Which components to switch off?

True, it does not say if anything stays warmed up, but it does say that after standby some warm-up is required for best performance, so clearly not everything relevant is kept warmed up by the SMPS.

And he clearly wrote that if one wants immediate best performance, don’t use standby or enable server mode - which for all practical purposes seems sufficient information.

Just thinking that Steve probably has better things to do than confirming every tiny detail over and over again :slightly_smiling_face:

I use a Nait XS2 [2016] which according to Naim idles at about 16 watts, “biased to operate in quasi-complementary class-B.” Also, Naim says somewhere that “a class-AB amplifier draws twice the power that it delivers”. I doubt I could save much money turning the XS2 off: idling at 16 watts is not much on the electric bill. I do power off and unplug if there is a storm. A damaging power surge can occur from a local lightning strike, or from a wind storm knocking down power lines and transformers.

I might be being a bit slow here, but do Naim publish a comprehensive list of power consumption of their various components? I have searched the user manuals and the only reference I have found is for my NAP250 in volt/amps which (if I understand correctly) is pretty unless you know the power factor. Just about every other electrical item I have in the house seems to give me a clear wattage so I can work out the kWh and cost of running.
Some forum members have of course been very helpful and given their measured power consumptions (a big thank you!!) but it isnt an offical Naim figure and not every product is listed. So, help please!!
Once I know my running costs I can then assess whether I wish to switch off to save money or run the (possible) risk of equipment failure and sound degradation due to constance switching.

For some (streamers mostly, IIRC) it is in the specifications section of the product page on the website, for others (amps) it’s in the manual IIRC.

Where VA is given for idle power use it means volt * ampere, not volt/ampere, and you can treat it like watt. Wikipedia page for “watt”:

In terms of electromagnetism, one watt is the rate at which electrical work is performed when a current of one ampere (A) flows across an electrical potential difference of one volt (V), meaning the watt is equivalent to the volt-ampere (the latter unit, however, is used for a different quantity from the real power of an electrical circuit).

1 W = 1 V * 1 A

Where VA is given for transient power use, it is probably irrelevant for the power bill.

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Many thanks the source information, I will start to dig out the data. Also, thank you for the VA explanation - every day is a school day!!

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As this topic comes up over and over again, I looked up some numbers in the past, and others provided their measurements. See this post from me regarding e.g. the 300 manual, and in the same thread many other posts with measurements and detailed cost calculations:

I have just measured my 250DR at 22W. No music playing. Naim quote 25VA(Watts) on their website!

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Yeah it’s a little off in reality, this became also apparent in the older thread. Luckily on the cheaper side, though even if it was 3 watt more it would amount to ~8.6 euros over the year (assuming 0.33 euros per kWh) if it is on 24/7/365

Thanks, just checked my NAP250 (25 Watts idle x 8760 hours x 26.69pence per kWh = GBP 58.45 per year. Quite a cost really.
CO2 issue aside, IMHO worth switching off when not is use. Sound check next though!!

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What’s the idle power consumption on 555PSDR and 300PSDR?

I turn off my power amp. The rest i leave on.
Fairly sumple to work out which bits draw more current, as they tend to get warm.

Out of interest I measured my HiCap DR at 7.2W at idle!

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That’s an interesting question (regarding the idle power consumption of a CD555PSDR). It leads me to wonder what would be the relative benefit of switching an ND555 to standby mode, when two CD555PSDR power supplies remain switched on, albeit at idle?

Careful …. VA does not equal Watts…VA (apparent power) is the resultant of real power (Watts) and reactive power (VAR), this ratio of VA to Real Power is the Power Factor.
The more large transformers and other reactive loads you have on your mains the greater the divergence between VA and actual real power.

You pay for watts, but you rate for the inefficiency of VA

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Very fair comment. Although the measurement I made earlier will, I believe, give a reasonable indication of the power usage in terms of calculating the annual cost of leaving the amp on. It was only intended to give a guide with respect to the thread. However I completely accept your comment regarding VA power…

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Just worked out mine for a 250, NZ$ 45/year. I wonder how much the 555PS and SC are in standby? I also have a Heed PS (size of HiCAP) on my headphone amp that I leave powered on too….

I used to have a Heed CanAmp.

It was like a little radiator.

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Yes, it does get toasty. But needs to be hot to sound its’ best.

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In the shop (going back 25 years here), we always rushed around turning off all amps at night except specifically Naim and Linn preamps. All sources also off except Naim CD players.

For a booked demonstration, everything had to be powered up at least an hour ahead of time. If a Naim preamp was, for some reason, switched off, we gave it 48hrs re warm up before considering it demo ready.

Since moving to a class A tube amp, the in use consumption is higher than my 7 box Naim system but it has to be powered off when not in use so overall the consumption is less.

I’d stick with the always on policy from Naim but if you must turn things off, to mitigate performance I’d turn off power amps and sources at night and keep just a preamp juiced. Make power on in the morning or the second you come home from work part of a routine.

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Great point Clive. I have been busy walking around our home switching unnecessary electrical appliances off. I’m surprised when viewing our energy suppliers app in conjunction with the smart meters what little affect switching things off has on our overall consumption. Short of turning off the fridge/freezer and not using oven, dishwasher and washing machine I can’t see what else is drawing so much…doh…maybe I’ve answered my own question!! Suffice to say we have very little switched on. I will continue to monitor.