Rear Panel Audio Connections; Speaker Level Input Connector - Parasound ZoneMaster Model 450 Owner's Manual

Rear Panel Audio Connections

Channel pairs (left and right) are grouped into two zones. Typically each room or area is considered
a zone but this will be determined by the system integrator.
Always disconnect the AC cord to your ZoneMaster 450 before plugging in or unplugging any
connections. Inserting or removing an interconnect cable's plug while this power amp is turned on can
result in a burst of sound that can damage your loudspeakers. Make sure there is no strain or tension on
any input cables, speaker wires, DC trigger wires or the AC cord that could cause them to pull loose.
Audio Input Connections
The Speaker Level Input Connector
This is an additional type of audio input that can be used by Zone 1 and connected to Zone 2 by using the
Loop Out jacks. The Speaker Level input enables the ZoneMaster 450 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
450's Speaker Level input can connect to the speaker terminals on any receiver or amplifier. This will not
reduce the 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 will be routed to the
Left and Right inputs of zone 1. Speaker level audio is also converted to line level and routed to the zone 1
Loop Out jacks which provide a line level output to drive zone 2 or additional amplifiers. To route the
Speaker Level Input to zone 2 as well as zone 1 you can use any standard RCA cables and connect it
between the Loop out jacks and the input for zone 2.
Note: You should connect only the RCA connections for zone 1 or the Speaker Level inputs,
but not both or you could hear both sources at the same time.
Note: You can detach the speaker input connector block from the 450 to make it easier to
attach and secure the 4 speaker wires. It accepts bare wires up to AWG 16. Each
wire should be twisted tightly and/or tinned with solder to prevent stray strands that
could short circuit the amplifier. Since the Speaker Level input consumes a small
fraction of a watt of your receiver's power output using large gauge speaker wire
provides absolutely no performance advantage.
Line Input Jacks for Channels 1 through 4
These are standard line level audio Inputs for each channel. Connect these jacks to the Left and Right
output jacks on your preamp, whole-house audio controller or the zone outputs of your AV receiver.
™ 450 Owner's Manual
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Parasound ZoneMaster Page 9