Using a 12v 'trigger' cable to turn gear on/off?

Anyone doing this? I've been buying gear for 40 years and have never even considered such a thing.

But I'm reading the manual on my PS Audio BHK Signature preamp and it says it has a 12v trigger output. And my Benchmark AHB2 has a 12v trigger input.

So... hook up a cable and when I turn on preamp on/off it turns on/off the power amp? Is that how this works?

Any thoughts on doing this? Seems it would be a minor but nice convenience. I could put the power amp away in my cabinet somewhere.

 

I have my amp and preamp hooked up this way. It’s the best way to go.

 

Yep, powering up a small power amp via 12v trigger wire from my Marantz AV receiver.

 

My Brystons do it, if your amps can then why not.

 

Incredible what technology can do these days, isn't it?

 

It is nice. My AVR controls my amps on and off and I like it.

 

I do this whenever possible. I find that when switching between brands that it doesn't always work. For example when I wanted to turn on my Arcam HT amp the trigger from my McIntosh prepro won't work. I needed to purchase a separate McIntosh power strip with a McIntosh trigger switch to make it work.

 

I’m looking at making a 12v relay for my amp that doesn’t have a trigger input. Should be a standard feature.

 

It's working fine with the PS Audio and Benchmark. That combination, btw..... is staggeringly good. Best setup I've ever had, by a wide margin.

 

I have my amp hooked up to my preamp this way - 12V on/ off. Works great. Turn off the preamp (in this case an AVR) and my amp goes off also.

The amp also has the ability to trigger on sound - if no sound going through the amp, it'll shut down in 10 min.

Actually my subwoofer has a similar sonic feature, which I love, my subs shut down until they receive a signal and then come back to life... it is built into the sub and does not require external cabling though.

 

There are a lot of power centers that can offer this as well. Both my Furman’s do it.

 

It's a very nice feature IMO and definitely use it. However; mono trigger cables may not provide the full feature of the components you use. In my case, stereo triggers operate component turn on and meters -- monos, if used would only operate the turn on feature. Check your manual, but if in doubt and not clear, stereo triggers would probably be best option.



Best Sirs,

Bob

 

You might also look for a used Parasound SCAMP unit. That thing will trigger from almost any signal and has two AC outlets.

 

Both of my Krell amps run with a trigger. If I select a 2 channel input, my 3 channel amp turns off. And then back on if I choose a blu-ray or cable. It's pretty simple stuff and I love the convenience.

 

I use one between my McInstosh preamp and amplifier. I also run one from my AVR to my preamp, which not only turns on the preamp and amp when I switch on the AVR, it also puts the preamp into "Passthru" mode.

A trick for McInstosh owners - using a mono cable between your AVR and preamp/integrated amp disables the meter lights in Passthru mode. A mono cable can also be used between the preamp and amp if you want to disable the green LEDs on an MC275, for example.

 

I turn on the sub amp in my office system this way. Works great very convenient!

Look up the Russound ACT-1 before making one. It works great. That's what I use in my basement to remotely power the sub amp that I have there which that doesn't have a 12v trigger input.

Never knew this - I tried using the 12V trigger for my Rotel Rcc-1055 in my living room and it didn't work right, I couldn't figure out why - I had always assumed that mono cables were always used for 12v triggers. I will try this!

I wonder what the specs are for the 12v output - it would be neat to use the 12v trigger cable to power a phono preamp with a DC 12v power input instead of a wall wart.

 

Does the 12v trigger effectively remove the 'power amp on last, off first' sequencing? I do that for the theory/basis of better protection of speakers, but now haver a 12v trigger option.... is it in any way a bad idea?

 

Not with any of my gear. It just powers on and off depending on when the signal is sent from the receiver. On my AVRs where I'm using the 12V power trigger feature it's selectable by source - select a source and it powers on - select off that source and it powers off. However, it's possible that more sophisticated pre-amp only implementations are smart about this; these are just AV receivers I'm using.

 

When I had external amps hanging of an AV receiver I used triggers to power cycle the amps. I have since simplified my setup and just use an AVR now. My main focus is on a separate two-channel system for music. That's a Naim system and stays on all the time.

 

I tried the trigger. Turning the power amp on separately (last) and there's a quiet/gentle 'whoomp' noise through the speakers. Turn either amp on first with the trigger in place - or via the remote which is for the preamp - and there's another noise also, presumably the pre. So the sequencing seems lost. Doesn't sound a bad or damaging noise but I'll check with Quad all the same... Cheers.

 

Been doing this for years. Sooo much better than manually shutting down power amps (and I used to forget to shut them down). Currently, my Parasound Halo P6 is triggered to my 2 channel amp and my Anthem AVM60 is triggered to my 3-channel amp and then daisy-chained to my 2-channel Dolby Atmos speakers. I've always had a 'thud' (R/L Channels) but it's nothing to worry about.

 

Cool - thanks Cliff

 

Question: can can I turn my amp on through a"flasher input?". Or it's only for a IR controller?

 

Snorker, this is exactly what I am looking to do. The McIntosh manual is a bit confusing on the setup for triggers so I was hoping you could help steer me in the right direction. I haven’t purchased the equipment yet but am considering a C47 preamp and MC302 or similar preowned legacy models to connect to my Marantz SR7013. I want the stereo separates to turn on and switch to the correct input when they sense a signal from the corresponding source via trigger. My inputs are limited to the AVR (to be set up on Passthru) and a streaming device to be connected via coax. What should my trigger connections look like and how do I configure this in the preamp to make sure it will work? Want to understand this before I decide on the product, as this functionality is a huge factor.

 

It's easier than it appears in the manual. It should be: Marantz trigger 1 out -> C47 "passthru" trigger in, then C47 "main" trigger out to ->MC302 trigger in. If you want the meter lights on the McIntosh pieces to be disabled in passthru mode use mono trigger cables, otherwise use regular stereo ends.

Also, the C47 lets you set which input is "passthru" so you just run the RCA interconnect from Marantz pre out, front-> whatever input you set as "passthru" on the C47, e.g. 1, 2 or 3 on the unbalanced inputs.