I think that is a very good habit to have. My CD player has an automatic play on start up and I don't want to get suprised by a blast of sound I'm not expecting. The good thing is I can set my pre/ pro to any level I want on power up. It also helps that my main front amp has a soft start feature. Two main transformers and a third for start up. As far as longevity is concerned it probably isn't going to hurt.