When the Cascade system is powered down using the front power button, the Digital Director reverts to standby power - the Digital Director has no power button. Previously, on the Cascade specifications sheet it was specified the standby power consumption of the DD is 17 watts.
I noticed that the top chassis of the DD is warm to the touch when the Cascade DAC has been powered off and not in use overnight.
Is it the standby mode of the DD is to continuously keep all the components all warmed up for optimum performance once we start playing music? 
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Good question. I really miss a master power switch, like those ones that are near the power inlet. Sometimes, I am out for a long time, and I prefer to turn off on these occasions.
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When i am away for an extended period, i usually completely shut down the whole system at the dedicated MCBs on the AC power mains on the DB box.
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@Daniel_Gullman , can you please share with us why the DD requires a high power consumption of 17 watts?
Thank you.
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@Easyglider , the simplest explanation is the DD is completely isolated from the Analog Converter and must maintain slightly higher than normal power to monitor the system. Traditionally, we would have had a 12V trigger, but with the Cascade, we opted away from any wiring that could lead to noise infiltration. When the Analog Converter powers down, the DD turns off as many functions as possible and wait to see when the AC comes back online.
To clarify, this was a design choice we made and everything is working as intended 
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Thank you for explaining, Daniel. 
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@Daniel_Gullman , has MSB considered putting just a power button on the DD without a 12 volt trigger link? The DD and Powerbase can then be powered on separately, manually. Would the Cascade system function properly this way? Or is there any performance difference in terms of sound quality due to the fact that DD is not continuously warmed up and ready to go. 
Thanks.
@Easyglider , we did consider this, but power staggering becomes an issue with independent power controls. Having the system warmed up will definitely yield better performance, especially the analog converter box. The clock in that box takes well over an hour to stabilize its temperature and will continue to sound better over 24 hours. I personally leave my system on (including the amps) 24 hours a day unless I am leaving town! This is maybe around 300 watts overall, and compared to the rest of the house power consumption is small to null. At least those are some of my thoughts on it! Cheers.
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