Integra, the leading manufacturer of home theater and distributed audio electronics for custom installation, has introduced the MZA-4.7, a multi-source, multi-zone amplifier and preamplifier that has a full array of features designed to meet the needs of custom audio-video systems installers.

The Integra MZA-4.7 manages four remote audio or audio-video zones using up to eight source components, and it can be expanded up to 32 zones by daisy-chaining additional MZA-4.7s using a 34-pin expansion bus. It can be set-up and controlled via a PC, optional keypads, or using the front panel LCD display.

The Integra MZA-4.7 is more powerful than typical multi-zone amplifiers, with four stereo pairs delivering 50 Watts per channel into 8 ohm loads and with full stability for loads as low as 4 ohms. Each channel has short-circuit protection, and the system has three progressive levels of thermal protection. The first step is activation of a cooling fan, followed by a 20 dB amplifier gain reduction, and finally the unit shuts down until the temperature is back under control. Front-panel clipping indicators and separate preamp and amplifier gain controls make it much easier for the custom installer to set the ideal speaker volume levels.

The Integra MZA-4.7 is designed for integration with whole house automation systems via RS232 and IR control topologies, and using optional zone keypads. It also has a real time clock with alarms, event scheduling, and a sleep timers. For set-up and control, the Integra MZA-4.7's control functions can be accessed via either the front-panel USB or rear RS232 serial interface. Each zone has separate bass, treble, balance and loudness controls, and the output levels can be controlled independently for each zone or linked to another zone.