Unfortunately it does not. I tried every combination of keys on the remote - nothing turns it on and off with discrete codes. I also went through every IR database entry for Kenwood that seemed likely. This is just in case there is a hidden command that is not on the remote. Nothing seems to work.

ie just to state the problem more clearly. The Power button for this amplifier toggles. Click once - on, click again - off. So you have no idea where the amp is at any point. I can see that having variables (ie the MX-950) would be useful, but still no guarantee.

Since the amp is pivotal to the whole system (ie it is used by everything and must always be on for every activity), it is important to get it turned on.

I suspect that this must be a fairly common problem for professional installers. How do you get around it?