Basic seperate amp questions... (1 Viewer)

[Chris Demaree]

I am the proud owner of a Parasound amp (85wpcx5), but I have a couple questions
How does the 12v trigger work, exactly? Will it power the amp on (same as turning it on via the power switch) and off as the source providing the trigger is powered on/off? Any drawbacks to using a 12v trigger (providing that the triggering equimpment supports the needed voltage)?
Is it better to leave the amp powered on all the time or to turn it on/off as needed (to prevent heat build-up)? It will likely be used 5-6 nights a week 1-4 hours at a time?
And a question that just occured to me.....
If an A/V rack/stand containing a 42lb amp, 32lb receiver, 250lb TV, 100lbs of wood and 50lbs of miscellanious equipment, cableing and speakers fell on the viewer (killing him/her); would it make the local news?

 

[ColinM]

Basically, the 12v is just a handshake between the 2 saying, "hey, I'm on, wake up". The rec./pre-pro you have may/may not have a compatible 12v 'send', which simply takes the Parasound out of 'standby'. I don't know the technical descriptions....d'oh

I use my system about the same as you, and my external amp stays cool when it's on all the time, so I leave it on.

If your amp runs warm when it's idle and on, you may be better off leaving it off.

If it stays cool, leave it on.

Cool = on

Warm = off

My opinion.....Have fun!

About the rack - check your insurance policy!

 

[Jay H]

Right, with the 12v DC trigger, typically from a preamp, you can simply turn your preamp on (and presumably your source) and the amp will turn on. However, you entirely need your preamp to have a 12v DC out although it is the easiest way. Any 12v DC source can trigger it, one can always get a AC to DC 12v output from Radio Shack and convert the output to bare wire to feed to the screw terminals on your Parasound amp. You can then put that on a switched outlet like on some HT related surge suppressors to turn the amp on. It powers on the amp the same way as if you just walked up to it and switched it on. There is no drawbacks to useing that versus using the switch, unless you want to be real anal and say that the switch is being used if you're not using the 12v trigger.

And a question that just occured to me.....
If an A/V rack/stand containing a 42lb amp, 32lb receiver, 250lb TV, 100lbs of wood and 50lbs of miscellanious
equipment, cableing and speakers fell on the viewer (killing him/her); would it make the local news?

Yes, but not for the reason you think it would be. Why on earth would you be watching your HT system anywhere near where the rack would fall on you?? Most people tend to sit back from a rack so that it has no chance of falling on you if it tipped over..... And your speakers (at least your front mains) should not be on your rack to begin with.
Jay

 

[Kevin Deacon]

I have the Parasound HCA-2200II 2 channel and the HCA-2003A 3 channel. When my amps are idle they are warm to touch(the 2200II is almost hot) , therefore drawing current, which in turn is costing me/you money on the power bill. I don't find it too much of a hassle to manually turn them on.

Last night I sat down to calibrate my system and when no sound was coming through the speakers I was dumbfounded. I switched through the sources on the pre/pre, I fired up a cd, I fired up a dvd, but still no sound. Duh, duh, duh, I forgot to turn on the amps. What an idiot!!!

 

[Bill Kane]

Radio Shack has several $12 12V senders -- 300MA/500MA- and a selection of mini-plugs to fit your amps's 12-volt trigger, typically 3.5mm. One can plug it into the pre/pro/AVR Switched Outlet. When the pre/pro powers up, the amp powers on.

In my case, I got a transformer hum in my Left Main, and went to a different system (my separate amp has a built-in AUTO ON feature).