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At the end of the day do what makes you feel comfortable, you wanna leave them powered 24/7, do it. You feel more comfortable unplugging/ turning them off when not in use, do it.
The one instance when I would certainly unplug them is when severe weather (lighting) is forecast/imminent.BTW, TWB’s comments about pre and post PX panels are accurate, had my share of factory returns due to pre PX panel failures.
Now, let me go turn my panels on and listen to some music.;))
John
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It also needs to be pointed out that prior to the PX generation of panels, there was a serious problem with the insulation of the stator wires, and a different coating of the mylar. Arcing and burn thru happened all to often, necessitating a trip to the factory. With the PX gratin and beyond, all this is history and problems are rare.
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Well…. I used to have SL A-4 , if anyone knows about them , very old model, beautifully sounding – many moons ago… I kept them on all the time back in days… Once I went for vacation and when I came back humidity in room changed a lot. Crackling was so loud and terrible … Very soon I had to change panels. You do whatever you want guys – it is your money! I dearly like Dr West but with some suggestions I do not agree.
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I completely concur TWB. Indeed, via my previous communications with Dr. West he explicitly advised as you said, that there is NO reason to cut the power to the speakers. If there were a reason to do so, I’m positive that Dr. West would have installed automatic shut-offs as my Martin Logan’s have.
Having owned M1’s, M1PX’s and now Majestic 845’s, I’m on my 3rd. pair due to upgrades and I have left them all powered-on 24/7. My only reason in contemplating otherwise, was due to my “Audioneurosis” — aka
“Audiophoolishness” (grin)…. -
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To forestall the possibility of any new owners getting the false impression there is a need or reason to be turning the power to the backplates off in-between use, Dr. West has spoken clearly: there is not! I have owned various Sound Lab models over the last 20 years. Other than a few occasions when I planned to be away for an extended time, I have never unplugged them, and see no reason to do so.
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“John V”, Thanks for the “male-female extension with inline switch” Amazon link. Did you do a test to see if the in-line switch made any noticeable differences?
Having spine and hip issues, bending over to plug/unplug etc., is very difficult. Hence, my thought of using a WiFi plug. However, doing so may be of no value. Because as some here have stated (including Dr. West), there is no downside to leaving the speakers plugged-in 24/7. But, if I’m NOT going to use the speakers for an extended period, I often felt that they should be de-powered – with “felt” being the key word.
“D10”, logically, I agree that heavy gauge (&/or audiophile) power cables shouldn’t make a difference with SL’s. In fact, Dr. West has said the same from a pure power requirement perspective, as you suggested. However, the miles of power lines, transformers before the line into the house is oftentimes used to site “non-sense” for utilizing a special ~6-foot cable from the wall to equipment, or using special mains receptacles. Which is similar to the bits-is-bits argument when it comes to USB cables, Ethernet cables and all other hardware in the streaming/computer audio chain – i.e. they shouldn’t make a difference, as long as bits-are-bits. But I’ve found that they, power cables, receptacles, dedicated lines do make differences. Are the differences sufficient to spend $100’s or $1,000’s of dollars, well therein lies the dilemma and question?
Line noise is a different matter than current carrying. As I initially mentioned, some Soundlab owners have posited that cables can modify line noise (into and out-of the speakers) and improve sonics. Some cable manufactures specifically design cables for digital and other sensitive equipment for that purpose. Whether they work and would do anything to improve Soundlabs is the question for which I would love to have others experience and input. Especially as I mentioned in my case, auditioning items like power cords — where bending is involved — is very difficult and painful.
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I also unplug my U890’s when not in use. I have a short male-female extension with inline switch (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGNN30M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
As D10 mentioned above, the panels bias up in seconds as per Roger West.
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I have more experience with unplugging Quad 2905. When i moved these to my office system (which is when i bought my Soundlabs-Prostat 922), i put them on the switched power that the rest of the office was on. and it took ~30 mins for quality and volume to return to the Quads. Now i have them plugged into the UPS, so that power is never off.
The Soundlabs have only been unplugged in transporting them to my house, when i first plugged them in, no sound from one speaker and barely any volume from the other. then i paused the music and after about 20 mins i tried again and they seemed almost normal, but volume was un-even between the two speakers. later that evening i did more serious listening and the volume was fixed.
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The system had been played for a couple hours before unplugging each speaker to install the plugs. Each speaker couldn’t have been de-powered for more 45 seconds to a minute. However, perhaps that was sufficient to do as you advised, initiate the: “30-60 minutes to stabilize the electrical field after being plugged in”.
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As an experiment, I tried using Amazon WiFi plugs with my Majestic 845’s. Although Dr. West has said that de-powering the speakers isn’t required or necessary. I thought that I may try doing so with the WiFi plugs.
My experiment was halted almost as quick as it started. Decibel level dropped significantly. Although not measured, my sense was that level decreased by 30-50%! At that point, a longer listening period to access sonics, wasn’t considered. If the plugs effect SPL to that level, burning them in or otherwise, isn’t worth my time and effort.
I’ve never tried audiophile power cables for my speakers. But I know others have. Although the Amazon plugs contain circuitry any of which could impeded power and add noise, this little experiment perhaps suggests that power cables may make a difference. Some have posited that cables may decrease line noise and hence, the positive difference. Have you performed any cable auditions and if so what were your findings and cable preferences?
Additionally, I wonder if anyone has found a successful, non-invasive/intrusive way to switch on/off the Soundlab, other than plugging/unplugging them?
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