In less than one month I got very tired of using the Aragon 8008 BB amplifier without home automation control of the power amplifier as I had with the previously used Hafler 9300. It was wonderful to turn on background music from the moment I get up, and ultimately turn off everything upon going to bed, each with the press of a convenient remote button.
The inconvenience of having to manually turn the amplifier on and off grew even greater in the last few weeks as I've had my new projector screen up most of the time, and that means I have to crawl underneath the screen to turn the amplifier on and off. (BTW, having a video projection system is one of the best things in the world, and it's especially good to have it backed up with high quality audio like my living room stereo. IMO it's not necessary to have 5.1 channels and that sort of thing. I use mixed down stereo from my Oppo BDP-205. It's better to have wonderful 2 channels than mediocre 5 channels. Wonderful 2 channels is often mind blowing compared to what I've heard before on TV speakers, etc. But a big projection screen makes the most difference of all.)
To switch the Hafler amplifier I had been using a standard Insteon On/Off module (all my Insteon modules are controlled by my highly programmable Universal Devices ISY994i--without which I would never have standardized on Insteon) and the On/Off module had worked fine for several years switching the Hafler several times a day until I burned out the Hafler itself doing some speaker testing on an arcing Acoustat. I've switched to using the Aragon amplifier which I'm thinking now I might like better anyway. (And the arcing speaker is now in my repair "queue").
With my ISY994i home controller, I control everything within my home with my own programming (which is endlessly being expanded and improved by me) and I do not rely on any external "cloud" like the "Insteon Cloud" which was abandoned by its sadly collapsing manufacturer a few years ago but might be back now under user managed support. I never trusted "clouds" anyway and personally I avoid using "clouds" whenever I can. When I upgrade my Universal Devices controller to a newer version I will be able to handle other home control protocols such as Zwave. But for now, Insteon is all my home control system can support, and Insteon modules are still widely available on eBay and are sometimes being sold off in huge lots for cheap, so it's hardly worth migrating to anything else yet. The biggest advantage Insteon had was the wide array of different kinds of modules that work together, and low prices (compared to Creston and the like). Controlled with a Universal Devices home controller, you can make a collection of Insteon devices do just about anything. I now have about 40 Insteon devices automating my home, and they either work perfectly or I change the programming until they do (adding more repeats or waits if needed). One advantage of this kind of barely working system is that it's fairly unhackable. Nobody outside my home could reliably gain control of anything except my Universal Devices controller, which itself is fairly secure and also fairly obscure. However I'm willing to give up that security advantage when I migrate to newer devices which may be wifi controlled, that's also secure enough IMO.
I knew from both the ratings and previous experience that it was not good to use Insteon modules with the Aragon amp. Last time I tried using an Insteon module with the Aragon, the Insteon module started acting very funky within a few days, turning it self on and off randomly. I had a similar experience with an Insteon module switching my 1000 watt amateur radio power supply.
And the ratings of the Insteon (15A resistive, 3/4 HP) are not encouraging because the Aragon is anything but a resistive load, especially when it's being turned on and off. With it's two 1100 VA transformers, the startup load of the Aragon quite possibly exceeds 15A for a brief instant upon turn on. My calculation suggests around 18 amps (2200VA / 120V).
There aren't many automatic AC switches that advertise handling more than 15A. Furman makes a 20A trigger switched dual output (CN-20MP) but it's extremely pricey ($394) and it uses an actual 20A plug with the horizontal blade that doesn't fit into standard 15A outlets. I'd need to get a new outlet, which raises three additional issues: (1) cost for installation by electricians, (2) I detest 20A outlets because in my experience the greater number of "angles" causes more arcing when you plug into them, and (3) the amplifier circuit currently uses my favorite Pass & Seymour 15A industrial grade wall outlets which grip tighter than anything else--except, and often unfortunately, Insteon On/Off module outlets, you have to pull on plugs so hard to get them out it can break the module--Insteon should have made stronger cases for their modules--I've broken about 5 of them--and I had never physically broken a single X10 module prior to migrating to Insteon, the problem was that X10 just no longer worked in a home filled with switching power supplies.
Furman also makes a 15A model which gets around the 20A plug issues (CN-15MP), but would it be robust enough? (My guess is probably, but it also is very expensive, just a bit less than the 20A model, it lists for $350 though sometimes is sold for around $250). And there is another company (Lowell) which makes 15A and 20A switchers which are much like the Furman units except 40% lower in price, which is still a lot, and the 20A version has the same plug issue.
Then I realized I already had in my junk pile an Xantech AC-1, nominally rated at 15A. Checking out it's detailed ratings, I see now it can handle up to 30A peak inrush current. Well that's exactly what I need.
(The Xantech is considerably more expensive than an Insteon On/Off Module, and is much simpler, having only a DC trigger input to switch the output. But it's a very robust looking metal box. Sadly these are no longer made, but can still be found. Before they were discontinued, they were priced about the same as the 15A Lowell units and less than the Furman ones. There are also AC switchers made by Niles which look about the same as the Xantech.)
So I hooked it up. To generate the 12V DC trigger voltage, I used a Sony 12V AC adapter (rated at 300mA, an old unit originally intended for charging portable telephones) which itself is switched on and off with an Insteon On/Off module. That gave a very nice 1 second delay from turn-off to amplifier shutdown, indicating some degree of regulation in the AC adapter and thus an ability to ride out tiny power glitches. (Unregulated AC adapters can sometimes keep the rated voltage for minutes, which is inconvenient if you are trying to use them to generate DC trigger voltages).
It's working great, and I expect it will last a long time since it seems to be used within ratings.
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Without some kind of automatic switching it's tedious to try to keep background music running most of the time, and I am more and more believing that is a good idea.
I think it is very good to have background music running nearly all of the time (except when you are watching movies or doing "serious listening"). As long as the music doesn't include words it rarely interferes with concentration either.
