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12-Channel, 24-Speaker Power Amplifier
It's a whole-house distribution amplifier worthy of being called a Parasound. Parasound's ZoneMaster 12 is a great sounding, highly versatile 12-channel, 24-speaker power amplifier for applications from 60 to 150 watts with A and B outputs for all 12 channels. The compact 2U chassis takes up little space, and 2U rack mounting hardware is included in the box.
ZoneMaster is Parasound's new line of high-performance amplifiers for custom installation. ZoneMaster amps combine legendary Parasound Class AB sound quality with the most reliable Class D power modules in the industry. Thanks to its high performance, build quality, and Parasound engineering, ZoneMaster is the new standard in residential and commercial amplification.
Among the ZoneMaster 12's many specialized features are a speaker level input for expanding systems without pre out jacks, two bus inputs that can be routed to any zone, bus loop output jacks for passing audio to another amp, summed Mono mode that combines L and R for single speaker applications, and separate level controls for all twelve channels.
System integration features include independent audio sensing triggers (one for each zone), six independent 12 volt trigger inputs (one for each zone), looping 12 volt trigger outputs for each zone, and a master 12 volt trigger input to turn all zones on-off. Zone 1 (channel 1 and 2) are higher power for more demanding applications. Detachable speaker connectors accept up to 12 gauge wire. ZoneMaster also has short circuit and overheat protection with front panel indicators and 0.5 watt standby power consumption, which meets Energy Star specs.
The Speaker Level Input Connector
The speaker level input is an additional type of audio input that any zone can select as its source. The speaker level input enables the ZoneMaster 12 to connect to any audio receiver or stereo system even if it lacks preamp output jacks.
This is a high impedance input and the ZoneMaster 12s speaker level input can connect to the speaker terminals on any receiver or amplifier. This will not reduce its output power or degrade the sound quality of the speakers that are already connected directly to the host receiver or amplifier. Audio connected to the Speaker Level input connector can be routed to any zone by setting each zones Input switch to the Bus position. Speaker level audio is also converted to line level and routed to the Bus Loop Out jacks which provide a line level output to drive additional amplifiers.
Speaker A and B Outputs
The ZoneMaster 12 is equipped with connections for two speakers on each channel (labeled A and B). This unique feature gives system designers greater flexibility and can usually avoid the added expense, complexity, heat and power consumption of additional amplifiers. The ability of the ZoneMaster 12 to drive two pair of speakers per channel is credited to Parasounds 2 ohm stable high current design.
Typical applications for using both Speaker A and B outputs might include a large living room with four ceiling speakers. Another use for the B speakers could be in a subzone like a bathroom or hallway adjacent to the room where the A speakers are installed. This adjacent subzone might also use a passive in-wall volume control to adjust its listening level separately.
Speaker A and B Impedance
When you select the Stereo Mode the R and L channels are each capable of driving speaker loads as low as 2 ohms. An example of a 2 ohm load is one 4 ohm speaker connected to a channels speaker output A while another 4 ohm speaker is connected to the same channels speaker output B. When driving 2 ohm loads ensure the amplifier has adequate ventilation.
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