2 amplifiers, 1 pair of speakers

You can buy some Niles speaker switch from onecall.com to hook 2 amps into one set of speakers without worry about getting shorted .I use them switches to run 3 amps into my
HT speakers system and have plenty of choices .Yes you can do that too.

Kr4 speaks great wisdom! You will N-E-V-E-R want to put yourself into a situation where one amp's output might have a chance to to into another amp.

Nope. don't even ask why as you just might wind up outsmarting your self. Busted amps and possible fires are not worth it.

Oh, and don't play with matches, either.

Zoya. I would like have more information on what you did. We have been trying to devise some diy solution but haven't gotten very far with it yet.

Good ideas. Thanks. To answer the first question, No to the 5 way binding posts.
To the second concern, the Sony is only connected to the center ch., rear surrounds and sub. The L/R are connected to the Cary. Thats the issue. It means that the Cary must be powered for movies or the radio etc. and he would prefer to save the tubes for dedicated 2 channel and the Sony running the movies and the background times.
Newbee. This is the obvious answer but he is a man who relishes, nay, demands the convenience of a simple switch. Though I bet in the end the switch will cost him the price of a second set of cables. Likewise, switching at the amp end is a great problem because his system is in a built-in shelf and is VERY difficult to manoeuver. (I helped him install everything and don't want to mess with the cables back there again in this lifetime.)

Thanks Zoya. I will check into your post.

So there are no good quality switches out there?

Hi Kr4,

I am not an electrician or anything close to that. Can you explain -- "... even when off, the amp will load the other." What's the effects to sound quality.

Because that's exactly what I am doing. Marantz 9 amps to my Focus Audio FS-888 (and Arragon amp for late night session so I don't worry about burning up the tubes.)

I agree with Kr4's 1st paragraph! Been there, done that, and fortunately I just blew a fuse in one of the amps! :-(

I now run two sets of cables from different amps using banana plugs. Far superior to introducing a switching devise and only a small bit of work to unplug one set of bananas and plug in the other. Personally I can't hear a difference between spades and bananas. If your amps are next to each other and accept bananas you can plug them into and out of the appropriate amp and use spades at the speaker for a more secure connection and have only one set of cables.

Do not connect both amps to the speakers at the same time, even if only one is on at a time. First, even when off, the amp will load the other. Second, can you really be certain you will NEVER make the mistake of powering both?

Options:
1) Get a speaker selector switch and wire it backwards as an amp selector.
2) Use the tube amp all the time for the L/R.

I've recently done similar project and had a thread posted here, perhaps you'll find some answers helpfull:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?htech&1079220557&openfrom&1&4#1
If you interested I will send you a picture and a more detailed description of the switch that I had put together.

Do his speaker's have 5 way binding posts? If so, maybe he could run one set of speaker cables from the Cary for music (say using spade lugs), and another set of speaker cables from the Sony (say using bananas). As long as only one unit is on at a time, he should be okay doing this. The cables need not be the same length or manufacturer. Just an idea.

Cheers,
John