Is It Safe To Connect Speakers To Two Amps??


i've got a combined HT and 2-Channel rig whereby my mains and subs function in both. i'm currently using the traditional connection scheme whereby the HT processor sends signals to the mains via the pre outs to my preamp (in bypass mode) then on to my main power amps, then on to the speakers.

if i wanted to bypass my preamp and main power amps althogther (it's a shame to burn tube hours on movies), is it safe to simply connect my main speakers to the HT processor via speaker level connections if they are also connected to my main power amps concurrently? only one amp - HT processor OR main amps - would be running at a time.

any inputs would be greatly appreciated.
128x128srosenberg
if both amps had automatic speaker disconnect relays in them, and you were extremely careful, presumably a setup like this could work. but it's an accident waiting to happen. As mentioned.. when accidentally both amps are powered on at once.

If you wanted to install a manual high quality A/B speaker selector switch... while a bit of a kludge, I guess it'd work.
06-19-11: Rwwear
"Niles Audio makes a signal sensing automatic switch just for this purpose."

Here is the Niles switcher that was referred to:

http://www.nilesaudio.com/images/PDF/SPK-1_Cutsheet.pdf

http://www.onecall.com/product/Niles/SPK-1-Black/Speaker-Switching-Device/_/R-867

Bill
No, it's way to risky. I don't know how the Niles is made, so I wouldn't risk it. A lot of switches are made with solid state only in mind. And you did mention tubes. First off, with any switch, the plus and minus both should be isolated, through the whole switching device.

With tube amps involved, there should be a load resistor on a tube amp when the switch is in the other amps position. That way there would be a lot less risk. Even if your careful enough to not make a mistake. If you switch off the tube amp to turn on the SS amp for the TV, the switch needs to have a load(load resistor) on the tube amp. The reason would be the tube amp power supply would hold a lot of voltage stored in it when turned off, and any little noise could cause the output transformers to short out. This noise could happen during the switching, or a tube or other part while cooling down. It needs a dummy load, or speaker load on it all the time, just in case there is that voltage stored in it. It is quite common for tube amps to hold that reserve voltage, for unknown lengths of time. To many unknowns make this a risk. That relay system might have zero protection for this.
if my primary reason was to protect a quality tube amp in the first place, I definitely would not risk it.