Parasound
®
ZoneMaster
™
450 Owner’s Manual
Page 15
Frequently Asked Questions
The unit will not turn on
- Check the setting of the Turn On Options switch (The front panel Power button will be disabled if the
switch is set to Audio or 12V).
- Check that the AC power is live. When the AC power is live and the unit is turned off, the Power button
will illuminate red.
When using the audio trigger a zone is turning off during quiet listening
- Turn down the Level controls for those
channels (12 O’clock is a good place to start).
- See page 11 for more details.
When using the audio trigger a zone never turns off
- The audio trigger circuit waits for up to 10 minutes before shutting the zone off. Try waiting at least 10
minutes after stopping the audio source.
- Ensure that the Turn On Option switch is set to the
“Audio”
position.
- If the zone still will not turn off then you may have too much noise (hiss or hum) in the audio signal path.
You must eliminate the source or cause of this noise. If you are unable to do this you will have to resort
to using the 12V triggers.
Front panel channel indicators are red or flashing green and red
- Check speakers and speaker wires for short circuits.
- Ensure that you have not combined the negative (-) terminals of any of the speaker outputs.
- You may have attached a total speaker load that is below the 2 ohm minimum in Stereo Mode or the 4
ohm minimum in Bridged Mode. The total speaker load for that channel is the combined parallel
impedance of one channel.
If two 8 ohm speakers are attached the channel “sees” only 4 ohms. If two
4 ohm speakers are attached
the channel “sees” only 2 ohms.
- The zone may have overheated and will not resume operation until it cools down. Ensure that you have
provided adequate ventilation especially when driving low impedance loads.
- See page 13 for more details.
Why is there no sound from my speakers?
- Are the channel lights illuminated green on the front panel indicating that the zone is turned on?
- Check that input and output cables are plugged in all the way at both ends.
- Are your preamplifiers and all power amplifiers turned on?
- Is the correct input selected on the preamplifier?
- Is there an audio source playing (CD player, Tuner, etc.).
I can hear a hum or buzzing noise from my speakers
-
Cable TV
is the most common source of hum or buzzing noise in a system. If you have a cable TV box
connected to your audio system temporarily remove the incoming cable signal from the Cable TV box. If
the hum goes away the problem is with the cable TV ground. You will need a cable TV ground Loop
Isolator which is an inexpensive device that attaches between your incoming cable and the Cable TV box.
- Light dimmers can cause noise in your audio. Try turning lights that are controlled by dimmers all the way
off. If the hum goes away the problem is electrical noise the dimmers introduce into your
home’s AC
power.
- Ground loops are also a common cause of hum and buzzing noise. Finding a ground loop is a process of
elimination. Unplug your source components one at a time. When the hum goes away you’ve identified
the source of the ground loop. You might be able to stop the hum by attaching a wire from the chassis of
the offending component to the chassis or ground screw of your preamplifier.
