Minimum Room Temperature (again)

Hi-Fi Corner
1

I keep my system in our drawing room (13m x 6m) and in colder months we do not have the heating on in that room. So the temperature is usually in the 8-10 degrees. On sunny days, it warms up slightly and I may listen to music. However, the electronics are stone cold and consequently, they are not at their best.

So I have been wondering what should be the minimum temperature in the room for the system to perform well. I can then start saving funds to allow the central heating on for a few hours before starting listening.

Any help will be gratefully received.

Thanks

2

If you leave the system on then there shouldn’t be any problems. If you switch it off then you need to ensure you keep the room warm enough to avoid condensation. An hour of playing music will bring the system to a reasonable performance level regardless of room temperature. Room temperature alone will not do this for you.

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3

Interesting question that I have never really thought about with reference to SQ. I tend to keep all rooms at 14 degrees minimum to avoid damp more than cold. Background heat in the rooms we use frequently is 16 and then boosted as necessary if we feel cold. I don’t think we ever get to heady 20 degrees that many in the UK seem to love. I think if you get down to below 11/12 degrees there is a fair chance of condensation appearing due to the relatively small differences in dew point.

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4

My cabin gets down to around 10C but the old Olive kit was on 24/7. My new DSM is in sleep mode normally and the ATCs switched off when not in use.

I found that temp of around 21C was the best for SQ with Olive, with new kit doesn’t seem to matter as much.

5

If room temp is less than 18.oC it’s too cold. Mind you cooler temps produce a stiffer, crisper sound. Warmer temps treble sounds better

6

If you’re using vinyl, the cartridge needs to be at least at 21 degree Celsius or higher IME. If it takes heating the whole room to get there, it’s a bit unfortunate.

For digital, I find I don’t want to be in the room below 16, so not sure I’ve found the system limit. :slight_smile:

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7

I find speakers benefit from being warmer..

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8

Many thanks.

I keep my system on all the time. For vinyl, I am used to the Superline taking a while to wake up, but it seems longer than one side on most occasions.

Thanks again

9

Is there a reason for this?

10

Yes. It’s a big room and the increase in energy costs means we are tightening our belts.

11

You need to be comfortable to enjoy music to the fullest extent. I have my room at a temp that is comfortable for me.

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12

Good answer!

13

Your system must be in excess of 70-80k and you can’t heat a room to 19c? :thinking:

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14

Capital investment isn’t the same as cash flow.

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15

And it suggests that priorities are arse about face. I have a large drawing room and an £80,000 stereo, but I can’t afford the heating. Really?

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16

Yeah, it’s a bgger when people make their own personal decisions that I may or may not agree with.

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17

Good move, as it should prevent condensation switching on after a cold spell. I would perhaps keep an eye on humidity in addition to temperature

18

If you have measure the working temperature of the amp - I guess around 30-35C - then keep the room at that temperature and it will be warmed up ready for use… But of course with a higher ambient temperature the amp would get warmer still when turned on, so measure it again and repeat… and again… Eventually you’, reach a point where the amplifier no longer changes temperature after powering up, or perhaps more likely will start to heat up and trip off because its too hot, and so it won’t warm up anymore so that’s the perfect temperature!

From a different angle, it’s just not worth worrying about: presumably if you’re going to listen to music you will warm the room up, and the system will warm up at the same time although will lead behind a bit so perhaps put the room heating on an hour or so before you would just to get the air temperature high enough.

19

20 degrees by day, 18 degrees by night. Air Source Heatpump consistency and efficiency. Sounds great, but better at 21-22.

20

Exactly, many retirees can have a relatively large tax free lump sum but a very small pension :wink: