All the powerful multi-zone flexibility of the flagship 8ZSA in a smaller package

Jan. 25, 2024 - Sometimes, less is more.

Not less performance, mind you — just size.

That was the case when it came to the immensely popular Crestron DM NAX® amp, the DM-NAX-8ZSA. Many customers told us they needed a smaller solution, a streaming amplifier designed to serve audio to fewer zones — while still offering all of the other features of its larger sibling.

Meet the Crestron DM-NAX-4ZSA-50

The Crestron DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 is a next-generation audio-over-IP (AoIP) amplifier that puts Crestron multiroom audio distribution on a DM NAX network. It provides four amplified stereo speaker outputs and one analog line-level stereo output for a total of five zones, or “4+1.” A dedicated streaming service player for each of those zones enables complete freedom to stream different content in every zone.

This smaller amp — at a lower price point than the DM-NAX-8ZSA — offers greater flexibility to both commercial and residential integrators. It’s perfect for smaller projects such as in restaurant or retail shops, apartment settings, or as an expansion amplifier for a larger existing system — something our residential dealers needed for certain projects.

Simply put, it’s perfect for applications where an eight-zone amp would be overkill.

Stream It All

This 4+1 zone streaming amplifier features AirPlay® 2 software support and a separate music streaming service media player on each zone output — built right into the unit. Each media player supports the most popular streaming platforms (more on that below). Not only can the AirPlay 2 software or media player sources be directly sent to the DM-NAX-4ZSA-50's zone outputs, but they can also be encoded to DM NAX streams that can be picked up by other DM NAX amplifiers on the network.

Use Cases: Some Examples

Some applications where the Crestron DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 streaming amp would be perfect include:

• Small retail shops (boutiques, coffee shops, salons, eateries, and small watering holes) with four output zones feeding audio to spaces such as main dining areas, private party rooms, restrooms, patios, and so on.
• Fitness centers, bringing audio to the lobby, weights area, yoga room, and locker room.
• Small medical or dental offices, covering the waiting room, hallways, patient rooms, and medical imaging rooms.
• Hospitality applications, providing ambient music for the various common areas such as lobbies, pools, locker rooms, hallways, and fitness centers.
• Live/work Lofts, providing separate music and zone control for residential and commercial common areas.

Of course, adding more DM NAX amplifiers to any system as a business grows is simple — they integrate seamlessly with one another and the larger DM NAX AoIP network. What’s more, the DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 is a natural extension to any existing DM NVX® AV-over-IP systems, including those that utilize the new products Crestron is rolling out at the ISE® 2024 trade show — the new DM NAX audio edge device, for example.

DM NVX systems encode the audio portion of a video signal as a DM NAX stream, which can then be picked up by any DM NAX amplifier on a network, including the DM-NAX-4ZSA-50. The amplifier can be controlled by any custom Crestron system, and it’s completely compatible with the Crestron Home® OS, simplifying setup in residential deployments.

The Crestron DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 Includes:

• Four 50W stereo AirPlay 2® software compatible amplified zone outputs plus one line level zone output for feeding additional amplifiers for a 4+1 configuration.
• Four onboard music streaming service players and support for all the most popular streaming services, allowing you to “enhance the vibe” in up to four different areas with your preferred streaming platform.
• Analog and digital input and output interfaces that allow pairing with a wide array of audio sources.
• An onboard DSP for fine-tuning audio performance with any speaker.
• The flexibility to receive both local and network audio sources.
• Network configuration via the extremely intuitive webUI.

Packed with Features

Like its big brother, the DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 is loaded with features, including:

Best-in-Class Audio-over-IP

The DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 sends and receives DM NAX and AES67 encoded audio over a standard IP network. A single DM NAX system can handle audio distribution between no less than 32 DM NAX technology devices and supports up to 256 audio output zones. Additionally, DM NAX devices can seamlessly pull and distribute the audio from DM NVX sources.

Streaming and Casting Services

A dedicated streaming service player is built into the unit for each zone, supporting AirPlay® 2 software, Amazon® Music, internet radio, Spotify Connect, Pandora®, SiriusXM®, TIDAL®, Deezer®, Qobuz®, podcast providers, and many, many more. The DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 delivers streaming services, routing, distribution, and amplification in a single device, and streams can be routed to other non-streaming AoIP devices.

Chimes

A library of chimes is built into the unit. Chimes can be assigned to different zones to help identify them so that alerts specific to an area can be recognized immediately. When a chime is triggered, the zone audio will duck or pause so the chime can be clearly heard over any active media until the chime concludes.

Outstanding Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

DSP capabilities such as bass and treble boost and cut, loudness, adjustable delay, speaker protection and limiting, tone profiles, a full 10-band EQ per output, and an option to have line output as a fixed or variable level with or without DSP applied are available. Speaker profiles for first- and third-party speaker models are built in to simplify output DSP tuning.

Encoder and Decoder Functionality

The DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 can operate as a network AoIP encoder and decoder. The local input sources on one amplifier can be sent as AoIP streams to DM NAX, Dante® audio networking, or AES67-capable devices. The DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 can also simultaneously receive AoIP streams from these same devices and decode them for local output.

A Small Footprint and Modular Design

The DM-NAX-4ZSA-50 is housed in a half-width rack-mountable form factor that can be installed individually or ganged together with other amps in a single rack space. It’s high-density stackable with other Crestron DM NAX or X-Series amplifiers, allowing multiple units to be installed vertically in an equipment rack without needing extra ventilation space. Rack mount parts are included, so no additional mounting accessories or rack shelves are required. Whether an installation calls for mounting in a rack or placing on a shelf, it’s very easy to combine two amplifiers into a single, full rack-width assembly.

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By Josh Carlson, Senior Product Marketing Manager