Turning off rear switch is not recommended for best DAC performance.
Turning off via remote or blue button, only puts unit into standby and turns off the display.
Those concerned about electrical consumption can do as they please, of course.
Ron
If true, that is unfortunate. Would there be a way, via a firmware/OS update, to reduce power consumption in standby mode?
Understand and appreciate the idea - as a light-turner-offer whenever I leave a room, but it is SO easy to expend vast multiples of that energy in other ways, it ain’t even funny.
Many sorts of devices also suffer shortened life span by being turned off and on daily - and then how do you calculate the impact of the hardware device lifespan…sent in to have parts replaced via truck or airplane, burning gas, using other sorts of resources…or simply being replaced with another hardware device with all the production energy expenditures that entails?
Electricity still boggles my mind with its efficiency. And we still don’t really get how it works. Biggest, most efficient gift to the human race there is at this point. We can certainly argue the merits of the various means of producing that electricity, but in the grand scheme of things, it is like a gift from an alien civilization.
5 Likes
Paul talked about this in September.
Ron
my concern would be the screen light burning out if never put into stand by…perhaps i am wrong to worry about that?
Or a gift from God…
Use the Dim button on the remote.
1 Like
I don’t know. But we should ask @tedsmith. But I do not think that it can be solved with a firmware update. The question would be which electrical components of a device really need to be kept powered up. And if the sound really so eminently rises. As far as I’ve stated, Snowmass behaves here unlike Redcloud. In fact, at Redcloud, I had the feeling that the DSD needed 3 hours before it was up to operating temperature. At Snowmass I see that at about 1 hour (IMHO with MY ears).
Regardless, other components do not work differently. My Linn Akurate DSM/III has the same power consumption like the DSD. As well as operating as in standby.
But: I have (amongst other things) also a Burmester 877 preamp. Still very good (and beautiful) preamp. It has exactely the same power consumtion while running or in standby than (for example) the DSD. But: There are 20 years difference in development time. Is there really no progress in 20 years? Or does nobody take this topic seriously?
Example: In the living room I have a KDL-52HX905 TV. He needs 20 watts in standby. Only for shining a red light in front. Luckily he has a real on and off switch. For some years we have the so-called EU Ecodesign Directive. It prescribes a consumption of 1 Watt in standby. Which saves 3.5 billion euros per year after a calculation. And so my Samsung TV UE65HU8590V as a matter of fact consumes less than 1 Watt in standby. And the Sony does not start better or faster and the picture is not better than the Samsung. Only the standby consumption is higher.
20 years difference in device development. And no difference in the power consumption during standby. Hmm…
2 Likes
I don’t speak for all PS Audio products but in the case of the DS warm up is literally warm up - getting everything to it’s steady state temperature. In making the DS less sensitive to temperature changes I also (inadvertently) made it take much longer to get to temperature (hence the longer than usual break-in people report for the DS.) There really isn’t a subset of hardware that can be turned off to get a lower standby current. (Not entirely unexpected, the output is passive so it’s always unpowered.) In a handwaving sense if we wanted low power in standby and a quick warmup we’d need to add heating elements 
I’m sure that a different design point could be chosen, but only one watt in standby is low enough that it’s essentially the same as powered off compared to keeping things in steady state.
[Edit] I should add that the DS Jr is a slightly different story: the bridge (and some other hardware) can be powered off and AFAIK is powered off in standby. The Jr is also much warmer than the DS and does get to steady state temperature more quickly.
3 Likes
Thanks for the power consumption insights, Ted and Jo, very interesting.
As a random data point for what is probably an apples-to-oranges comparison, here are the power consumption specs for my Bryston 4B3 power amp:
Really efficient in standby mode (which is where it is on average 22+ hours per day). But when it is rocking my four-Ohm Maggies . . . not so much!
No I am all good, I tell mine to go to sleep and she stays asleep.
Thanks! We are still trying to figure out what’s different between Red Cloud and Snowmass in this regard or if there even is something different.
Thank you, quite revealing. Here is the consumption of my McIntosh MA9000.
Standby less 0,25 Watts
Idle Self measured: About 70 Watts on average.
Full Output: May be just 1 kw, but I never get anywhere in that direction.
And here the Consumption of my Burmester 911 poweramp.
Standby 3 Watts.
Idle Self measured: About 70 Watts on average.
Full Output: 750 Watts, but I never tried that. Not nearly.
1 Like
Thanks. All these anecdotes help us narrow down this bug we cannot seem to recreate.
1 Like
So, I think the DS cost us about 10 cents/day in the US for electricity.
Ron
Your total wattage adds to: 30 Watts.
Let’s convert this number to kiloWatts by dividing by 1000, to get 0.03 kiloWatts.
These devices, that have been on for 24 hours, have consumed
0.03 Watts × 24 hours = 0.72 kWh (kiloWatt-hour) of energy.
Finally, since energy costs you $0.14/kiloWatt-hour, these devices have costed you:
0.72 kWh × $0.14f/kWh = $0.10
There is nothing to add to your calculation. You are absolutely right. But other countries, other costs.
In Germany it costs about 20 cent/day. That are 73,38 € which are 83,42$ in one year. For ONE device.
But that’s just half the truth. If I now calculate all my devices that I should operate according to the manufacturer in standby, then I’m at 150 Watts/day which are 417,12 $ a year. I do not know how you earn your money. I’m a hardworker. And one thing I hate to do: To burn my money to electricity-companies.
But even that is not nearly in the vicinity of the truth. Do not just calculate with you and me. Calculate every device PS Audio have ever sold. And not PS Audio allone, but any other company that manufactures entertainment equipment. Which (allegedly) all are supposed to stay on.
But even now we are not at the truth. I’ll tell you my truth. If I left all these (my) devices on standby, they would consume 150 watts per day. This corresponds to an energy of 1.310,40 kWh. That corresponds to 691 kg CO2. Only for the standby of my devices. And now calculate it with all ever sold PS Audio devices or better, with all ever sold standby devices.
This earth does not exist only for me. It belongs to all people. Also the future ones. And we have a responsibility for how we handle it. Rethinking takes place in the mind. And not in the consideration that it is only 10 cent per day. It’s not a question of whether I can afford it. It’s a question of whether I can take responsibility for it. That’s my point of view and here we come close to the truth.
6 Likes
Is it not just to switch off the power in the back if bothers you?
1 Like
Since this is an audio forum, I’m not going to discuss/debate a products carbon footprints impact on the earth and whether it is or isn’t a real important value to ones life.
I’m really happy with the sonic signature improvement of Snowmass and look forward to further refinement.
Happy Listening!
Ron
Me neither
We have a 4.8 Kw solar array on our south facing roof. What the gear doesn’t consume in standby or powered up gets sold back to the grid. Should help to keep ManBearPig at bay 
(sorry folks - just watched the latest “Time to Get Cereal” episodes on SouthPark).