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Topic: Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp (Read 6374 times) previous topic - next topic
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Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

When the amp has been on standby for some time, the chassis remains warm if not hot. I presume that this represents electricity wastage. Do others turn the amp on & off at the back each time they use it?
Thanx

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #1 –
You are correct: in "standby" the amp is still drawing power from the wall although at a lower rate than when in full "on" state.  The idea is to keep key circuitry at or near optimum operating temperature so that when you turn it on it is ready to perform at its best.  Only you can be the judge of whether you hear any difference between restart from standby or full off.  Try it and if you are ok with what you hear then you've saved some $watts.

You may want to check the manual or contact Classe just to be sure there are is no other reason to keep things as they are, e.g. anything inside that requires a trickle current to maintain settings which I would think may be possible seeing that unit has some sort of display screen and a minimum of physical controls.

Oh, and in full off state you won't be able to turn it on using the remote presuming it has one.

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Apesbrain on
You are correct: in "standby" the amp is still drawing power from the wall although at a lower rate than when in full "on" state.  The idea is to keep key circuitry at or near optimum operating temperature so that when you turn it on it is ready to perform at its best.  Only you can be the judge of whether you hear any difference between restart from standby or full off.  Try it and if you are ok with what you hear then you've saved some $watts.

You may want to check the manual or contact Classe just to be sure there are is no other reason to keep things as they are, e.g. anything inside that requires a trickle current to maintain settings which I would think may be possible seeing that unit has some sort of display screen and a minimum of physical controls.

Oh, and in full off state you won't be able to turn it on using the remote presuming it has one.


Thanks a lot for this helpful reply. I'll have another look at the manual too as you suggest.

Cheers,

Dan

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Apesbrain on
Oh, and in full off state you won't be able to turn it on using the remote presuming it has one.


I got a gizmo called "kill a watt" that monitors power, cumulative energy use, power factor and some other stuff for whatever you plug into it.  I think it was about $20 at Amazon.

One thing I found is that just about anything that has a standby mode just so it can be turned on with a remote (as opposed to staying "warmed up") draws about the same 8 watts in standby, which amounts to about a dollar per month at our rates.

For things that draw more just to stay warm (like my FM tuner) you can see how much they draw and make a more informed decision whether to cut them off at the power strip.

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Apesbrain on
You are correct: in "standby" the amp is still drawing power from the wall although at a lower rate than when in full "on" state.


So far so good.

Quote
The idea is to keep key circuitry at or near optimum operating temperature so that when you turn it on it is ready to perform at its best.


As long as equipment is near standard room temperature, its sound should be optimum within a few seconds of turn on. Any FM tuner that drifts off-frequency during warm up to normal temperatures  is junk.

Classe is a high end manufacturer and may be keeping the temperature up during idling to meet some perceived customer desires.

Quote
Only you can be the judge of whether you hear any difference between restart from standby or full off.  Try it and if you are OK with what you hear then you've saved some $watts.


Actually, you can't tell squat about a subtle difference like this without doing a proper blind test including statistical analysis. If you try to judge the outcome of your evaluation without proper controls you'll just be getting a read out of your own prejudices and anxieties.

The suggestion to get a Kill-A-Watt is a good one.  They give a heck of a lot of good information, are easy to use, and as was already pointed out, they are dirt cheap.

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Apesbrain on
You are correct: in "standby" the amp is still drawing power from the wall although at a lower rate than when in full "on" state.  The idea is to keep key circuitry at or near optimum operating temperature so that when you turn it on it is ready to perform at its best.


My Denon basically shuts down when in standby: it has the same 3-second warmup and internal clicks coming up from standby as when pressing the big button.


Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #6 –
Quote from: dhromed on
Quote from: Apesbrain on
You are correct: in "standby" the amp is still drawing power from the wall although at a lower rate than when in full "on" state.  The idea is to keep key circuitry at or near optimum operating temperature so that when you turn it on it is ready to perform at its best.


My Denon basically shuts down when in standby: it has the same 3-second warmup and internal clicks coming up from standby as when pressing the big button.


That could be true, or maybe not.

The "gold standard" for power-up sequences is what happens when you've pulled the power cord and later on plug it in. 

A tool like the Kill-A-Watt gives reliable numbers for standby power usage.
 

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #7 –
Quote from: dhromed on
My Denon basically shuts down when in standby: it has the same 3-second warmup and internal clicks coming up from standby as when pressing the big button.

Maybe they allow the large smoothing capacitors in the main amplifier PSU to discharge when it goes into standby. My JVC amplifier certainly does. It's just the IR sensor and PSU control electronics that are kept active in mine so that it can be woken up from the remote handset.

As the large capacitors used for smoothing the rails in a power amplifier tend to have a fairly wide tolerance on value, the split rails, ie, + and - power rails to the amplifier (it will be this way if the output is DC coupled) will charge at different rates leading to a transitory offset at the output causing a (possibly very loud) 'plop' at the speaker unless a relay breaks the speaker circuit until the rails have settled. This can take a few seconds, and the relay switching the speaker in to circuit is almost definitely the source of the 'tick' you're hearing.

In this instance, it has nothing to do with warming up. It's just a settling period for the PSU that's hard to avoid without making the design of the PSU a lot more complicated than it would otherwise need to be. Relays are just a cheap and easy way of circumventing the problem that leaves a larger percentage of the amplifier's overall cost to areas of the design that actually matter in terms of sound quality.

Classe CAP-2100 Integrated Amp

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Slipstreem on
splanin'


+1 Insightful

My other, rather old and inherited amp certainly doesn't do this, nor does my brand new bass amp. BOP go the speakers when turing on and off and I wonder if it's damaging to speakers in the long run. Why doesn't every amp use a relay? While the plop may or may not be harmless, it certainly doesn't sound nice, and a little Transformerish* metallic click has the appealing aesthetic of a robust product. Product sound designers would be all over it.

But then again that's probably just my preference



*) the cybertron kind, not the metal & coil kind