Well, I found two Leviton switches that seem to meet my needs - model 16293WI for a wall switch with ultra-quiet relay, and model 6343WI for a dimmer switch with soft on/fade off. Both feature true rocker action (top ON, bottom OFF) which is something I want. :-) Since the rest of the switches in the house are Leviton it makes sense to continue with them.

I still haven't found an IR to X-10 converter I really like. Is the IR543 console unit the only one? Period?