NAD Extends Their Custom Installation Line With The CI-9060 and CI-9120 Multi-Zone Power Amplifiers

3-Feb-03

NAD, the highly regarded manufacturer of affordable, high-performance audio and video components, has expanded their product line to meet the specific needs of Custom Installation specialists with the CI-9060 6-Channel Amplifier and the CI-9120 12-Channel Amplifier. High-power capacity, dependability, and sound excellence are the hallmarks of these distribution amplifiers that bring NAD's core values of performance, value, and simplicity to the custom installation marketplace.Many amplifiers designed for multi-zone distributed audio are just not powerful enough. With a continuous power rating of 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms, with all channels driven simultaneously, both the CI-9160 and the CI-9120 deliver nearly double the power of most other competing amplifiers. This is an extremely critical factor, because unlike a normal hi-fi amplifier that only sends its signal to speakers within a few feet of the amplifier, distribution amplifiers generally send a signal to speakers hundreds of feet away. The series resistance due to long runs of speaker wire, combined with impedance matching of volume controls create special demands on an amplifier, and both the CI 9060 and CI 9120 are designed to overcome these common custom installation issues with ease.Each amplifier employs NAD's proprietary Output Management Circuit (OMC), ensuring that full power is available to each channel at any common speaker load impedance. If the load impedance falls below 3 ohms, indicating something other than a loudspeaker is connected to the amplifier channel, the OMC immediately limits the power flow, preventing the amplifier and loudspeakers from overdriving or overheating. Even when the OMC is activated, the amplifier continues to play without distortion; only the power level is reduced to the amplifier channel with the problem.A clean-sheet design topology was employed to specifically meet the demanding requirements of the advanced custom installation market. All amplifier circuitry is mounted on plug-in modules for easy field servicing in the unlikely event of amplifier failure. Absolute reliability was the primary goal when designing these amplifiers, resulting in the establishment of new standards for ""bullet-proof"" reliability and sonic performance in this highly specialized category. The ideal custom installation amplifier not only has to have absolute reliability with great sound quality, but it also must be flexible enough to interface correctly with a variety of other devices, with diverse system requirements. The CI 9060 and the CI 9120 both feature two NAD exclusives, the Flex-Pad and ATO (Automated Turn-On) Logic.Flex-Pad allows these amplifiers to drive from one to six independent zones, in any configuration of stereo or mono (or in mixed combination), without using switches, which are known to have questionable reliability and cause sonic degradation. Flex-Pad uses a patch bay to configure the amplifier channels using the supplied patch cables. The configuration layout is self-explanatory to installers setting up the system or troubleshooting system errors. This is especially important, simplifying future service calls (especially if system documentation is missing or incomplete).For complete system flexibility, ATO Logic turns on the amplifier in one of three ways: from the front panel, via the 12-volt trigger circuit, or by the switchable ""sleep/wake"" signal-sensing circuit. The ATO Logic circuit requires that the amplifier be switched back to standby in the same manner by which it was activated. In other words, if it is switched on via a 12 V control signal, it cannot be switched to standby via the front-panel switch; it must wait for the 12 V signal. High-volume, low-pressure fans guard against overheating, keeping both the power supply and the output stage cool, yet are essentially quiet in operation. Thermostatically controlled, the fans automatically adjust to the ambient temperature, insuring optimum operating conditions at all times. In the event overheating should occur, or there is a dead short-circuit in the system, the fast-acting auto-resetting protection is activated.The size of the two amplifiers is identical, a standard 3U rack mount. The logic behind this is to allow installers to replace a CI-9060 with a CI-9120 in future installations, without making any changes in the rack-mount configuration. Individual level trims for each channel and a removable IEC power cord (CI 9060) help make installation faster and easier.The CI-9060 has a suggested retail price of $1,399, while the CI-9120 sells for $2,499.For more information about NAD Electronics International, visit www.nadelectronics.com.

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