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Subwoofer question - can I leave the power on all the time?? (1 Viewer)

kurt_fire

Stunt Coordinator
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Dec 29, 2002
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183
I recently purchased the Onkyo HTS650 system, and I had one question. Can I leave the subwoofer on 24 yrs a day, 365 days a year, or is that harmful?? The back of the subwoofer itself has a volume (maybe frequency) dial, than can adjust the level of bass it produces, and it also has a STANDBY light. B/c of the STANDBY light, does that mean it is alright to leave it plugged in all the time.

Thanks, all help will be appreciated.
 

John Spicer

Agent
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Dec 16, 2002
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Yuppers. Most subs go into standby (as in power off the amplifier circuits) if they have been inactive for a while. When getting a signal from the reciever, they then turn themselves on.

-- John
 

Ali_Techra

Auditioning
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Jan 28, 2003
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Well, this is my frist post :b but from what I have read it actually causes harm to the amplifier (sub amp in this instance) to turn it off and on. That's why most amps have a standby mode. I'm not sure of the exact reason why (although I beleive it has to do with the power surge and "warm up" time) but everywhere I've checked it is BETTER to leave an amp on 24/7.

I've got an Onkyo 777 receiver (which I LOVE) and it has a main on/off button that is very small and the on/standby button that is much larger. I only turn it off if I plan to unplug the unit (usually only during lightning storms). The manual specifically states this for my Onkyo receiver so I'm sure your sub would be the same.
 

JeremyFr

Supporting Actor
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Jan 28, 2003
Messages
794
With anything electrical that produces heat i.e. amps, computer etc, Its always better to leave on constantly the reason for this is with turning it on & off you have a warm up and cool down which of course makes things expand & contract thus producing stress on the components. This believe it or not is why most computers finally die becuase of constant turning on and off causes microscopic cracks in the CPU that break the electrical pathways and tiny transistors thus it doesnt work anymore. But to make my long answer short it is less wear and tear on equipment or at least amps to constantly turn them on & off, and much better to leave them on, and its not gonna kill your power bill if the amp is not producing any sound its not using nearly any power. Even T.V.s this day keep a small amount of power to the tube/gun's to keep them warm hence why you dont have to wait 20minutes to get a picture on your TV like way back when:) hehe. Hope this helps!
 

kurt_fire

Stunt Coordinator
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Dec 29, 2002
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183
thanks. would you suggest me plugging my sub woofer into my reciever, so that it only uses power when i turn on the reciever, or would that drain the reciever??
 

Bob McElfresh

Senior HTF Member
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May 22, 1999
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5,182
He Jeremy, great post.:emoji_thumbsup:

would you suggest me plugging my sub woofer into my reciever
No. Your subwoofer already has a standby/auto-on feature that you would be defeating by plugging the power into a 'switched' outlet on the receiver. There is a good chance that doing this would give you a loud "thump" when you powered on the receiver.

I dont think it would hurt the receiver by plugging the sub into it, but in reality that sub is a MOTOR. It converts electrical energy into mechanical and that takes a lot of power compared to say your DVD player, CATV box, etc. So I'd give the sub it's own outlet in it's corner.
 

Bill Kane

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 5, 2001
Messages
1,359
Kurt,

Usually it's no-no to plug any power amp into the receiver's rear switched outlet because it may overload that circuit.

For ex, my Yamaha RX-V outlet is rated for 100 watts MAXIMUM (it's listed in the spec page). So a sub at 185 watts plus can exceed that rated load.

The AVR outlets are good for DVD, VCR, tape deck uses.
 

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