DAC Power Supply

[koowat]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if I should leave the linear PSU (Teralink X2) to a DAC on 24/7? The DAC stays in Standby if power is supplied (Peachtree Dac-It).

Is it bad for capacitors to be charged 24/7 in the linear PSU? Would love your thoughts/discussion.

Thanks!

[nat8808]

Depends how you use it I think...

Capacitors do have a finite number of hours of use but you might find that that total possible number of hours will decrease if they keep completely discharging and recharging (when switched off and on).

So, I might say that if you would otherwise be switching it on and off many times a day, leave it on that whole day. If you would otherwise be leaving it powered up but not listening to it for a few days, switch it off....

Still, that is all just about the lpower supply...

The chips and things (the hot things mostly like voltage regulators and transistors) inside the dac might have a significantly shorter lifespan when powered up and down often (temperature change). So have to ask yourself if DAC failure is likely to be your problem (you're going to keep it for 10 years or more) or the next owner's problem..

If you want it to live forever, it's better to keep it powered up to the detriment of the power supply caps (which will always be replaceable and only provide bad smoothing when they slowly go bad).

Most people like to box swap though and DACs are getting better and better so I wouldn't worry about the DAC so much as I might a rare vintage piece of solid state gear.