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surge protector to turn on and off


Mila1924

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Hi,

 

Is it a good idea to leave a vintage tube amps on/off/volume knob ON, and just turn the unit on and off with a surge protector?  i know these knobs can be pricey and hard to find and have a tendency to break.  

 

Thoughts?

 

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I have an EICO HF-81 with the power/volume knob combo that can wear out and is impossible to find...I have left mine on a power conditioner since about 2006 without issue...I use the power on the power conditioner as the ON/OFF switch...is this what you were asking???...I don't see what the issue would be using the power switch on the power conditioner rather than the amplifier itself but would appreciate any thoughts someone might care to share...

 

Bill

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17 minutes ago, silversport said:

I have an EICO HF-81 with the power/volume knob combo that can wear out and is impossible to find...I have left mine on a power conditioner since about 2006 without issue...I use the power on the power conditioner as the ON/OFF switch...is this what you were asking???...I don't see what the issue would be using the power switch on the power conditioner rather than the amplifier itself but would appreciate any thoughts someone might care to share...

 

Bill

thats exactly what I'm asking, just leave the amps on knob pulled out in the ON position all the time, and just turn it on and off from the surge proctor to hopefully prolong the life of the knob on the unit.  i just wasn't sure if that approach would indirectly cause of other issue I'm not thinking of

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I've not had any issues in 13 years with my EICO (it is not my only means of music listening but has been my main means for about the last year)...

 

I have used a few different power conditioners (the box type not the strip)...one from Monster, one from Panamax and one now from APC...good luck with your choice.

 

Bill

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There can be a problem.  I have a TEAC power amp which is a Tripath design (digital). When the  front panel power switch is activated there is power sent to the electronics but connection to the speaker is delayed for about five seconds.  This is apparently to let the oscillations and hash die down before connection to the speaker.  note: evidently it is the mechanical activation of the power switch which starts the delay system.

 

Once I used a power strip and left the power switch on the amp in the "on" position.  Then turned on the rocker switch on the power strip.  Instantly, out of the speakers came the most gosh awful super-loud noise and I was afraid the speakers much less my ears were damaged.  The speaker delay relay had pulled in as soon as power was applied.

 

Your situation might be different.

 

WMcD

 

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1 hour ago, Mila1924 said:

thats exactly what I'm asking, just leave the amps on knob pulled out in the ON position all the time, and just turn it on and off from the surge proctor to hopefully prolong the life of the knob on the unit.  i just wasn't sure if that approach would indirectly cause of other issue I'm not thinking of

 

Should be fine but every few months I would suggest working the switch since this will clean the contacts of oxidation build up that can build up over time. It also helps to periodically work controls that might not see much use such as  tone and balance controls for example to clean the wiper contact. 

 

miketn

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24 minutes ago, mikebse2a3 said:

 

Should be fine but every few months I would suggest working the switch since this will clean the contacts of oxidation build up that can build up over time. It also helps to periodically work controls that might not see much use such as  tone and balance controls for example to clean the wiper contact. 

 

miketn

 

a good point or you can check and use DeOxit once in awhile...in my experience the switches tend to get scratchy when they need "cleaning" of oxidation...all good advice

 

Bill

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22 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

My only worry is that if the on/off is also the volume control that the volume may at some point be left at a higher level.  That's really all.

 

another excellent point...it is always good to know where the volume knob is pointed whenever turning on your rig no matter if you use the power conditioner auto power on or not...

 

...and I miswrote earlier the EICO is a combination Power and Treble switch it was my McIntosh MAC1900 that had the combination Power/Volume switch and I also used the power conditioner to start my listening...

 

I've never had any issues using the power conditioner as the ON/OFF switch for either of the two ...

 

Bill

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On 5/18/2019 at 3:36 PM, Mila1924 said:

Hi,

 

Is it a good idea to leave a vintage tube amps on/off/volume knob ON, and just turn the unit on and off with a surge protector?  i know these knobs can be pricey and hard to find and have a tendency to break.  

 

Thoughts?

 

That's what I do with vintage equipment.  I turn the volume all the way down before I power off with the power strip.  

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On 5/19/2019 at 5:56 AM, WMcD said:

There can be a problem.  I have a TEAC power amp which is a Tripath design (digital). When the  front panel power switch is activated there is power sent to the electronics but connection to the speaker is delayed for about five seconds.  This is apparently to let the oscillations and hash die down before connection to the speaker.  note: evidently it is the mechanical activation of the power switch which starts the delay system.

 

Once I used a power strip and left the power switch on the amp in the "on" position.  Then turned on the rocker switch on the power strip.  Instantly, out of the speakers came the most gosh awful super-loud noise and I was afraid the speakers much less my ears were damaged.  The speaker delay relay had pulled in as soon as power was applied.

 

Your situation might be different.

 

WMcD

 

Weird. Never knew of a power up delay mechanism that was not started up by power being applied. I mean who cares which switch applies the power. Not doubting you Sir, just saying weird.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mechanical things like switches are one of most common failure components in most things electrical. So using an alternate switch "on/off" source is not necessarily a bad idea IMO. I do this with my subwoofers.

 

The only issue I see is in more recent (modern) equipment, particularly solid state, the component is actually left "ON" (in a low power consumption idle state) when plugged in to electrical outlet. This is done to improve internal component lifespan by not "shocking" the circuitry with current surge every time the unit is switched on. The circuitry is also kept "active" enough so that it's ready to go when you turn it "on" with no or less warm up time required.

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I don't personally leave any of my amps on, including my VTA ST-70, but, I do use one of these variacs (pictured) along with a P3 Kill A Watt so I can adjust, and see, the voltage going into the amp.  I don't trust knob on the variac to be accurate, and it isn't.  The wall voltage here hovers around 125v on an average day and I'd rather keep the amps around 117 to 120 depending on their vintage.

 

image.png.71068ab56baded01a1874e7f02188417.png  

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