Yamaha Powered On All the Time?

To Doug Schneider,

I have a Yamaha high-end CD player and I wonder if I can leave it powered-up at all times without any ill effects in the long run? I find that power-up all the time is very beneficial on the performance.

Congrats on your magazine. I like your honest opinion on different matters.

Best regards,
Pierre Provost
Canada

Like you, I find many components sound better when they’ve been left on for some time, probably because they reach an optimal operating temperature. As a result, I tend to leave some components powered on for several days at a time to keep them warmed up. Still, I don’t leave them on all the time, for a few of reasons. One reason is that by being powered on all the time, the lifespan of the component will be shortened -- electronics do wear out with use. Another is because I don’t want to have it fail and possibly cause a fire, particularly if I am not around. Finally, it wastes energy. Therefore, as tempting as it is to leave something powered on -- and some people I know do it -- I don’t recommend it for those practical reasons. . . . Doug Schneider