Is there a way to switch one set of speakers between two sound systems?

alaskaman: Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I solved my problem the hard way.  I've ordered an Ayre EX-8 integrated that includes all the functionality I'd need to switch between its internal amp and an alternate signal path.

And that's just icing.  I spent two months in excruciatingly deep research and couldn't find anything that competed with the Ayre box.  I'd initially considered the big names that come up here all the time -- Levinson, ARC, PrimaLuna, Luxman, Hegel -- but when you really dig into it, Ayre's products are right up there with the best of the $8-20K boxes when it comes to sonics.  And when you consider functionality and connectivity, only Hegel is in the same class.  So going with this $11K box was financially painful, but it seems to have solved every connectivity and compatibility problem I'd had.  Factor in the company's incredible support -- I actually had a chance to chat for 45 minutes with the chief designer -- and Ayre turned out to be an easy choice.  Too bad the Ayre name doesn't come up more frequently here.  The late founder Charlie Hansen was a brilliant guy -- imagine a 24lb 100+ wpc Class A/AB integrated loaded with every option imaginable, even an external clock output.and headphone amp & modular DAC that are actually competitive with separates.

OK, off my soapbox.  I'm in honeymoon mode now, so you'll have to forgive my enthusiasm.

Thanks for your suggestion, though.

deep+333: Well, that sounds like an option.  I saw a lot of $50-150 switching boxes on Amazon, etc., but obviously that's not what I was looking for.  I'll take a look at the Luxman and if I buy one and it does degrade the sound, $500 isn't the end of the world.  Thanks!

I see that Adcom & Van Alstine also made switching boxes -- all discontinued now, of course! -- but it's possible that some of them switch speakers, not amps.

gpgr4blu: That’s an interesting suggestion. But I think that there would be interaction between the output stages (and the cables) in most cases, even if one amp was powered down.

I see Beresford also made a similar device. I guess they’re out there, but I’m not so sure that inserting any but the most exceptionally designed box at this point in the signal path would be a good idea.

Still, the Luxman is worth a try if no better options emerge. The Japan distributor seems to no longer be active, but there are used boxes on eBay, as was mentioned earlier, in the $500 range.  Which is pretty close to free, by today's audiophile standards.

deep+333: I see that Luxman also made what appears to be a stripped-down version with remote (the AS-50R) that is selling "new" for $300-350.

The deeper I get into this, the more it seems as though it’s not a good idea. While some people are giving me some very good suggestions, just as many are telling me (here & elsewhere) that a switch box is to be avoided at all costs.

So maybe it’s not time for Plan B afer all.

I dunno, I’m not sure why this would be such a formidable engineering feat. How does the functionality I’m looking differ from that built into any integrated that includes a discrete headphone amp?

boomerbillone: Yes, I used to be a hobbyinst, building, updating, & restoring tube gear & electrostatic speakers.  But I'm afraid that I"m too old for that now.  The last time I held a soldering iron, my hands were simply too shaky to work safely.

"Surrender the things of youth"

deep+333: Your last comment is right on the money.  Unfortunately, I don't have that option.  I can only buy without actually hearing beforehand, not even a showroom demo.

FWIW, I'm learning that the Ayre EX-8 integrated may make all these questions moot.  So I'm seriously considering going that route.  That box has some very unique functionality.  And what's really amazing is that this 100/170 wpc integrated, weighing only 24 pounds, is NOT Class D!

The reasons why my research is leading me to believe that my original idea wouldn't have been a good fit are:

i) We’d be switching as many as several times a day. That’s a lot of wear and tear on connectors and cable if manually plugging & unplugging each time (to say nothing of accessibility to the rear of components mounted in a rack)

ii) Much of the switching would be done by family members when I'm not around, some of whom are not as careful as I’d like

iii) If I did go with a tube amp, manually unplugging cables would just be too  risky.  Too much chance of a cable switch being done wrong, resulting in tube gear operating without load. Pow, thousands of dollars of sophisticated gear back to the factory

iv) I’ve found only a few switching boxes that are ostensibly audiophile-grade, and I think all of them -- Van Alstine, Luxman, Adcom, etc., are no longer actively marketed or supported in the U.S. The inexpensive boxes on Amazon -- as well as DIY projects -- are too scary. Like some of you, I might luck out & pick one that works. But there’s just too much risk of dead time between switch positions, pickup noise, sound-altering connectors & internal cabling, or even a fatal manufacturing defect. Don’t laugh about that last concern. 4 or 5 years ago, I bought some inexpensive Pangea speaker cables -- something like $100-200 for 2 meters -- on Amazon. When I plugged them in, no bass. I at first thought that they just needed to be broken in, but it took only another minute of listening to realize that they had been wired out of phase. If something that obvious can slip through the cracks of an off-brand product, even if that product is marketed as "audiophile-friendly," a cold solder joint is hardly out of the question.

I’ve spent so much time, effort, and money carefully selecting each component in my system, all of this falls into the category of "the odds are against it, but the stakes are high." So I’m gonna have to abandon the idea.  I'm glad I posted the question in this forum before just barrelling ahead.

The good news is that I’m discovering that a few higher-end integrateds offer functionality that lets me accomplish the same goal that the two-amp-switching solution was intended to. There are other ways to automatically switch signal paths without having two power amplifiers physically connected to the same speakers.

So even though I wound up deciding that what I wanted to do was not the best solution for my specific set-up, I'm far from dead in the water. And the opportunity to discuss this at length with so many knowlegable peers here was a valuable part of my investigation. Thanks, everybody!

tony1954:  I think you forgot to put a "Yes, I'm just being silly" emoji at the end of your posting.

And you forgot to mention buying a new house as a third option.  ><Yes, I'm just being silly emoji>>