I was wondering whether the ZMACS can be safely used with high wattage tube-amps with more than 100W.
The product page for the ZMACS mentions
Safely handles 100 watts of continuous amplifier power.
and it is not clear to me how to interpret this since I was also not able to find any further details in the manual.
In another thread, when I asked about using the ZMACS with a solid-state power-amp, the recommendation was to always use “Default Impedance Bypass Mode” so that amp and cabs are connected directly - I guess this would also apply here but I would be interested in all the options that are supported.
For example, if I add a power station @ 8 Ohm (supports continuous 150W @ 8 Ohm according to manual) in the ZMACS attenuator loop (in “Bypass Override Mode” - see attenuator impedance compensation ZMACS manual page 8) would the ZMACS continuous power handling increase from 100 to 150?
The power rating of the ZMACS is based on the impedance matching transformer. Think of this like the 100W rating on a vintage tube amp. It says 100W on the box but it can output more than that. It’s kind of the same for the ZMACS. It’s rated at 100W clean sine wave power but can handle more power when needed.
Fryette have been designing their own transformers for decades; they are overbuilt to withstand a lot of abuse and have a reputation for reliability.
I’m completely aware of the high quality of the Fryette products and the amount of engineering behind them. I just want to avoid any issues if I use the ZMACS with a high wattage head (e.g. a Diezel Herbert) frying the ZMACS in the process
I guess I just need to be very careful in that setting (and play on low volume).
I was curious about this too. I’ve always wanted a Deliverance, so I thought I would have to get the 60 watt version if I wanted to use it with the ZMACS. Are you saying that the ZMACS could handle the Deliverance 120?
Output rating of D120, like most amps is based at a higher distortion level, that’s when it’s putting out 120W.
The transformer in the ZMAC is 100W CLEAN without distortion. What happens when you push it, is that the character of the transformer gets added to your signal. This will occur slowly as power is increased, but at some point it will saturate and that will limit the high and low end response. The same thing happens with guitar amps too.
Context is also important, are you running that with no ventilation at 120W for 8 hours? I would not recommend doing that, but take care of it and I think you will be fine.
But most sane people will use an attenuator in the loop of the ZMACS so you can avoid that possibility
