4
Unpacking your
Zphono•USB & Placement
Guidelines
Unpacking Your Zphono•USB
Carefully remove your Zphono•USB from its shipping carton and locate all the enclosed
accessories:
• AC power cord
• USB cable
While you are unpacking your Zphono•USB, inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and
tell your Parasound dealer immediately if you find any. If possible, save and store both the inner and
outer cartons and–most especially–the foam packing inserts, to protect the Zphono•USB if you
have to move it or ship it. This would be a good time to make a copy of your sales receipt to store
with the Zphono•USB’s original packing.
Again: Do not throw away the Zphono•USB carton or foam packing inserts.
Placement Guidelines
Install your Zphono•USB away from heat sources such as heating ducts, radiators, or other
heat-producing components. Always position the Zphono•USB horizontally. Observe the following
ventilation guidelines when installing the Zphono•USB in an equipment rack or any other enclosed
space:
You should never install the Zphono•USB in an unventilated equipment cabinet or compartment
because hot air will not exhaust adequately to prevent overheating. Air won’t often circulate
adequately in a cabinet or enclosure whose front and back sides are open; pockets of intense heat
can still develop around any heat-producing equipment. Allow a few inches of empty space on each
side and above the unit and try to avoid crowding or stacking the Zphono•USB tightly between other
components. A ventilation fan is also recommended where other heat-producing equipment must be
mounted close to the Zphono•USB.
If you’re installing the Zphono•USB yourself, use input and output cables that are long enough to
leave at least two feet of slack; that will enable you to pull the Zphono•USB out of a cabinet to check
or to change connections without inadvertently disconnecting cables. If you’re putting the
Zphono•USB inside a cabinet, it needs a space that’s at least 11 inches wide so you’ll be able to
turn it around for access to its rear panel connections.
Rack Mounting Your Parasound Zphono•USB
The Zphono•USB occupies only half the width of a single rack space in a standard 19" equipment
rack. For rack mounting, you can fasten it to another Parasound Z model by using the Parasound
SBS (Side-by-Side) mounting kit (Sold Separately). You can also mount a single Zphono•USB in the
rack with the accessory Zblank panel extender. The SBS includes four rack mount bolts plus four
pairs of plastic “shoulder washers.” The washers are important because they insulate the
Zphono•USB front panel (and chassis) from the metal equipment rack and from the four mounting
bolts. Place these washers on both sides of the front panel before the mounting bolts are screwed
into the rack rail.
Note:
Tighten each bolt just enough to keep the unit secure in the rack to avoid deforming the
shoulder washers. Eliminating metal-to-metal contact reduces the likelihood of creating a ground
loop that might introduce hum into your system.
