Hi, new here. Am considering purchasing a Harmony remote (probably a 680 or 659), but am concerned may not be able to do what I want it to, considering the strange configuration of my system. For the most part, my system is a typical basic configuration with TV, receiver, DVD, CD changer, etc.. However, and here's the strange part: I use a 2nd preamp (Rotel RTC-970) for control of my subwoofers. Why I do it this way is another story, but this is the way I have it setup and is likely to stay this way for a while until I replace the subwoofers. The RTC-970 is an older surround preamp (prologic only). I only need the remote to turn the RTC-970 on with the rest of the system, place it in "Stereo" mode, switch it to Aux input, and give me the option of adjusting the volume control on it if need be.

I'm not worried that the RTC-970 won't be in Logitech's equipment database. I'm just concerned that, being a piece of equipment that is being used in a spot in the system other than where the Harmony software would expect it would be, may throw a glitch in the whole process. Would the Harmony's software just let me program the RTC-970 in as a remote controlled subwoofer? Or do I need to be looking at another brand of remote that is more device based rather than activity based?

Have you messed around with the Harmony Test Drive on the logitech website yet? I don't see any reason the Harmony could not do what you need it to, but the best way to find out is simply go setup a testdrive account and find out for yourself.

Adding an additional device to an activity is no big deal at all.

In this case, you'll probably want to think of Aux-Stero as an input and tell the remote to send both commands when switching to the Aux input. (Or if Stereo is a discrete command (i.e. there are separate Stereo and Mono keys), you can add it to the beginning of each activity, but I doubt this is the case.)

Once the device is added to an activity, you can map any buttons you want to it (in this case, probably the LCD screen "soft" buttons.)

Note: This level of setup is beyond the test drive's level of configurability. The test drive will only tell you if the RTC-970 is already in the database.

With a Harmony - you may well find that you never have a reason to replace the RTC-970 as it will be integrated into the system seamlessly.

Thanks much for the answers. That takes away my concern, didn't really know how flexible it was for this type of thing.

I'll be ordering a Harmony as soon as I decide which model to get.

A number of people post here and ask how to turn the TV's speakers on and off, and after a little discussion realize that they can just use their reciever all the time now. (Some have a legit need for the TV speakers.)