Power On First/Off Last Device?

gentlemen:
1. the lazy americans i referrred to in my post are me and my family, not the other more conscientious folk on agon
2. to which end, the wife and kids cannot or will not turn down the volume on the preamp before powering off the system nor expend the effort to turn on/off the components in the correct order ( i do notice that, probably because i'm using tubes, i'll still get some power transients even when the volume is tuned down)
3. the adcom ace is precisely the type of device i'm looking for; i see that panamax/furman among others make similar conditioners w/sequencing
as ever, thanks for the feedback

07-23-11: Rlwainwright
I fail to see why it makes much of a difference at all what order you use for turning equipment on and off. If you're worried about power-on transients, simply turn the volume pot on your preamp all the way down while turning the equipment on and off...

The procedure Loomis described is correct. Obviously, the importance of adhering to that procedure will vary depending on the design of the particular components.

Turn-on or turn-off transients may be generated by preamp circuitry that is "after" the volume control, those transients therefore not being affected by the volume setting.

Also, with respect to source components, it is conceivable (although probably unlikely in most cases) that it may be unhealthy for a preamp input stage to be repeatedly exposed to transients from the source components that exceed its internal dc power supply voltages (voltage "rails"), which would be zero when the preamp is off, and therefore exceeded by ANY transient.

Also, given that the preamp is turned on first and off last, turning the volume control down when source components are turned on or off is good practice, to eliminate the possibility of a similar effect occurring at the power amp inputs.

Finally, it should be kept in mind that many power amps may continue to be able to amplify transients that appear at their inputs for a considerable number of seconds after they are turned off.

Regards,
-- Al

I have an inexpensive Monster Power Center that turns on my amp last and off first. As I recall, they made other units with programmable "timing" options allowing you customize the order of shutdown and start-up.

Loomisjohnson, in addition to the old Adcom line conditioners, the Belkin PureAv PF-60 power console has eight outlet banks, each with programmable turn-on delays of 5, 10 or 15 seconds. You could set the outlet bank the amp is plugged into so that it turns on last and off first.

thanks gbart. i did already order an adcom ace and will report results when i get it.