Bryston Amp - keep on or turn off?
Hubert Kan
long time.
I've heard that there's no harm in keeping the amp on at all times.
This would save on the power-up wear and tear. What do other Bryston
owners think?
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hubert J. Kan Stratosphere Technology
Voice/fax: (604) 266-9651 Vancouver, BC, Canada
Email: Huber...@mindlink.bc.ca
MacBrett
> I have a Bryston 4b amp and this question has been on my mind for a long
time.
> I've heard that there's no harm in keeping the amp on at all times. This
would save on the power-up wear and tear. What do other Bryston owners
think?
The only thing that ever broke on my 4B was the push-on/push-off power
switch! The dealer installed a replacement switch free of charge.
Word is that the Bryston sounds best warmed up. I'm ashamed to say
that I've never attempted to discern the difference. I love this amp
hot or cold. I now leave it powered up most of the time (out of
superstition).
As you know, the 4B does run hot so its gonna cost you to leave it on
all the time. Since Bryston carries a 20 year warrantee, I wouldn't
let the wear and tear aspect enter into your decision. If you don't
mind spending a few extra bucks a month on your electric bill in
exchange for always having access to the warmed up sound, then go for
it.
--Brett
Mike Kohut
macb...@aol.com (MacBrett) wrote:
> ...The only thing that ever broke on my 4B was the push-on/push-off
> power switch! ...
I put my entire system on a surge-protected power bar, and I use the
power bar's on/off switch instead of turning individual components on
and off. It's convenient, and saves mechanical wear and tear on
all the individual component switches.
> Word is that the Bryston sounds best warmed up.
As I've mentioned before on this newsgroup, you can effectively warm
up the amp by playing a recording with a broad dynamic range at a
fairly high volume, for about 30 minutes. The effect is like an
aerobic warmup for a human athlete. I find that this kind of
"workout" warms up my Bryston 4B quite nicely...and it doesn't get
any better if I leave it on for days at a time. Since our electrical
power up here is diesel-generated and very expensive, leaving the
amp on all the time is not desirable.
Mike Kohut, Database Administrator (mkoh...@yknet.yk.ca)
NorthwesTel (my company, whose opinions rarely match my own)
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
David Lindenauer
(Hubert Kan) writes:
>I've heard that there's no harm in keeping the amp on at all times.
>This would save on the power-up wear and tear. What do other Bryston
>owners think?
I have a 2B that always stays on. Indeed, it doesn't even have a
power switch! I find the sound more pleasing after about 3 hours than
when first powered on.
david (d.s.y.) wong
A slight divergence from the Bryston amp thread, I have found that for
my McCormack DNA-1 amp, being powered-on continuously does make a big
difference. After having been powered-down (say during known periods
of lightning activity), it sounds quite unspectacular after re-power-on.
After a few hours of power-up, things become quite a bit better. After
a few days, it seems to get better still although the difference margins
are clearly getting smaller. And for my DNA-1's approximate 125 watts
consumption at idle, I calculated that to be about $0.25 extra per day
for my electric bill which concurs with the "few extra bucks a month"
quote.
Back to Bryston amps but on a different bend, has anyone had
experience with the 7B ST monoblocks? I am currently considering the
7Bs; I have a pair coming in for audition. Also, I would appreciate
any comments, good or bad, regarding Bryston amps in general,
including the 4B.
hank chan
hydro!
Ian McArthur
> > I've heard that there's no harm in keeping the amp on at all times. This
> would save on the power-up wear and tear. What do other Bryston owners
> think?
[quoted text deleted by RD]
Power amps typically sound OK at 20 minutes & fully warm at 1 hour.
Pre-amps usually need 24 hours for complete stabilization.
Ian McArthur
Rep for YBA, Martin Logan, Definitive Technology, Audiomeca,
Transparent etc etc
AnalogLvr
better after being on for an hour. If you can do this prior to every
listening session then by all means save electricity. If you're like
most of us and want instant satisfaction, leave it on all the time. I
hope you're leaving all the other low power consumption components on
all the time. By the way, I don't recommend using a power strip.
Usually power amps sound best plugged directly into the wall. This
caveat includes filters and isolation transformers (PowerWedge, Tice,
Idos, Chang Lightspeed, etc.).
Roksan
the weekends, i leave my amp on , and I can say that it sounds better
!!!!!!!