Silly question - has ARC "Warm Up" gotten longer in more recent products?

[BillK]

I recently updated from a Ref Phono 2 SE to a Ref Phono 3 SE, and while I never held a "race" when I had both units here it seems that the flashing "Warm Up" period is rather longer for the newer unit.

Now that could be because it has more tubes inside than the 2 SE, but I would think tubes all warm up at the same rate whether you have six or eight.

Or did ARC decide a little extra time in flashing warm up never hurt anything?

 

[Nemal1]

I have a ref6Se and to be honest never paid to much attention to the start time, more the “sounding it’s best time” which can take around an hour

 

[Pacha]

I went from a Ref 2se to a Ref 5se and I guess I missed any difference in warm up time. Just how much more I loved the music.

 

[Another Johnson]

I noticed the longer warmup for the REF Phono 3 compared to my other ARC warmups.

 

[brad225]

A EE friend upgraded my 610t amps to KT120 from 6550s. The KT120s take about 50% longer than the 6550s to sound good. Usually a bit more than one hour.

I suspect that newer amps and preamps that use KT120 and KT150 might take a bit longer.

 

[2fastdriving]

Ref6SE takes like 30 seconds to start up, but the Ref160 monos take 90 seconds, I think.

As far as sound quality, I feel they sound 90% cold, but I can definitely sense that last 10% improvement after an hour or so. Very subjective, though.

 

[Lee]

It's been fairly consistent for me. Best results in 45-60 minutes.

 

[Another Johnson]

It's been fairly consistent for me. Best results in 45-60 minutes.

Yes, certainly the warmup to best performance is in that ballpark.

The Ref phono 3 and 3SE do take longer than the other Ref gear before the forced mute expires, but if you’re waiting for the actual warmup, this short extra delay is a moot point.

I turn the phono preamp on first, and by the time I’ve got the other gear going and a record on the table, this slight extra forced mute has never been a bother.

 

[BillK]

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking power on to music out.

 

[Lee]

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking power on to music out.

Seems maybe a little longer with 6SE than the 5SE I had.

 

[tima]

I'm vaguely recalling there is a computer in the preamps and phonos -- at least a processor, and algorithms that are based on a version of a Microsoft operating system, along with controlling the screen, option selections and diagnostics. So there could be a boot time for that, which might yield a slightly longer time to come on-line as funtionality is added to new versions.

 

[brad225]

My 40th ann Pre goes, into mute after about 30 seconds. My 610t amps take 3 minutes to into mute mode after turning them on. ,

 

[Another Johnson]

I think the answer to the OP’s concern is that what he has experience is perfectly normal.