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    Z Airbrake: Owners Manual

    Uploaded by

    Taylor Rose
    The Z Airbrake is an attenuator designed to control the volume of an amplifier while maintaining tone and dynamics. It offers different levels of attenuation from 1.8 dB up to 30 dB for use both live and in the studio or home. Rotary and rheostat controls select the amount of attenuation. Speaker cables connect from the amplifier's output to the Airbrake's input and from the Airbrake's output to a speaker cabinet. Internal adjustments can fine tune the amount of attenuation at each step.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Z Airbrake: Owners Manual

    Uploaded by

    Taylor Rose
    68 views3 pages
    The Z Airbrake is an attenuator designed to control the volume of an amplifier while maintaining tone and dynamics. It offers different levels of attenuation from 1.8 dB up to 30 dB for use both live and in the studio or home. Rotary and rheostat controls select the amount of attenuation. Speaker cables connect from the amplifier's output to the Airbrake's input and from the Airbrake's output to a speaker cabinet. Internal adjustments can fine tune the amount of attenuation at each step.

    Original Title

    Air Brake

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    The Z Airbrake is an attenuator designed to control the volume of an amplifier while maintaining tone and dynamics. It offers different levels of attenuation from 1.8 dB up to 30 dB for use both live and in the studio or home. Rotary and rheostat controls select the amount of attenuation. Speaker cables connect from the amplifier's output to the Airbrake's input and from the Airbrake's output to a speaker cabinet. Internal adjustments can fine tune the amount of attenuation at each step.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    68 views3 pages

    Z Airbrake: Owners Manual

    Uploaded by

    Taylor Rose
    The Z Airbrake is an attenuator designed to control the volume of an amplifier while maintaining tone and dynamics. It offers different levels of attenuation from 1.8 dB up to 30 dB for use both live and in the studio or home. Rotary and rheostat controls select the amount of attenuation. Speaker cables connect from the amplifier's output to the Airbrake's input and from the Airbrake's output to a speaker cabinet. Internal adjustments can fine tune the amount of attenuation at each step.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Z Airbrake

    Owners Manual
    Overview:
    The Z Airbrake is an essential tool with many applications. This attenuator was designed to let
    you maintain your amp’s tone and dynamic response while keeping the overall volume under
    control. On stage and in the studio the Z Airbrake gives you great flexibility for different volume
    levels. At home the “Bedroom Level” can be used to really attenuate the overall volume down to
    1 watt or less.

    Top Controls:

    Attenuator: This is a rotary switch that selects the amount of attenuation. 0 position is true by-
    pass. Positions 1-4 adds 1.8 dB of attenuation per click.

    Bedroom Level: A rheostat that will adjust the amp’s output from -7.2 dB down to -30 dB.

    Side Jacks:

    From Amp: Connect a speaker cable from this jack to your amp’s speaker out jack.

    To Speaker: Connect a speaker cable from this jack to your speaker cabinet. It is optimal to
    match your amp speaker out to the external speaker rating. (ex: 8 ohm speaker out jack on
    amp with 8 ohm speaker cab.)

    Adjustment procedures:
    Remove the 6 screws that secure the bottom panel to the unit. Looking into the unit you will see
    3 adjustable sliders on the upper large brown resistor.
    The unit is factory adjusted for 1.8 dB of attenuation per step. To change the settings, loosen
    the screws that secure the sliders to the resistor. By moving the first slider towards the “to
    speaker jack” you will increase the amount of attenuation in the number 2 position of the At-
    tenuator control. The same is true for the other sliders affecting positions 3 and 4 respectfully.
    Carefully tighten each adjustment slider. Listen to the changes you have made and readjust if
    necessary. Replace bottom cover.
    The factory settings are optimized for Dr Z amps. You may find that a little tweak will improve
    the response with other manufacturer’s amps.
    Helpful Hints:
    When using the Airbrake with older vintage amps, mismatching the load will be a safer way
    to operate. This will eliminate any overheating of the output transformer. For example, a
    Vox AC30 or vintage 100 watt Marshall should be run at 8 ohms through the Z Airbrake with
    a 16 ohm speaker load.
    A useful technique for live applications is to use the Z Airbrake in parallel with another
    speaker cab. If your amp is equipped with dual speaker out jacks, connect the Z Airbrake as
    you would normally to one speaker cab. Connect the other cab directly to your amp. This
    will soften the attenuation effect and allow more control in live settings.

    www.drzamps.com

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