u/AreThree

I'm still very much a vacuum tube novice and was wondering which is worse for the vacuum tubes in my beloved Schiit:

◆ Leaving it on for extended periods of time when it isn't actively in use

     – not for days at a time, but for when it is expected to be used soon
     – or daily occasional use with hours-long stretches in between sessions

◆ Turning it on and off more than once or twice a day

     – with the daily occasional use separated by hours of inactivity
     – perhaps a listening session in the morning and another in the afternoon or evening
 
I know they generate a great deal of heat, and I've always treated heat as the enemy of electronics, and made sure that cooling is a priority. However, the cycling between hot and cold can cause additional wear and is why I've always left my computer on (especially in the past when they contained spinning rust)...

I'm curious what advice or wisdom you might be willing to share about this conundrum. I've read conflicting and contradictory recommendations online, so thought here might be a good place to ask.

Thank you!!

Last night I was pulling my hair out over Bifrost being "reset" via USB and making its customary *clickk* sound.

It was doing it much more than usual and I couldn't figure it out. I tried a different USB port, double checked power settings, updated drivers, rechecked BIOS settings, etc., and I was still hearing it *clickk* seemingly at random. I'm accustomed to it making that noise when I start up my computer, for instance, or if I restart the audio engine in VB-Audio's VoiceMeeter...

I was at my wits end! But then I heard it *clickk* when the computer had been powered off for a few minutes. That's odd, I thought, why would it do that? As I puzzled over what to do next I decided to power cycle the whole stack. I always start that process by turning down the volume knobs on the Valhalla 3 and the Saga 2.....but....

Hmmm, turning the volume knob on the Saga 2 sounds a lot like the noise I was hearing and suddenly there was the light bulb above my head going on - I had found the culprit!!

The volume knob had been turned down manually (as opposed to having used the remote) earlier, and it may have landed in some sort of "in between" state - in the middle of two detents so to speak. I think this caused one of the relays in the 64-step relay ladder for the volume to be engaged then disengaged at random as the knob was in this uncertain state.

Reaching over and just barely nudging the volume knob on the Saga2 resulted in a satisfying *clickk* ... and then silence. No more noise.

It wasn't Bifrost at all! I may owe it an apology...