking to buy a receiver for my bedroom sytem and was wondering if I should be concerned about heat. The last time I bought a receiver was, ur... uh....never.

[emorphien]

Depends on the gear. I haven't seen every receiver in the world but I can say that most receivers I've seen stay fairly warm to the touch when on and that will impact room temp (like leaving a computer on). Mine doesn't get that hot, but it never gets particularly hot even under load.

[shokhead]

They do run warm.

[Wireworm5]

I use to leave everything on all the time, 3 power amps,1 receiver, sub,dvd player and 10 speakers. My power bill has gone through the roof. Of coarse I have a few extra fans running trying to stay cool in the summer but this cannot account for the whopping increase. I'm forced now to shut everthing off when not in use so that I can try and keep my power bill reasonable.

[superpanavision70mm]

Standby...that's exactly why it's called "standby"....so that you don't have to do a hard shutdown and such. It's similar to leaving a computer on standby, which is better than constantly rebooting each use.

[emorphien]

Standby...that's exactly why it's called "standby"....so that you don't have to do a hard shutdown and such. It's similar to leaving a computer on standby, which is better than constantly rebooting each use.

I don't know how much similar to a computer it is, the common failures on most computers are during start up of disks and fans and it depends on your configuration but the majority of computers shut those down in standby.

Sorry to be difficult

[shokhead]

Standby is standby,not a complete shutdown.

[kexodusc]

There's a draw as long as the unit is on - even in the amps when there's no signal being fed. It is very low, but it's there. Over time the receiver will warm up to the touch, but it's not critical damage-inducing heat.
Still, you're sucking a few watts of power if you leave it on, creating heat which cumulatively shortens the life of electronics over time. To what benefit? Saving the difficulty of pushing the off button?

Turn it off.

[rjo]

There's a draw as long as the unit is on - even in the amps when there's no signal being fed. It is very low, but it's there. Over time the receiver will warm up to the touch, but it's not critical damage-inducing heat.
Still, you're sucking a few watts of power if you leave it on, creating heat which cumulatively shortens the life of electronics over time. To what benefit? Saving the difficulty of pushing the off button?

Turn it off.

Yes, if they reach op temp for 15-20. O.K. to turn o&o. Heat and surge takes it all.

[superpanavision70mm]

I leave everything on standby and I leave my cooling fans on constantly to keep everything nice and cool even when not in use. I have noticed that my amps never get hot to the point where they are too hot to touch. Without the fans....they are incredibly hot.

[audio amateur]

I leave everything on standby and I leave my cooling fans on constantly to keep everything nice and cool even when not in use. I have noticed that my amps never get hot to the point where they are too hot to touch. Without the fans....they are incredibly hot.

What kind of cooling fans d'ya got? When I get my sub bumpin' the huge heat sinks on the plate amp get terribly hot, too hot to touch anyways....

[superpanavision70mm]

They are specifically made receiver/amp cooling fans that run very cool, but silent. You can usually find them at electronic shops or if you do an online search. I got mine from an online retailer....Windy Willy. They are about $20/each, but really do a great job! You may want to check out eBay as well.

[shokhead]

When i got up this morning and put my hand on top of my Denon thats always in standby,cool as could be.

[Daveycoon]

Those in the know generally agree, leave it on, because the constant heating/cooling and subsequent expansion/contraction of the semiconductor junctions cause micro-stresses which shorten it's life. And I suppose over the course of a couple of centuries, that would be a valid argument. But since I have SS equipment here that has been cycling on and off for over three decades and is still going strong, I take the "leave it on" advice with a grain of salt. I turn stuff off, always. And even though idle current is only a few watts, a few watts here and a few watts there adds up over the course of a day, a month, a year. And I pinch pennies until they look like the ones you pick up off the railroad track after the train goes by. So my personal opinion... turn it off.