I’m wondering if there’s any official advice on whether it’s okay to leave the Prime 4 powered on all of the time. For me, the Prime 4 is part of my household stereo system. I have class D amps which don’t use much power so leave them on, but I’ve been turning the Prime 4 off at the end of each day.
I ask partly because I’ve heard that electronics undergo a certain amount of stress upon power on. This is weighed against whatever stress occurs from leaving the system on. I don’t know how to weigh the stress from these two factors.
It is a computer, at least in part. My other computers hibernate or sleep automatically over time. Likewise, I imagine the Prime 4 might enter a low power mode when not in use, and throttles up as required? I do have a “Kill-a-Watt” meter I could use to measure its power draw when not in use; perhaps I’ll do that and report the results.
Aside from power draw and stress on the system, a concern I see is screen burn in. I’m aware that a screensaver is a popularly requested feature, as is adjusting screen brightness. Perhaps these issues alone are reason enough to power it off daily.
Treat it like you would any computer system. They last for years of taken care of. That being said, I’ve had my Prime 4 for almost 4 months, and it’s been on 98% of that time 24/7. Keep the environmental conditions stable (not too hot or too cold) and don’t spill any beer on it and you should be fine.
I personally don’t think it would cause an issue, HOWEVER, it would be great if the console could go into sleep/hibernate after a set time. My Pioneer controllers do this now. There is a Feature Request for this. Make sure you vote for it.
Personally, I do not see what the stress suffered by Prime 4 on power up is, as with any computer. You can tell me that the system is not immediate when it is switched on, because it takes about a minute to start it up and make it operational, but in my opinion they are more damaged when they are constantly powered than when they remain cold.
Secondly, even if the consumption were low, this does not mean that the consumption is zero, so I do not see why to consume electricity unnecessarily. An electronic object is not a combustion engine that wears out first when the oil is cold.
Every system once in a while is more stable when You clear out the memory. So a reset can be beneficial in that way. Anyway modern PSU’s are made for normal usage - ON/OFF. Specially, these are stage grade devices, so in the warehouse - OFF, during transport - OFF, on the stage ON for 8-16 hours, back to the case - OFF, transport again - OFF, warehouse storage - OFF, going to studio/home - ON for couple of hours, and then back to storage - OFF. This is taken in to the design, so it needs to be reliable in that conditions, so I see no sens to leave it ON 24/7.
Well, then You have something wrong with power at Your home…?
I have my SC5000’s since 2017 and they never had a smallest issue, no problems with grounding or power jumps. And I have solar panels, so sometimes the voltage can go from 232 up to 238 in sunny days, and my SC’s handle it very good.
all i’m saying is that imo leaving it on will make no difference and COULD possibly be better … there are similar arguments for external Hdds (although saw a post on here about screen burn some time ago which is another thing)
I don’t think the power supplies used by Denon DJ are made in Switzerland: they will certainly be made in China like those used by all of us electronic equipment manufacturers. Obviously there are good and less good Chinese producers, you have to know how to choose. I use Chinese power supplies (Mean well) and they are fine, never problems.
Electronics do wear over time. I had a Denon receiver that lasted about 25 years until it started to have issues. I’ve also had high end electronic music gear that started acting funny after 5 years. All factors over time will affect the lifespan of any electronic device. So far, the P4 seems well built and should last many years if taken care of. As for leaving it on 24/7, no issues other than it getting a little warm on hot days.
So, based on the previous comments it should not be a problem leaving it on for 24 hours occasionally - right? I’ve just done this by mistake as hit the power switch and put the screen cover on but didn’t press the on screen confirmation before doing so. Shut the lid of the case it sits in a a well and so only noticed when I returned to it today. All seems fine (although should probably take a closer look at the screen as it will have been showing the same screen for 24 hours) - so, can I assume no harm done?
It should not be an issue. Electronic components fail eventually, but we’re likely looking at decades in the Prime 4. One thing to pay attention too is your storage media. They will fail much sooner. Keep your library backed up.
