Jordan O'BrienParasound has introduced the ZoneMaster 1250 a 12-channel amplifier that has been designed for custom installers building multi-room audio and modular home cinema systems; especially Dolby Atmos.
By utilising a Class AB input stage and Class D power stage, Parasound says that the ZoneMaster 1250’s power amplifier is ‘versatile, efficient and bridgeable’. It is also said to achieve a sonic performance consistent with the company’s heritage.
With six independent oversized power supplies, the Parasound ZoneMaster 1250 is stabile into 2 ohm loads enabling total output power in excess of 120W RMS with all channels driven.
Each channel is rated at 50W into 8 ohms or 90W into 4 ohms and channel pairs can be bridged to provide 6 x 160W or 6 x 200W with 8 or 4 ohm speakers. Users also have the potential to bi-amp speakers with up to 400W per speaker.
Parasound has combined both high power and low impedance stability, which should allow for A and B speaker outputs for each channel, as well as provide an ‘easy’ connection of up to 24 speakers.
The company’s use of a 2U chassis should also help installers save on rack space and the cost of additional amplifiers.
For applications throughout a home, the Parasound ZoneMaster 1250 can drive three high power stereo systems with 200W per channel, six stereo zones, or 24 in-wall or ceiling speakers for music in every room of the house.
Parasound also believes that installers and users could also benefit from the ZoneMaster 1250 being installed for home cinema purposes, where it can be used in combinations of bridged and unbridged channels to drive a full home cinema system of significant scale.
Installers looking to install a Dolby Atmos cinema system are specifically being targeted, with Parasound claiming that the 1250 is ‘ideally suited’ for driving the individual modules.
There are independent line inputs and level controls for each channel and two bus inputs with looping outputs, plus a speaker-level input that can be routed to any zone.
In addition there are independent 12V and audio triggers with looping 12V trigger outputs for each zone and a global 12V trigger.
Detachable Phoenix-style speaker connectors accept up to 12-gauge wire, whilst rack mounting hardware is included in the box.
The Model 1250 boasts 0.5W standby power consumption which meets both Energy Star and European Union specifications.
“In terms of sound quality, build quality and configuration options, the ZoneMaster Model 1250 is a game-changer in a category populated by cheaply built IC chip amplifiers,” says The Multi-Room Company’s product director, Mike Bonnette.
“It is as useful for distributed audio as it is for home cinema, where it could augment an AV receiver with 3 x 200 watts plus 4 x 90 watts or as a terrific single-chassis amplifier solution for Dolby Atmos installations.”
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