Headphone health: should I switch off my headphone amp?

[SemperUnum]

Today I got myself a new headphone and it made me wonder what would be best for the long term health of that headphone: switch the amp off or leave it on when I'm not using it?

And if I switch the amp on/off do I need to unplug the headphone beforehand?

My current setup is a JDS Labs Atom with a HiFiMAN Arya. I will use this combination almost daily and when I use it, it will often be for a few hours.

Replies with a technical explanation/rationale would be very welcome!

 

[solderdude]

The headphone will not 'see' a difference between an amplifier being off or being on with no music playing.
A headphone also will not age from playing music.

To save energy you can switch the amp off. No need to do it for the sake of the headphone. For the headphone there is no technical difference between not having a signal or not being connected.

 

[SemperUnum]

Thank you for your reply solderdude.

When I turn the Atom on or off I can hear a relay clicking inside it right after doing that, is that a protection to prevent any spikes from reaching the headphone? The headphone itself is absolutely quiet when I turn the Atom on or off, no popping at all.

 

[kn0ppers]

Yes, it's there to prevent startup transients from reaching your headphones.

 

[Inner Space]

The headphone itself is absolutely quiet when I turn the Atom on or off, no popping at all.

That's all you need to know. No harm can come whether you turn the amp off or not. In favor of turning it off would be your electric bill and the environment. In favor of leaving it on would be avoidance of thermal cycling. I once knew a pro amp that had been on for 18 years continuously. Usually I leave mine on, unless I'm going to be away for a week or so.

 

[Berwhale]

I turn my Atom off at night, mainly because I like touching the nice aluminium volume knob I put on it See: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...cal-clear-hd600-around-400.10063/#post-273346

 

[A Surfer]

I have always turned my gear off thinking that in the end, like our joints only have so many bends in them, electrical components can degrade from heat. Not sure where the science lands on this though.

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

I see no point in letting devices run that I am not using, so my gear goes to sleep when I do.

 

[Berwhale]

Not sure where the science lands on this though.

My understanding is that thermal cycling (alternating between hot and cold) will place mechanical stresses on components, solder joints and the PCB they are mounted on. This is because different materials expand and contract at different rates during the thermal cycle. These repetitive forces can lead to failure of solder joints (i.e. stress fractures) and delamination of the PCB.

Electronic assemblies that are expected to work under extreme thermal cycling, such as those used in Aviation, will undergo physical testing to confirm their lifespan under such conditions. I don't know if such testing is carried out in the audio world, or if the relatively benign temperature range within a domestic setting would warrant this level of testing. I image there are ways to computationally model thermal cycling and that design techniques can be used to avoid or minimize it's impact.

 

[Doodski]

switch the amp off or leave it on when I'm not using it?

I'm prone to leaving my gear powered ON but I realize that the accumulated power consumption of all the vampire electronics running across the planet must add up to at the least a hydroelectric dam or a nuclear reactor power output. I have my PCs set for sleep mode in 45 minutes, down-clocking of the CPU multiplier is engaged and other electronics are switched off at night. As for longevity of the Atom amplifier powering it off or leaving it on will most likely make little to no difference in life expectancy.

 

[A Surfer]

My understanding is that thermal cycling (alternating between hot and cold) will place mechanical stresses on components, solder joints and the PCB they are mounted on. This is because different materials expand and contract at different rates during the thermal cycle. These repetitive forces can lead to failure of solder joints (i.e. stress fractures) and delamination of the PCB.

Electronic assemblies that are expected to work under extreme thermal cycling, such as those used in Aviation, will undergo physical testing to confirm their lifespan under such conditions. I don't know if such testing is carried out in the audio world, or if the relatively benign temperature range within a domestic setting would warrant this level of testing. I image there are ways to computationally model thermal cycling and that design techniques can be used to avoid or minimize it's impact.

Interesting point, but worth considering how many vintage audio components are still running. For instance I still have, and it works, a Pioneer SX680 receiver bought new in 1981 or 82.

 

[dasdoing]

on a sidenote(question):
does the volume knob position make a diference in power consumption and heat while no music is playing?

 

[RayDunzl]

does the volume knob position make a diference in power consumption and heat while no music is playing?

No (or very unlikely).

Put a meter on it.

 

[Doodski]

on a sidenote(question):
does the volume knob position make a diference in power consumption and heat while no music is playing?

No. the gain is set by the HFE/beta of the transistors and the ratios of the circuitry. Any signal input to the amp will be amp'd. If a signal is present power will be used.

 

[Neutron]

The point is, don't get paranoid.

 

[Inner Space]

For instance I still have, and it works, a Pioneer SX680 receiver bought new in 1981 or 82.

I loved the SX series. I so wanted a 1280, back in the day. I assume (according to your previous post) you powered it up and down as required, and I'm glad it's still in good health. I know a guy who collects them, and he always re-caps, etc, but of course part of that could be a "claiming" ritual.

 

[A Surfer]

I loved the SX series. I so wanted a 1280, back in the day. I assume (according to your previous post) you powered it up and down as required, and I'm glad it's still in good health. I know a guy who collects them, and he always re-caps, etc, but of course part of that could be a "claiming" ritual.

My brother has three of the SX series, one may be the 1280 and yes we always did the power on and off thing and I always will. We still have our Pioneer HPM100s and the original PL200 that was part of our system back in the 1980s. My brother has also found an immaculate PL600 so some nice vintage Pioneer gear. The HPM100s sound as good as they did in the 1980s and we still use them to play music that we drum along with. I do believe that my brother redid the crossovers, but more as a precaution, I don't think anything ever stopped working.

 

[Doodski]

Pioneer HPM100

HPM-150s rock and roll for sure. The beginning of the CD age source.

 

[RayDunzl]

I've never understood speaker pairs that aren't constructed as mirror images of each other.

 

[A Surfer]

HPM-150s rock and roll for sure. The beginning of the CD age source.

Damn are those lovely! Must be fun to listen to! Thanks for the pictures, they look to be in magnificent condition. Despite years of high volume playback the woofers feel as taught as they did new. Quite amazing speakers in terms of longevity and overall sound if you ask me. Not up to todays reference standards, but for pure fun and when you want to just let the music rip pretty hard to beat something like the HPM100/150.